US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said Thursday that he will invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress.
"I would love to have him come in and address a joint session of Congress. We’ll certainly extend that invitation," the Louisiana Republican told CNBC.
The invitation follows Netanyahu speaking to Senate Republicans via videoconference on Wednesday. The address came after Democratic US Senator Chuck Schumer said last week that Israel should hold new elections, setting off a firestorm in Israel.
The last Israeli leader to address Congress in-person was President Isaac Herzog in July of last year. Herzog spoke on the 75th anniversary of Israeli independence and downplayed tensions in the US-Israel relationship. At the time, the US had been voicing concern over the Netanyahu government’s controversial judicial reform plans.
Netanyahu last spoke before Congress in 2015. That speech elicited significant controversy at the time due to Republicans arranging the speech without coordination with the White House.
Schumer said in a statement to media on Thursday that he would welcome Netanyahu speaking to Congress.
“Israel has no stronger ally than the United States and our relationship transcends any one president or any one Prime Minister,” he said. “I will always welcome the opportunity for the Prime Minister of Israel to speak to Congress in a bipartisan way.”
