Israel’s Netanyahu goes to the US: What to know about the visit, protests

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting the United States this week, and is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.

Here is what we know about the visit.

Where and at what time is Netanyahu expected to arrive?

Israel’s prime minister is scheduled to arrive in Washington on Monday. Although the exact time is not yet public, he is expected to meet US President Joe Biden on Thursday, according to US officials.

He will be the first foreign leader to meet Biden since the US president’s announcement on Sunday that he will not seek re-election in November. He is also expected to meet US Vice President Kamala Harris during his trip, though it is unclear when.

Netanyahu is scheduled to address the US Congress on Wednesday. According to reports, he is expected to speak at 2pm (18:00 GMT). This would be his fourth address to the US Congress — the most ever by any other leader. Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed Congress three times.

Biden has been a staunch supporter of Israel through his decades-long political career, and has offered what he has described as “ironclad” assistance to Israel during its war on Gaza — despite mounting criticism. Still, Republicans have accused him of not backing Israel as wholeheartedly as they would.

In his letter to Netanyahu inviting him to Congress, House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said the Israeli PM would have a platform to share his “government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region”.

What’s on the US-Israel agenda?

Netanyahu’s trip comes as the US goes through political turmoil following Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.

Before stepping on the plane on Monday, Netanyahu said he would emphasise the theme of Israel’s bipartisanship in his speech and said Israel would remain a key US ally in the Middle East “regardless who the American people choose as their next president”.

“In this time of war and uncertainty, it’s important that Israel’s enemies know that America and Israel stand together. Today, tomorrow and always,” he said, adding that he would meet Biden during his trip and thank him for his support for Israel.

Analysts say Netanyahu will deliver his congressional address with an eye on several audiences: his ultranationalist governing partners, the key to his political survival; the Biden administration, which Netanyahu counts on for diplomatic and military support; and former President Donald Trump’s Republican Party, which could offer Netanyahu a reset in relations if Trump is re-elected in November.

Avoiding upsetting any of them won’t be easy, suggested Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, speaking before Biden’s withdrawal. “There are a few landmines and pitfalls on this trip,” Gilboa said.Netanyahu is expected to focus on coordinating the Israeli and US 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.

In Israel, Netanyahu faces growing calls for a deal that would halt the fighting in Gaza and allow the return of 120 hostages – alive or dead – still held in the enclave run by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel has also faced mounting global criticism over its war in Gaza, in which more than 39,000 people have been killed, and over the expansion of Israeli settlement-building in the occupied West Bank and settlers’ attacks on Palestinians.

An opinion issued on Friday by the International Court of Justice that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal was criticised by Washington. But it followed similar developments including a decision by the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor to seek an arrest warrant against Netanyahu.

And while the US government and Congress have backed Israel, public support in the US for the war on Gaza has shrunk since October 7, when Hamas fighters attacked Israel.

Are protests planned in the US?

Activists opposing Israel’s war in Gaza and Washington’s support for its Middle Eastern ally plan protests at the US Capitol on Wednesday.

At 11am (15:00 GMT), thousands of protesters are expected to meet at 3rd Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC to call for Netanyahu’s arrest over alleged “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity”. Protesters will march around the perimeter of the US Capitol, carrying a red banner symbolising a “red line” against the war in Gaza.

A coalition of groups is expected to participate in the protests, among them ANSWER (an acronym for “Act Now to Stop War and End Racism”), women-led peace and human rights group CodePink, and pro-Palestinian groups such as the Palestinian American Community Center and Jewish groups including Jewish Voice for Peace.

CodePink told Reuters that organisers had arranged buses for human rights advocates to come to Washington from numerous states across the country.

Around 230 anonymous Capitol Hill staffers from 122 offices have signed a letter, made public last week, urging their bosses to either protest or boycott the July 24 address to Congress by Netanyahu.

Meanwhile, UnXeptable, a grassroots movement of “Israeli citizens around the world”, will hold a rally at Upper Senate Park in DC to protest against Netanyahu.

At 1pm (17:00GMT), a “Peace & Justice Bloc” consisting of Palestinians, Israelis, Jews, Arabs, and their allies will meet near the US Capitol to call for a ceasefire, a deal for the release of captives, and the end of the occupation.