JAKARTA - Nearly 50 members of the United States Congress (US) will not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech.
Based on CNN calculations, there were 39 names of DPR members who were not present and nine names of Senators were not present. CNN reports that the Democratic Party leadership estimates that more than 80 members of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party will boycott the speech.
Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin will lead Netanyahu's speech after Vice President Kamala Harris and Patty Murray refuse.
Many Democratic Party members in the House of Representatives and Senate said they would not attend Netanyahu's speech.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, July 24 morning local time announced she would not attend and chose to meet with the hostages' families.
Among those boycotting were Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Dick Durban, Senator Bernie Sanders, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Jim Clyburn and Rep. Ilhan Omar.
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As reported by Reuters, Netanyahu's speech is expected to focus on coordinating Israel and the US response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where there is a danger of Gaza's war that will spread into a wider regional conflict.
The Israeli PM is also expected to use his speech to call for stronger action against Iran, which supports Lebanese Hamas and Hezbollah fighters and has drawn US criticism of its recent nuclear progress.
Although Netanyahu's visit was governed by Republican leaders in Congress, the visit likely would not be too confrontational compared to 2015, when Republicans ruled out President Barack Obama and invited Netanyahu to Congress to criticize the Democratic Party's policies in Iran.
This time, Netanyahu will seek to strengthen his old relationship with Republicans but also seek to ease tensions with Biden, which he will rely on for the remaining six months of the president's term.
He also had to contact US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is sometimes more vocal than his boss in criticizing Israel for the large number of Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.
Activists promised to hold mass protests, and the Capitol building surrounded by high fences and additional police. Dozens of roads in Washington were also closed on Wednesday.
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