Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be greeted by deep divisions among U.S. lawmakers, a distracted U.S. public and large protests on Wednesday as he addresses the U.S. Congress for a record fourth time.
The long-time Israeli leader will speak to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives at 2 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT), passing British wartime leader Winston Churchill, who made such addresses three times.
Netanyahu’s speech is expected to focus on coordinating the Israeli and U.S. response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where there is a growing danger of the Gaza war spilling over into a wider regional conflict.
he is also expected to use his speech to call for stronger action against Iran, which supports Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters and has drawn increased U.S. condemnation over its recent nuclear advances.
Though Netanyahu’s visit was orchestrated by Congress’ Republican leaders, it is likely to be less confrontational than in 2015, when Republicans sidestepped then-President Barack Obama and invited Netanyahu’s to Congress to criticize the Democrat’s Iran policy.
This time, Netanyahu will seek to bolster his traditional links to Republicans but also look to ease tensions with Biden, whom he will rely on for the remaining six months in the president’s term.
