House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Thursday he will invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of Congress about the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, but did not indicate that the request has already been made.
"I would love to have him come in and address a joint session of Congress," Johnson told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "We'll certainly extend that invitation."
Johnson said Netanyahu has invited him to speak to Israel's Knesset once the scheduling is worked out, the speaker confirmed, adding "we'll find out" if Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who spoke out against the prime minister last week, will need to agree to allow him to address Congress.
"I'm the one that extends the invitations to speak in the House, and if we just have the House, that's fine, too," Johnson said. "But I think a big majority of that Senate would want to come and stand in support of Netanyahu and Israel."
A Schumer spokesperson told Axios that Johnson and Schumer have not yet discussed the invitation.
But Schumer said in a statement that Israel "has no stronger ally than the United States and our relationship transcends any one president or any one prime minister," adding that he "will always welcome the opportunity for the prime minister of Israel to speak to Congress in a bipartisan way."
However, Schumer refused Wednesday to allow Netanyahu, who spoke to Senate Republicans in a private video appearance, to also address Senate Democrats behind closed doors.
Netanyahu last spoke during a joint session of Congress in 2015 while both chambers were under Republican majorities. At that time, he criticized the Obama administration during negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal.
Johnson also Thursday denounced Schumer's speech against Netanyahu's leadership as "patently absurd."
"Imagine if I came on your show this morning and called for regime change in Ukraine, in the middle of their crisis, fighting for their very survival," Johnson said. "That's what Israel is facing right now.
"And for the leader of the Senate to say such a thing was just outrageous."
Meanwhile, a government official said the White House expects to meet with a delegation from Israel next week in Washington.
President Joe Biden extended the invitation during a phone call this week with Netanyahu, during which he warned him against proceeding with a ground offensive in Rafah, which is near Egypt's border with Gaza.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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