Dozens of Democrats are skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress. Here's why.

WASHINGTON – When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, he won’t speak to the packed chamber of lawmakers met by most speakers before him.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers do not plan to attend the Israeli leader’s speech on Wednesday in protest of Israel's ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, which has led to mass civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis.

All four top congressional leaders invited Netanyahu to speak to Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. But they won’t be joined by some of their closest colleagues, including those who help them lead the Democratic caucus.

The second-ranking Senate Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement that Israel’s execution of the war in Gaza “is a brutal strategy beyond any acceptable level of self-defense.”

“Netanyahu’s refusal to consider any peace plan that gives both Israelis and Palestinians a guarantee of security is inconsistent with a peaceful conclusion to this age-old conflict,” Durbin said. “I will stand by Israel, but I will not stand and cheer its current Prime Minister at tomorrow’s Joint Session.”

Like Durbin, most of those who plan to skip the speech stress their support for the state of Israel but condemn Netanyahu’s government and his approach to war that has taken the lives of nearly 40,000 Palestinians.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who spoke for 45 minutes on the Senate floor Tuesday, distinguished between Israeli people and their leadership, who he condemned for refusing to accept a two-state solution for the region.

“It sends a terrible message to bring him here now to address a joint session of Congress,” Van Hollen said. Netanyahu “remains the leader of the most extreme right-wing government coalition in the history of Israel.”

Others expressed disgust that Netanyahu was invited to speak in the first place: Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., the only Palestinian member of Congress, accused Netanyahu of being “a war criminal committing genocide” in Gaza.

“It is utterly disgraceful that leaders from both parties have invited him to address Congress,” she wrote on X. “He should be arrested and sent to the International Criminal Court.”

In May, the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and others on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the Israeli-led war in Gaza and the Oct. 7 attack in Israel.

Other lawmakers in Washington simply said they have a conflict with the logistics of the speech – despite it being scheduled in the middle of what is typically an in-person work day in the nation's capital.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who is running for reelection this year, said he is unable to attend the speech “due to a previously scheduled commitment in Virginia” but that “it remains clear that the security of Israel and U.S. service members in the region are immediately dependent on steps toward a deal to release hostages held by Hamas, establish a durable ceasefire, and increase humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

The Israel-Hamas War began last October, when Hamas militants killed more than 1,000 Israelis and captured around 250 hostages. Israel retaliated with a bombing campaign that has bombarded cities, forced more than 85% of the population in Gaza to be displaced and caused starvation among hundreds of thousands of civilians.

The United States’ support for Israel through the war has been a cause of major division in the Democratic Party, with progressives pushing President Joe Biden and other Democrats to go further in their criticism and do more to stop the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The U.S. approved a massive foreign aid bill earlier this year that sent $26.4 billion to the conflict, including $9 billion in humanitarian relief for Gaza and $4 billion for Israeli defense systems. Israel and Hamas have been in negotiations over a cease-fire and hostage return for weeks.

The slate of lawmakers not attending Netanyahu’s address also created a scramble to find someone to formally open and close the session, a logistical requirement for the event.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also the president of the Senate, won’t preside over the joint session in order to attend a campaign event.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., also declined to oversee the chamber and said she would skip the event, urging Netanyahu to use the speech “to address how he plans to secure a ceasefire” and “lasting peace in the region.”

Instead the presiding senator will be Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who will be retiring when his term expires at the end of the year.

Cardin told reporters Tuesday that he knew weeks ago, when the speech was scheduled, that Harris would not be able to attend. He added that she is meeting with Netanyahu privately on Thursday. Schumer asked him to preside as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair, he said, and “I think it’s an honor.”

Others said they’re going to attend the joint session but aren’t pleased: Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., reportedly said "My constituents elected me to sit in that chair,” before adding: “If I only sat there on days that were really fun that I enjoyed, I wouldn’t be sitting there very often."

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the most senior Jewish member of the House, said on X Tuesday that Netanyahu is “is the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years ago,” but said he does plan to attend the speech out of respect for the State of Israel.

“I have not given up on the dream of an Israel that can live in peace with its neighbors, including with Palestinians, through a negotiated two-state solution,” he wrote.

Republicans, meanwhile, blasted their colleagues for not showing up to support Netanyahu, who they argue is locked in a battle for the survival of Israel.

“Unfortunately, some of the leaders who could learn the most from the experience of the battle-tested, duly-elected leader of a sovereign democracy apparently will not be among us,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Prime Minister Netanyahu deserves our attention, and Israel deserves a friend that lives up to the name.”

At least one GOP senator will not be in attendance: Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, who was recently named former President Donald Trump’s running mate, will be at a campaign event.

Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, a Jewish Democrat, expressed disappointment that some of his colleagues planned on skipping the speech. But he said Vance's failure to show up would be "another thing," considering he's on a presidential ticket.

Vance “stands steadfastly with the people of Israel” but will skip the address “as he has duties to fulfill as the Republican nominee for Vice President,” Trump senior campaign advisor Jason Miller said in a statement.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Michael Collins and Francesca Chambers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Netanyahu address to Congress: Why dozens of Democrats are skipping