Only four progressives refused to attend the speech, but some who attended were critical of the Israeli prime minister.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress on Wednesday about the war in Gaza and the need for continued support from the United States.
Netanyahu is under a great deal of pressure as he faces calls for resignation at home and international protests surrounding the ongoing war and its death toll. The protests even manifested in Congress. At least 38 representatives announced that they would boycott the Israeli prime minister’s speech, and only around half of the Democrats in Congress attended it.
During the speech, demonstrations occurred outside the Capitol.
Four of New York’s House Democrats participated in the boycott. Most of the rest of the state’s delegation reportedly attended the speech, though some of them had harsh words for Netanyahu. Here are New York congressional representatives’ positions on the speech.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman – DID NOT attend
Bowman has been critical of Israel throughout the war in Gaza, and he remained consistent on this position when it came to boycotting Netanyahu’s address to Congress. The representative released an op-ed in the Guardian on Wednesday harshly condemning the Israeli PM and calling him a “genocidal war criminal.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – DID NOT attend
Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez are both members of the House’s progressive caucus, and they share views on a variety of issues including Israel and boycotting Netanyahu’s speech. On Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez made a statement on X referring to Netanyahu as “an authoritarian with warrant requests from the International Criminal Court” and she pledged to boycott his speech.
Rep. Paul Tonko – DID NOT attend
Tonko has been critical of the war in Gaza, and he has consistently called for a ceasefire throughout the war. On Wednesday morning, he released a series of tweets explaining that he believed Netanyahu would not be discussing how to end the violence during his address to Congress. Tonko said he would boycott the speech and instead spend time speaking to the families of hostages, members of Congress and Israeli and Palestinian leaders pursuing a path towards peace.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez – DID NOT attend
Velázquez has been calling for a ceasefire since the beginning of the war in October, and on Tuesday, she confirmed that she would be boycotting Netanyahu’s speech. In an X post, the representative explained her view on the war and described Netanyahu as “a major obstacle to achieving a permanent ceasefire.”
Rep. Yvette Clarke – May have attended
Clarke did not publicly announce any plans to boycott the speech, but she was not included on a list of reported attendees. She could not immediately be reached for comment.
The rest of New York’s congressional delegation attended the speech. Most did not comment publicly on their decision to attend the speech, but a few criticized or praised Netanyahu.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer – Attended
As the Senate majority leader, Schumer is the highest-ranking Jewish government official, which means people listen to his opinions on Israel and the war. Schumer is supportive of Israel but critical of Netanyahu. In March, Schumer famously called for Netanyahu’s resignation and new elections in Israel. Despite this, the Senate majority leader was one of the four signatories on the Israeli PM’s invitation, and he attended the speech.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand – Attended
Gillibrand has been supportive of Israel throughout the war. She visited the country in January with a group of congressional representatives, and she pushed for the release of the hostages upon her return. After Netanyahu’s speech, the senator tweeted about five American hostages and their families, as well as a hostage who was killed, and she reemphasized the need to bring the hostages home.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries – Attended
Jeffries has taken a careful stance on the war in Gaza by both supporting Israel and affirming its right to exist while also criticizing the death toll and emphasizing the need for humanitarian aid in the region. He has not made any public comments about Netanyahu’s speech, but he was sure to attend it, as he was one of the four signatories on the bipartisan invitation sent to Netanyahu by the minority and majority leaders of the House and Senate.
Rep. Gregory Meeks – Attended
Meeks has been a longtime supporter of Israel. Last month, as the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the representative approved an $18 billion arms package for Israel despite his concerns about how the weapons might be used. Meeks confirmed that he would attend the speech in an interview with NPR on Wednesday.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler – Attended
Like Schumer, Nadler is an outspoken supporter of Israel and critic of Netanyahu at the same time. On Tuesday, he posted a tweet condemning Netanyahu as “the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years ago.” Despite his disdain for the Israeli PM, Nadler stated that he would attend the speech, “out of respect for the state of Israel and the office of the Prime Minister.” In an interview with MSNBC after Netanyahu’s address, Nadler described the speech as “fundamentally dishonest,” adding that Netanyahu’s “political interest is to keep the war going as long as possible.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres – Attended
Torres has been a staunch supporter of Israel since the beginning of the war, which has created a rift between himself and the Congressional Progressive Caucus over his undaunted pro-Israel views. Following Netanyahu’s speech, Torres posted a tweet describing himself as “a proud champion of the world’s greatest friendship” in reference to the alliance between Israel and the U.S.
Rep. Patrick Ryan – Attended
Ryan has been critical of Netanyahu, he has called for a temporary ceasefire and he has pushed for billions in humanitarian aid to Gaza. Despite this, he attended Netanyahu’s speech. “I went out of deep respect for the important alliance between the United States and Israel,” he said in a statement to City & State.
Rep. Tom Suozzi – Attended
In a joint statement with Sen. Christopher Coons of Delaware, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Suozzi emphasized the return of the hostages as the most important goal of the war, and he urged Netanyahu to avoid partisan language during his speech. The joint statement outlined goals of ending the fighting, providing humanitarian aid and normalizing the relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
