US House Speaker to invite Israeli premier to address Congress

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday that he would extend an invitation to the Israeli premier to address the American Congress.

"I would love to have him come and address a joint session of Congress. We’ll certainly extend that invitation," Johnson said in an interview with Squawk Box on the CNBC network.

His remarks came one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US Republican senators that Israel will continue its efforts to defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Johnson said Wednesday he is considering inviting Netanyahu and it is "very important" for the US to show solidarity and support for Israel "right now in their time of great struggle."

Meanwhile, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly rejected Netanyahu's request Wednesday to speak to Democratic senators. "When you make these issues partisan, you hurt the cause of Israel," Schumer told reporters.

Turning to remarks by Schumer who called for new elections in Israel and criticized Netanyahu's leadership, Johnson told CNBC that Schumer’s calling for new elections in Israel is "outrageous and unbelievable."

"To suggest to our strongest ally in the Middle East that he knows better when it comes to running their democracy is just patently absurd. Republicans will always stand with Israel," Johnson added.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and nearly 74,200 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now in its 167th day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in January issued an interim ruling ordering Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.