[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

WE ARE ISRAELIS CALLING ON CONGRESS TO DISINVITE NETANYAHU

______

HON. JOHN B. LARSON

of connecticut

in the house of representatives

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I would like to include in
the Record the following guest essay published in The New York Times,
which my dear friend and prominent constituent, Ralph Nader, shared
with me.

[From The New York Times, June 26, 2024]

We Are Israelis Calling on Congress to Disinvite Netanyahu

(By David Harel, Tamir Pardo, Talia Sasson, Ehud Barak, Aaron
Ciechanover and David Grossman)

The leaders of the U.S. Congress have invited Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to address a joint
meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives on
July 24. Normally, we Israelis would consider the invitation
recognition of our two nations' shared values and a welcome
gesture from our closest friend and ally, to whom we are
deeply and morally indebted.
But Congress has made a terrible mistake. Mr. Netanyahu's
appearance in Washington will not represent the State of
Israel and its citizens, and it will reward his scandalous
and destructive conduct toward our country.
We come from a variety of areas of Israeli society:
science, technology, politics, defense, law and culture. We
are thus in a good position to assess the overall effect of
Mr. Netanyahu's government, and like many, we believe that he
is driving Israel downhill at an alarming speed, to the
extent that we may eventually lose the country we love.
To date, Mr. Netanyahu has failed to come up with a plan to
end the war in Gaza and has been unable to gain the freedom
of scores of hostages. At the very least, an invitation to
address Congress should have been contingent upon resolving
these two issues and, in addition, calling for new elections
in Israel. Inviting Mr. Netanyahu will reward his contempt
for U.S. efforts to establish a peace plan, allow more aid to
the beleaguered people of Gaza and do a better job of sparing
civilians. Time and again, he has rejected President Biden's
plan to remove Hamas from power in Gaza through the
establishment of a peacekeeping force. Such a move would very
likely bring in its wake a far broader regional alliance,
including a vision to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
which is not only in Israel's interest but also in the
interest of both political parties in the United States. Mr.
Netanyahu constitutes the main obstacle to these outcomes.
The man who will address Congress next month has failed to
assume responsibility for the blunders that allowed the Hamas
assault, initially blaming security chiefs (then quickly
backtracking), and has yet to announce the establishment of a
direly needed state commission of inquiry headed by a Supreme
Court judge to look into the fiasco.
Despite the fierce fighting in Gaza and daily casualties on
both sides, following Hamas's terrible attacks on Oct. 7, Mr.
Netanyahu continues to push forward with the authoritarian
remaking of Israel as if nothing has changed. The Israeli
police force, under the command of the far-right-wing
security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has cracked down
violently on demonstrators. The appointments of court judges
and a Supreme Court president remain on hold Central
scientific and cultural institutions continue to endure
governmental attempts at political control. Large sums of
money have been channeled recklessly to the ultra-Orthodox,
who by and large do not share the economic and security
burden of Israel's citizens, especially by remaining exempt
from serving in the military. Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling
overturning the exemption is a step forward, although the
practical impact is unclear, given that Mr. Netanyahu has
proposed enshrining the exemption in a law.
Above all, many Israelis are convinced that Mr. Netanyahu
has obstructed proposed deals with Hamas that would have led
to the release of the hostages in order to keep the war going
and thus avoid the inevitable political reckoning he will
face when it ends.
Mr. Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister,
whose support Mr. Netanyahu needs to maintain his government,
are strongly opposed to stopping the war in Gaza, even for a
temporary truce They demand that the Gaza Strip be conquered
and filled with new settlements.
For months now, many of us have participated in nationwide
demonstrations demanding an immediate release of the
hostages, an end to the war and immediate elections. Polls of
Israelis show that a majority want immediate elections, or
elections right at the end of the war.
A large portion of Israelis have lost faith in Mr.
Netanyahu's government. He is clinging to power thanks to a
tenuous parliamentary majority. That majority ignores the
plight of tens of thousands of Israelis displaced in the
south after the Hamas attack and in the north because of
attacks by Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the families of the
hostages, a powerful force now in Israel.
That's where Mr. Netanyahu's speech to Congress fits in
with his political needs No doubt it will be carefully stage-
managed to prop up his shaky hold on power and allow him to
boast to his constituents about America's so-called support
for his failed policies.
His supporters in Israel will be emboldened by his
appearance in Congress to insist that the war continue, which
will further distance any deal to secure the release of the
hostages, including several U.S. citizens.
Giving Mr. Netanyahu the stage in Washington will all but
dismiss the rage and pain of his people, as expressed in the
demonstrations throughout the country American lawmakers
should not let that happen. They should ask Mr. Netanyahu to
stay home.

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