Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, July 24, and Orange County’s congressional delegation presented a mixed bag of opinions on the speech.
Reps. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana; Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills; Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano; Linda Sánchez, D-Whittier; and Michelle Steel, R-Seal Beach, all attended the address, their offices confirmed.
Netanyahu spoke for nearly an hour Wednesday in the joint session of Congress, praising both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump and underscoring the longstanding relationship between Israel and the U.S. He railed against Hamas and urged the U.S. to support Israel in its continued fight against Hamas.
Several Democratic lawmakers boycotted the address in protest of how he’s handled the war in the Middle East while a large and chaotic protest converged outside the Capitol.
Following Netanyahu’s speech, Steel said his address “reminded the world of the unbreakable alliance between the United States and Israel.”
“We must continue to stand by our friend and ally,” she said on social media.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s powerful address to Congress reminded the world of the unbreakable alliance between the United States and Israel. We must continue to stand by our friend and ally.#StandWithIsrael
— Rep. Michelle Steel (@RepSteel) July 24, 2024
Sánchez, however, had a very different take.
“I attended Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech in hopes of hearing some path forward to peace. Instead, all Congress got was more justification for his administration’s disproportional response in Gaza,” said Sánchez. “Netanyahu continues to use the atrocities of Oct. 7 to wage a war that has resulted in the mass casualty of Palestinian civilians, jeopardizing the two-state solution and any chance for lasting peace.”
Sánchez said she remains “committed to a ceasefire” and called on Hamas to release the remaining hostages from the attack last year, but she that “will only happen through meaningful dialogue and diplomacy.”
Kim, who is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said prior to Netanyahu’s remarks that the prime minister “has the chance to address not just Congress but also the American people who see the escalating conflict in the Middle East as well as rising antisemitism here at home,” noting that Israel “has the right to defend itself against Hamas.”
And Levin, who is Jewish, said he believes it’s “important to hear directly from Israel’s leader about the country’s state of affairs and its ongoing war with Hamas.”
“I am attending in support of the Israeli people and the crucial relationship between the State of Israel and the United States of America,” Levin said prior to the joint session. “The return of the hostages being held by Hamas remains my top priority, and I believe it is the key to ending this conflict.”
However, Levin noted that he has significant concerns about how Netanyahu is “using his visit and speech for political gain.”
The three-term Democrat called for new Israeli leadership last year, and he said he stands by that position.
Correa declined to comment.
Netanyahu, who was first elected prime minister in 1996 and is in his third term, is expected to meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately on Thursday. The trip marks his first visit to the U.S. since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel.
It’s unclear whether Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, was present in the House Chamber for Netanyahu’s address, but a report by the conservative news site Washington Examiner said Porter would not attend due to “previous commitments, rather than a boycott.”
Porter’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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