Facing questions over his leadership during a politically fraught time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington, D.C., Wednesday to first speak at the late U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman’s memorial service and then address Congress.
Netanyahu’s visit is his first since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, and it comes at a pivotal time in the ongoing war as the U.S. tries to broker a deal for a ceasefire and hostage release. Thousands of protesters demonstrated around Capitol Hill, while dozens of Democrats boycotted his address over concerns of civilian deaths and the lack of humanitarian aid getting into Gaza.
For Connecticut politicians, the day presented the same conflicts they have encountered in recent months: balancing their firm support for Israel while expressing concerns over how the country has conducted its military campaign since the attack.
But the Wednesday morning memorial service did not carry the weight of that moment and largely focused on Lieberman’s legacy, his devoutness to his Jewish faith, and his “unwavering” support for Israel. The room was silent as Netanyahu and former vice presidents Mike Pence and Al Gore entered.
With protests planned elsewhere in the city over Netanyahu’s visit, a tight security perimeter extended blocks around the Washington Hebrew Congregation, which is located in the quiet, tree-lined neighborhood of Cathedral Heights. Those same barriers and fencing went up all around the Capitol complex.
The prime minister praised Lieberman for his “unflagging friendship,” noting the two of them met in the 1980s when Netanyahu represented Israel at the United Nations and Lieberman served as Connecticut’s attorney general.
Netanyahu said that in the hours before he died, Lieberman was drafting a statement he co-wrote, arguing that “Israel must be allowed to achieve its legitimate goal of disabling Hamas.”
“He was an American patriot and a proud Jew who steadfastly stood with Israel and the Jewish people, especially during trying times,” Netanyahu said. “He was unwavering in defending Israel and expressed his support literally up until the end of his life.”
Much like at his funeral in Connecticut in late March, speakers at Lieberman’s memorial service featured both friends and political foes who described transcending deep policy disagreements and reflected on his morality as an attorney general in Connecticut, as a U.S. senator and vice presidential nominee.
The mood shifted from solemnness to laughter as Gore, who selected Lieberman as his running mate in the 2000 presidential campaign, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., shared stories from their times in the political trenches. Graham called Lieberman the “most persuasive person on the freaking planet” for getting him to sign onto a climate change bill along with then-U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
And while having disagreements, Gore recalled Lieberman frequently breaking out into his favorite song by Frank Sinatra, “My Way.”
“I believe we can all learn from Joe’s life some critical lessons about how we might heal the rancor in our nation today,” Gore said. “I speak from personal experience because after that 2000 race, Joe and I had developed some very deep disagreements on policy and political matters.”
No Labels, the group that Lieberman served as a co-founder, helped organize Wednesday’s memorial service. He had been working with the group in search of a potential third-party presidential candidate up until his death, caused by complications from a fall.
DeLauro skips speech
A number of other prominent lawmakers and officials attended the service, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and a handful of former and current senators.
Connecticut lawmakers were also in attendance, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Rep. John Larson, D-1st District; and Clarine Nardi Riddle, Lieberman’s successor as state attorney general, who also spoke on Wednesday.
Lieberman’s widow, Hadassah, concluded the memorial service by having his children and grandchildren join her on stage. His son, Matt Lieberman, asked everyone in the crowd to join them in singing one of his father’s favorite songs, “God Bless America.”
Netanyahu left after his speech, apologizing to the crowd that he has “to go write a speech and then deliver it.”
But the Israeli prime minister encountered a much different scene as he made his way across the city on Wednesday afternoon.
Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress, though several dozen Democrats boycotted it. And thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated around Capitol Hill to push back on Netanyahu’s leadership and the rising death toll of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza. A day earlier, about 200 protesters calling for the U.S. to end its arms shipments to Israel were arrested inside a Capitol office building.
All of Connecticut’s congressional delegation attended the speech, with the exception of U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-5th District.
DeLauro similarly did not attend Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in 2015 when he was opposed to negotiations by the Obama administration to broker the Iran nuclear deal. She said she remains a strong supporter of Israel but could not attend a speech by a leader whose military campaign has led to an “indifference” of mass civilian deaths. She noted that she feels more hopeful about a deal to reach an immediate ceasefire.
“I am angry Republicans have used this address to score political points and stoke division. And I am shocked by the ongoing Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, spearheaded by Prime Minister Netanyahu, that has been indifferent to the loss of Palestinian lives and settler violence. For these reasons, I will not attend the joint address,” DeLauro said in a statement.
DeLauro instead met with families of Israeli hostages ahead of the speech. She was joined by several of her House colleagues, including U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District. Hayes was in the House chamber for Netanyahu’s speech.
“The family members also asked us to focus on the people on the ground in Israel and Gaza and not allow others to politicize this humanitarian crisis. These families are using their pain to pursue justice,” Hayes posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who has traveled to Israel since Oct. 7, brought guests to the speech, including the parents of Itay Chen, a 19-year-old U.S.-Israeli citizen who was killed during the attack. Blumenthal said he hoped Netanyahu would make a commitment to bring home all hostages.
In his fourth address to Congress as prime minister, Netanyahu thanked both Biden and former President Donald Trump for their commitments to Israel during their presidencies. But the prime minister also gave a defiant speech that sought to rally more support for Israel, including “fast-tracking U.S. military aid.” He also vehemently condemned the protests that were happening as he spoke, as well as the ones that swept college campuses in the spring.
“The hands of the Jewish state will never be shackled. Israel will always defend itself,” Netanyahu said, adding that the war will continue “until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home.”
There was a noticeable difference in reception between the two parties. Republicans frequently gave Netanyahu standing ovations, while many Democrats remained seated for much of the speech, with some only giving tepid applause.
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who is Palestinian American and a vocal critic of Netanyahu, held up a double-sided sign that said “war criminal” and “guilty of genocide.”
And a few attendees in the balconies above where the lawmakers sit wore yellow shirts with “Seal the Deal NOW!” as part of a push to get the remaining hostages released.
While there were no major outbursts, the U.S. Capitol Police said five people in the U.S. House gallery disrupted the speech, resulting in their removal and arrest.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who did not preside over the session due to a campaign event, will hold separate meetings with Netanyahu on Thursday. The White House says the two leaders will “discuss developments in Gaza and progress towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal and the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.”
This story was originally published by the Connecticut Mirror.
The Connecticut Mirror/Connecticut Public Radio federal policy reporter position is made possible, in part, by funding from the Robert and Margaret Patricelli Family Foundation.
