US Senator Chris Van Hollen, a prominent US lawmaker and member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, criticized the decision by House and Senate leaders to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver a speech before the Congress.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Van Hollen said Netanyahu’s speech to Congress risks signaling that Washington is endorsing his war strategy in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians so far.
The speech could also send a message to Netanyahu that he can continue to avoid Democrats’ repeated demands that Israel’s military do more to protect civilian life in Gaza.
“I’m not sure why the United States would want to reward a prime minister who has repeatedly flaunted the requests of the president of the United States,” Van Hollen said.
“Netanyahu wants to come here and pretend he’s Winston Churchill… and he’s no Winston Churchill.”
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The comments appear to be a reference to a video posted by Netanyahu, in which he criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration for withholding a shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel.
He compared Israel’s war in Gaza to Britain’s battle against Nazi Germany in World War II, echoing an iconic speech by Winston Churchill in which he called on the United States to provide Britain with new weapons.
“Give us the tools and we will finish the job much faster,” Netanyahu said.
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Van Hollen’s comments are notable given that he is closer to the center of the Democratic Party and has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from pro-Israel donors.
He is far less critical of Israel’s war efforts than more progressive lawmakers, such as Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Cori Bush of Missouri or Jamaal Bowman of New York.
Senate and House leaders, both Democrats and Republicans, invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24.
“We join the State of Israel in its fight against terrorism, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive and its leaders endanger regional stability,” the lawmakers said in a letter to the prime minister.
The invitation comes despite growing criticism of Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza, which has included public disagreements with the White House.
Several lawmakers have announced plans to boycott the speech, including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Fifty-eight lawmakers skipped Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in 2015.
In addition to rejecting the idea of inviting Netanyahu to Washington, Van Hollen reiterated a call to stop the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel, until he receives guarantees that Israel will not prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“When it comes to offensive weapons systems, I don’t think we should have a one-way blank check policy,” Van Hollen said.
