Defiant Netanyahu to face US congress as Gaza tensions intensify
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver a landmark speech to the US congress as he fights off intense pressure to quickly cut a Gaza war ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver a landmark speech to the US congress on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) as he fights off intense pressure to quickly cut a Gaza war ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Mr Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, will become the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of the two chambers four times, pulling ahead of Winston Churchill on three.
But analysts say the Gaza war since the October 7 Hamas attacks has created worrying tensions between Israel and the US, its main military and diplomatic backer.
Washington fears a backlash from the mounting civilian toll in the Gaza Strip, while protests in Israel by families of hostages taken by Hamas are also causing headaches for Mr Netanyahu.
President Joe Biden and some Israeli ministers say a deal negotiated through Qatar, Egyptian and US mediators is possible. A plan outlined in May proposed a six-week ceasefire when some Israeli hostages would be swapped for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
The Middle East was reeling on Sunday from deadly violence with Israel bombing Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen in quick succession in response to attacks from Iran-backed militant groups.
Despite Washington’s top diplomat asserting a deal is near the “goal line”, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, as it pressed on with its offensive in Gaza.
Dozens have been killed since Saturday across the Gaza Strip, the civil defence agency said. Residents said a major operation was under way in Rafah in the south, reporting heavy artillery and clashes.
The deadly strikes in Gaza came hours after Hezbollah and its ally Hamas said they fired at Israeli positions from south Lebanon, while Yemen’s Huthi rebels vowed to respond to Israeli warplanes hitting a key port.
Detailing the first strikes claimed by Israel in Yemen, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned of further operations if the Houthis “dare to attack us” after a rebel drone strike killed one in Tel Aviv on Friday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that negotiators were “inside the 10-yard line and driving toward the goal line”.
But Hamas has accused Mr Netanyahu of seeking to block a deal and Mr Blinken said he wanted to “bring the agreement over the finish line” when Mr Netanyahu is in Washington.
An expected meeting between Mr Netanyahu and Mr Biden is still not confirmed.
Publicly, Mr Biden has voiced strong support for Israel. But he expressed concern over an offensive in Rafah in May and for a while suspended deliveries of heavy bombs to Israel. Supplies of two-tonee bombs remain embargoed.
“Never before has the atmosphere been so fraught,” said Council on Foreign Relations Middle East specialist Steven Cook.
“There is clearly tension in the relationship, especially between the White House and the Israeli Prime Minister.”
While US Republicans pressed to invite Mr Netanyahu to address congress, he has lost support among Democrats.
One Jewish senator, Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii, announced he would boycott Wednesday’s speech, saying he would not listen to “political rhetoric that will do nothing to bring peace in the region”.
Mr Netanyahu said after being invited to congress again that he would “present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us”.
Dr Cook said that Mr Netanyahu has two aims for his Washington trip. First, to show that he has not “undermined” Israel’s relations with the US.
Mr Netanyahu also “will endeavour to shift the conversation away from the conflict in Gaza toward the threat that Iran and its proxies pose” to Israel and the US.
Much attention will be focused on whether Mr Netanyahu meets with Donald Trump or a figure close to the Republican presidential candidate.
Despite the tensions, the US has defended Israeli interests while taking a key role in mediation efforts, and the military relationship remains strong.
Washington’s support could prove crucial as Israel faces increasing international criticism over the growing humanitarian toll from nearly 300 days of war.
The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor in May asked judges to issue arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Warrants for three Hamas leaders have also been requested.
AFP
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