Welcome to Wednesday, and thank God it’s not Monday, which was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth. 🔥 Make sure to hydrate if you’re out and about in D.C. for the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Today: At 10 a.m., Netanyahu will attend a long-in-the-works memorial service for Sen. Joe Lieberman, who died in March. And at 2 p.m., he’s scheduled to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress.
Thursday: Netanyahu will meet separately with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in D.C.
Friday: Netanyahu will travel to Florida to meet at Mar-a-Lago with former President Donald Trump.
Saturday: The prime minister is expected to spend Shabbat in D.C. before returning to Israel Saturday night.
Setting the scene: Netanyahu, whose last trip to Washington was in September 2020 to sign the Abraham Accords during the Trump administration, is arriving now under very different circumstances. Netanyahu’s stock was in decline even before the war began, as he sought to consolidate his own power by limiting that of the country’s judiciary. And since Oct. 7, his popularity — both at home and abroad — has plummeted. International criticism of Netanyahu has increased as the death toll continues to grow in Gaza.
Some families of hostages see his failure to successfully negotiate a deal to end the war and free their relatives as a political ploy to stay in power. Freed hostage Noa Argamani lashed into Netanyahu when she met with him on Monday in D.C. A recent poll found that 72% of Israelis think he should quit over his failures related to Oct. 7.
Boycotts and protests: Dozens of Democratic lawmakers say they will skip the speech, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has called Netanyahu a “war criminal.” Congresspeople have a long history of snubbing invited guests — including the pope. Rep. Jerry Nadler, dean of the Jewish Caucus, says he’ll attend “out of respect for the State of Israel and the office of the prime minister.” But he called Netanyahu “the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem.”
Hundreds of demonstrators wearing shirts that read “Jews say stop arming Israel” gathered Tuesday in the rotunda of a House office building. Multiple protests against Netanyahu are planned at the Capitol today.
One group welcoming Netanyahu with open arms? Evangelical Christians.
Record breaker: With today’s speech, Netanyahu will become the world leader who has addressed Congress the most times. Prior to this week’s address, which will be his fourth, Netanyahu was tied with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, at three times each. We look back at why Netanyahu keeps getting invited, and what he’s said on previous occasions.
Opinions… As Netanyahu speaks to Congress, it’s never been more important — or lonely — to be a liberal Zionist
‘He should go and stay’: As Netanyahu visits Congress, Israelis at home are tired of the act | 