Israeli Netanyahu walks political tightrope during trip to Washington after Biden’s exit from race

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels to Washington on Monday, leaving a brutal war behind him to deliver a politically uncertain speech before Congress at a time of great uncertainty following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.

With a ceasefire in the works between Israel and Hamas, growing concerns about the war spreading to Lebanon and Yemen, and the US in the midst of a dizzying election campaign, Netanyahu’s speech could cause confusion on both sides of the ocean.

The risks have only increased since Biden decided on Sunday to withdraw from the presidential race, especially as the choice of a replacement Democratic candidate — and the potential next US leader — remains uncertain.

A person familiar with Biden’s schedule confirmed Sunday that the president will host Netanyahu at the White House. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the exact timing of the meeting had not yet been determined because Biden is recovering from COVID-19.

Netanyahu will address Congress on Wednesday. He is also expected to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s candidate for president.

An official in Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Israeli leader would travel to Washington on Monday. The official also spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement.

Netanyahu will deliver his speech to Congress with several audiences in mind: his ultranationalist governing partners, key to his political survival; the Biden administration, which Netanyahu is counting on for diplomatic and military support; and Donald Trump’s Republican Party, which could offer Netanyahu a reset of relations if he is re-elected in November.

With his words, he risks angering one of those constituencies, something the Israeli leader cannot afford if he wants to maintain his precarious grip on power.

“There are some landmines and pitfalls on this journey,” Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, said before Biden’s withdrawal. “He’s seen as a political wizard who knows how to escape traps. I’m not sure he still knows that.”

It is Netanyahu’s fourth address to Congress — more than any other world leader. During his speech, his far-right government partners will want to hear his determination to continue the war and topple Hamas.

The Biden administration will be looking for progress on the latest U.S.-backed ceasefire deal and details on a post-war vision. Republicans hope Netanyahu tarnishes Biden and reinforces the GOP’s hoped-for perception of Israel as a staunch supporter.

When Netanyahu received the invitation, he said he would “present the truth about our just war against those who want to destroy us.”

The war, which was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, has tested ties between Israel and its key ally like never before.

The Biden administration has steadfastly sided with Israel. But it has grown increasingly alarmed by the behavior of the Israeli military, the ongoing difficulties in getting humanitarian aid into Gaza, especially after the short-lived U.S. military pier off the coast of Gaza, as well as Israel’s lack of postwar planning and the harm to civilians in Gaza. Similar concerns are likely to persist as Americans elect a new Democratic president.

Biden earlier this year froze the supply of certain bombs over fears they would be used in Israel’s invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, home to more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people at the time.

The US abstained from a vote at the United Nations Security Council in March calling for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, but did not link the two. Netanyahu called the decision a “retreat” from a “principled position” by Israel’s ally.

Biden himself has had to walk a fine line. He has faced harsh criticism from progressive Democrats and many Arab Americans. Even Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking elected American Jewish official, blasted Netanyahu in March for his handling of the war.

Some Democrats are likely to show their anger at Biden and Netanyahu by skipping Wednesday’s speech. Netanyahu is also likely to be heckled by pro-Palestinian activists during his trip.

The last time Netanyahu spoke to Congress was in 2015 at the invitation of the Republican Party. The trip plunged Israeli-American politics into deep partisan divisions when Netanyahu spoke out against then-President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal.

Netanyahu has not shied away from making Israel a partisan issue. With his nationalist conservative ideology, he has been seen in the past as someone who supports Republican candidates, which has irritated Democrats and Israelis who want to keep the US-Israel relationship bipartisan.

It is unclear whether he will meet Trump. If there is a meeting, Netanyahu could be exposed to accusations of taking sides again. But if he does not meet Trump, the former president could feel insulted.

The speech also offers Netanyahu an opportunity. He can show Israelis that despite tensions with the Biden administration, American support for him remains rock solid.

“He wants the Israeli public to believe that he is still very welcome in the United States. And this shows that the American people are behind him,” said David Makovsky, director of the program on Arab-Israeli relations at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

To Netanyahu’s critics, the embrace is unacceptable and lends legitimacy to a deeply polarizing leader whose public support has plummeted. Netanyahu has faced widespread protests and calls to resign over the October 7 failures and his handling of the war.

In a letter to Congress, 500 Israeli writers, scholars and public figures expressed their dismay at the invitation to Netanyahu, saying he will use the platform to promote misguided policies that align with the ideas of his far-right governing partners.

“His only interest is in preserving his own power,” they wrote. “Does the U.S. Congress want to support such a model of cynical and manipulative leadership in this day and age?”

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu will be accompanied by rescued hostage Noa Argamani and her father. But for many families of hostages held in Gaza, the trip is an insult.

“This is not the time for trips,” Ayelet Levy Shachar, whose daughter Naama was abducted on October 7, told reporters.

“Netanyahu: First a deal, then you can travel.”