Dozens of lawmakers boycott Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress as Biden prepares for meeting

Dozens of lawmakers are boycotting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, as President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris prepare to meet with Bibi at the White House the following day.

From No. 2 Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), nearly all of the absences will be Democrats who oppose Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza.

“I will stand by Israel, but I will not stand and cheer its current Prime Minister at tomorrow’s Joint Session,” Durbin said in a statement Tuesday.