The first joint session of Congress took place on April 6, 1789. It was called to count the electoral votes in the presidential election. In the 234 years since then, there have been 459 additional such meetings. The 460th takes place Wednesday when Israeli President Isaac Herzog will address a room full of senators, representatives, and lucky guests.
I will be among those guests, and I expect to hear Herzog talk about the importance of democracy, a touchy subject these days in Israel. He will likely reference the "shared values" that have always been the bedrock of the U.S.-Israel relationship. But the most interesting thing about this visit to Washington is not what Herzog will say, or who is in the room, it's who's not in room.
The elephant not in the room is Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. Over his six terms as Israel's elected leader, he has made 17 state visits to the United States. During those visits he met with presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. He's also spoken before Congress on three separate occasions, joining Winston Churchill as the only foreign leader to do so.
Why did President Biden decide to invite Israel's president—its ceremonial head of state—and not its prime minster, Benjamin Netanyahu, its elected political leader, to salute Israel's 75th birthday?
It is not a coincidence that all Netanyahu got from Biden was a telephone call hours before Herzog landed in Washington, with a vague promise to meet in the fall, probably on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
Netanyahu prides himself on being an international statesman and, specifically, on understanding American politics and our political leaders. And yet, although he has all but begged for an invitation to Washington in order to bolster his standing domestically, today he gets to sit at home and watch as Herzog, a political opponent, speaks to Congress. And it is no accident or oversight. When asked recently by Fareed Zakaria "Mr. President, what will it take for Bibi Netanyahu to get an invitation to the White House?" Biden responded, "The Israeli president is going to be coming, we have other contacts."
It's Biden's old friend former Sen. John McCain who coined the term "the straight talk express" but it doesn't get much more direct than what the President said, and it doesn't get clearer than what he has done—roll out the red carpet for President Herzog while making it clear that Netanyahu is not going to be on the guest list any time soon.
Biden loves to tell the story of how he has known every Israeli Prime Minister going back to the days of Golda Meir, who served from 1969 to 1974. He regularly refers to Israel as "America's closest ally" and talks openly about his love for Israel and his belief that any disagreements should be handled quietly and behind closed doors. And yet even he has clearly reached his limit with the 2023 version of Netanyahu and his cabinet made up of felons, fascists, and fundamentalists.
This is evident not only from the lack of an invitation to Washington, but also (and more importantly) from two recent policy announcements. First, on June 25, the administration informed Israel that it was reversing the Trump decision—and thus reverting to previous bipartisan policy—and would no longer allow taxpayer funds to be sent for scientific research to Israeli institutions in the occupied Palestinian territories. This is consistent with long-standing US policy and law, international law, and even Israeli law, all which recognize that the occupied territories are not Israel.
Secondly, on July 14, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Israel does not meet the requirements for entry into the Visa Waiver Program. The VWP, which would allow Israeli citizens to visit the United States without needing to apply for a visa, requires among other things "reciprocity." That means that member nations must demonstrate that they treat all American citizens equally and without discrimination. Unfortunately, Israel does not do so. It regularly discriminates against Palestinian-Americans and other Arab-Americans. This is true when it comes to entry into Israel and to their ability to travel freely throughout Israel and the occupied territories.
Neither one of these decisions directly addresses the massive increase in Israeli settlements that has taken place this year, with 12,855 housing units already approved. For reference, that number would be a record for any given full year. Nor do they address the spiraling settler violence, with attacks against Palestinians taking place so regularly that they rarely even make the news here in the U.S.
But what they do, they do well. And that is send a very clear message from Biden to Netanyahu. Enough is enough! So, while Netanyahu sits at home and watches as presidents Herzog and Biden shake hands and smile for the cameras, I hope he gets the message.
Hadar Susskind is an Israeli-American, an IDF combat veteran, and the president and CEO of Americans for Peace Now.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
