Sen. Warren to Boycott Netanyahu Speech to Congress

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has added her name to a growing list of Democrats who will not be present when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress next month, The Hill reported.

“Benjamin Netanyahu has created a humanitarian disaster,” Warren said to the outlet on Wednesday.

“The United States needs to be using its leverage, including restrictions on arm sales, as a way to advance a push toward peace in the Middle East,” she said when asked by the outlet for her reaction to the Biden administration’s pursuit of a military sale to Israel.

“We need a cease-fire, massive humanitarian relief, the return of the hostages, and we’ve gotta have a breakthrough on getting the parties to the negotiating table. Giving more arms to Israel is not pushing in the right direction,” Warren continued.

On Tuesday Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., posted on X: “This man should not be addressing Congress. He is a war criminal. And he certainly has no regard for US law, which is explicitly designed to prevent US weapons from facilitating human rights abuses.

“His invitation should be revoked. It should’ve never been sent in the 1st place.”

Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., has similarly said he won’t attend, saying that he’s “just gonna stay away.”

In May, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on July 24.

Jeffries has left it up to the individual representatives to speak for their own constituents, saying, “All of us recognize that every individual member has to make that decision to participate on their own based on what they believe is consistent with the district that they represent.”