US: Lawmakers And Jews Including Veteran Soldiers To Boycott Netanyahu's Speech (image@cami_mondeaux)

US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she will be boycotting Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his address to Congress. Dozens of federal lawmakers are planning to boycott Netanyahu including Rep. Rashida Talib, the only Palestinian in the Congress.

Netanyahu’s visit came just days after the International Court of Justice found Israel’s war in Gaza illegal and constituting apartheid.

Taking to her X, AOC said It is a dark day in US history when an authoritarian with warrant requests from the International Criminal Court is allowed to address a joint session of Congress. Calling Netanyahu a war criminal, she highlighted that “40k Palestinians are dead. Hostages aren’t home”.

It is a dark day in US history when an authoritarian with warrant requests from the International Criminal Court is allowed to address a joint session of Congress.

40k Palestinians are dead.
Hostages aren’t home.
Netanyahu is a war criminal.
I will be boycotting his address.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 23, 2024

In a statement released, Talib said it is utterly disgraceful that eh leaders from both parties have invited Netanyahu to address the Congress. “Netanyahu is a war criminal committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is utterly disgraceful that leaders from both parties have invited him to address Congress. He should be arrested and sent to the International Criminal Court”. Talib also highlighted that “since 1948, US provided more than $141 billion in weapons to the Israeli government to fund the  ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, including $17.9 billion since October”.

Read also: ‘Beijing Declaration’: A New Agreement Between Palestinian Groups Against Israel

Most of the members of the House and Senate who have said they will skip the address — including Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the No. 2 Democrat in the upper chamber — appear to be more focused on Netanyahu himself as a war criminal or international law violator, rather than on the Israeli state’s systemic assaults against the Palestinian people. The lawmakers who are planning to boycott Netanyahu also include Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.

Many prominent members of Congress, including Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., will reportedly hold counter-programming with the families of Israeli hostages at the time of Netanyahu’s address.

The former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Netanyahu should not have been invited to speak.

The last time Netanyahu visited Congress was in 2015. Nearly 60 Democrats boycotted his speech back then, and considered his presence as an attack on President Barack Obama’s efforts to finalize negotiations regarding the Iran nuclear deal.

This time, Netanyahu is visiting at a time when he was likely facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes in Gaza, including genocide.

Read also: Controversial Israeli Rabbi Meir Mazuz Objects Humanitarian Aid To Gaza: Report

From international courts to human rights organizations and United Nations have found that the Israel government headed by Netanyahu committed human rights violations. Even the Biden administration, who has been religiously providing financial and political cover for Israel’s assault on Gaza, has admitted that Israel has killed civilians and likely violated International law with US weapons.

Apart from the lawmakers, US veteran group Common Dreams (CD) joined Israeli veterans of Breaking The Silence (BTS) to urge the members of Congress to support a ceasefire in Gaza and condition any future military aid to Israel, voicing respect for the international law and the human rights of Palestinians.

Nadav Weiman, the incoming executive director of BTS, said “We’re the soldiers that stood at checkpoints, raided homes, arrested kids, destroyed Palestinian villages and fought in Gaza… We know more than anyone else why we need to end the Israeli occupation for the sake of Israeli society and the Palestinian society as well. We cannot really be a democracy in the middle-east if we continue our continuous 57 years of military occupation over the Palestinian people”, as quoted by media.

The former soldiers were also accompanied by hundreds of Jewish people, including over two dozen of rabbis and rabbinical students, from across the country. They took to the rotunda to demand a ceasefire and arms embargo to Israel.

Extremely loud protest happening in Cannon House building right now by pro-Palestinian protesters just one day before Netanyahu address pic.twitter.com/rrNJ6OZblZ

— Cami Mondeaux (@cami_mondeaux) July 23, 2024