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Netanyahu Address to US Congress, ICC Arrest Warrants Lay Bare Democrat Divides Over Israel
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) makes a statement after meetings to wrap up work on coronavirus economic aid legislation, during the COVID-19 outbreak, in Washington, US, March 22, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Mary F. Calvert.
A dramatic variance in responses from US Democratic lawmakers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming address to a joint session of Congress and efforts by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek his arrest are exposing potential fractures within America’s primary left-wing party over its support for the Jewish state.
A slew of Democratic lawmakers are seething over Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-NY) decision to sign an invitation for Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress.
Likewise, some Democrats are jubilant over ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s decision to seek an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war — an act that seemingly placed the Israeli leader on the same moral level of Hamas terrorists Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, whose arrests the ICC is also seeking.
Schumer’s weeks-long hesitation in joining Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) in extending an invitation to Netanyahu, coupled with his earlier condemnation of the Israeli premier, signaled intraparty disagreement among Democrats over the Jewish state. Netanyahu later accepted the invitation. Punchbowl News reported on Monday that the Israeli premier will address a joint meeting of Congress on June 13.
“It is a very sad day for our country that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited — by leaders from both parties — to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who caucuses with the Democrats. “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told reporters that Netanyahu should not be invited to speak before Congress.
“I just don’t think it’s constructive for Netanyahu to be addressing, to be doing a joint address in this moment, period,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
While appearing on a Twitch stream with anti-Israel influencer Hasan Piker, Ocasio-Cortez agreed that the Abraham Accords — a series of historic peace agreements between Israel and Arab states brokered with the help of the US — “absolutely” and “10,000 percent” motivated Hamas to commit its brutal slaughter against Israel on Oct. 7.
However, some Democrats signaled support for Netanyahu’s speech, arguing that supporting an ally in its time of need should supersede minor political disagreements.
“Even though we might have policy disagreements with [Netanyahu], as we do with some of our NATO allies, I think he should get with the speaker and make it bipartisan,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) told Axios.
Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH) said that Congress is capable of acknowledging “heads of state without agreeing with everything they say.”
Likewise, Democrats are also divided over the prospect of Netanyahu potentially being handed a warrant by the ICC.
US President Biden initially called the ICC’s warrant request of Netanyahu “outrageous.” However, his administration later indicated that it would not join Republican attempts to sanction the international court.
The administration’s response to the ICC was met with criticisms by both anti-Israel and pro-Israel Democrats.
While speaking at a terrorist-connected pro-Palestinian conference, Rep. Rashida Tliab (D-MI), lambasted the Biden administration for “attacking the authority” of the ICC.
“The International Court of Justice just ruled that the Israeli government must stop its invasion of Rafah, but President Biden says what’s happening in Gaza is not a genocide,” Tlaib said. “Where’s your red line, President Biden?”
Tlaib’s forceful condemnation of Biden irked some of her colleagues.
“If people don’t like Biden and successfully work against his re-election, they’ll be responsible for the the undoing of America,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) told Axios.
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) drew a direct contrast to Tlaib, saying, “[I am] using every ounce of my free time to support President Biden. … He has been transparent and dedicated to Israel and I am proud to support his foreign aid agenda that protects democracy and stands by the Jewish people worldwide.”
A group of 19 Democrats issued a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen last week, urging the Biden administration to pursue sanctions against the ICC.
“We urge the administration to consult with Congress to immediately impose sanctions against the ICC’s Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and any other officials who have demonstrated undue bias in their actions,” the letter read.
“The charges against Israeli leaders are baseless. They reflect the ICC’s well-documented historical bias against Israel. The evidence is clear: Hamas terrorists are responsible for wreaking havoc and sowing destruction,” the letter continued.
Democrats have found themselves increasingly divided over Israel in recent months. Progressive Democrats such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) have suggested that Israel’s military response to Hamas is tantamount to “genocide.” Meanwhile, moderate Democrats such as Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and John Fetterman (D-PA) have steadfastly supported the Jewish state’s military campaign to dislodge the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas from the Gaza Strip.
The post Netanyahu Address to US Congress, ICC Arrest Warrants Lay Bare Democrat Divides Over Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.