Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress on July 24

washington – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, multiple sources told CBS News.

The four main leaders of the House and Senate formally invited Netanyahu last week “to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combating terrorism and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region. But the invitation did not specify a date.

There was brief confusion over the date of Monday when Punchbowl News reported that the speech would take place on June 13. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, later said the proposed date conflicted with a Jewish holiday. The Jewish holiday Shavuot ends on June 13.

“I would have known better than to extend an invitation to a Jewish holiday to the prime minister of the state of Israel,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said Tuesday.

Jeffries and Johnson signed the invitation along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky.

Netanyahu he said Saturday, he was eager to present “the truth about our just war” against Hamas in Gaza since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in which hundreds of Israelis were killed and taken hostage.

Since then, more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas, and many face starvation, according to the UN.

The decision to invite Netanyahu comes amid deep political divisions over the war in the US

Republicans have been unequivocal in their support for Netanyahu, while Democrats have been divided on providing more support to the longtime US ally.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and said he would boycott the speech. Sanders argued that Israel had the right to defend itself, but said it went too far by going “to war against the entire Palestinian people.”

“I believe it is a very sad day for our country that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited by leaders of both political parties to speak to a joint session of the United States Congress,” Sanders said on the Senate floor on Monday. fair.

Sanders showed photographs taken by news agencies in Gaza of severely malnourished children while accusing Israel of violating international law.

“I would say to Speaker Johnson that when you attend his fundraising dinners with his billionaire friends and eat his beautiful steaks, his lobsters and other wonderful foods, please remember these photos of Gaza,” he said .

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, said Monday that it is “unproductive” for Netanyahu to speak before Congress.

“He shouldn’t be here,” she said, adding that she was debating whether or not to attend.

Other Democrats have also indicated they plan to skip the speech.

Johnson said Tuesday that “no Republican will ignore it — I guarantee it — at least not intentionally.”

Meanwhile, House Republicans moved on with legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court seeking an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, other Israeli officials and Hamas leaders, further exposing democratic divisions. The White House opposed the proposed sanctions, although it criticized the ICC’s decision.

Netanyahu last addressed a joint meeting of Congress in 2015, when he was trying to convince lawmakers to scuttle negotiations between the Obama administration and Iran over the regime’s nuclear program.

Margaret Brennan, Nikole Killion, Jaala Brown and Ellis Kim contributed reporting.