Jerusalem:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver a landmark speech to the US Congress this week as he faces intense pressure to break a ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister will become the first foreign leader on Wednesday to address a joint meeting of the two chambers four times – ahead of Britain’s Winston Churchill by three.
But analysts say the Gaza war has caused worrying tensions between Israel and the United States, its main military and diplomatic backer, since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Netanyauhu’s office announced that he will meet US President Joe Biden on Tuesday.
Washington fears a backlash from rising civilian tolls in the Gaza Strip, while protests in Israel by families of families held hostage by Hamas are also causing Netanyahu a headache.
Biden and some Israeli ministers say a deal through Qatar, Egyptian and American mediators is possible. A plan outlined in May proposed a six-week ceasefire that would see some Israeli hostages swapped for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that negotiators were “within the ten-metre line and moving towards the goal line”.
However, Hamas has accused Netanyahu of trying to block a deal and Blinken said he wants to “bring the deal across the finish line” when Netanyahu is in Washington.
Double pressure
Israel has intensified its attacks on Gaza in recent weeks and Netanyahu has emphasized that only increasing military pressure can free the hostages and defeat Hamas.
“This double pressure does not delay the deal, but advances it,” Netanyahu told troops in Gaza on Thursday.
The October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on Israeli figures. Hamas militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 42 who the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 38,919 people in Gaza, including mostly civilians, according to health ministry data in the Hamas-ruled territory.
Publicly, Biden has expressed strong support for Israel. But he expressed concern about an offensive on the southern city of Rafah in May and temporarily suspended deliveries of heavy bombs to Israel. The supply of 2,000-pound bombs remains under embargo.
“Never before has the atmosphere been so charged,” said Steven Cook, Middle East specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“There is clearly tension in the relationship, especially between the White House and the Israeli prime minister,” Cook said in a commentary.
‘Political rhetoric’
While US Republicans pushed to invite Netanyahu to address Congress, he has lost support among Democrats.
A Jewish senator, Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii, announced he would boycott Wednesday’s speech, saying he would not listen to “political rhetoric that will do nothing to bring peace to the region.”
Netanyahu said after being invited back to Congress that he would “present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us.”
Cook said Netanyahu has two goals for his trip to Washington.
First, to demonstrate that he has not “undermined” Israel’s relations with the United States.
Netanyahu “will also seek to shift the conversation from the conflict in Gaza to the threat that Iran and its allies pose” to Israel and the United States, Cook added.
Much attention will be paid to whether Netanyahu meets with Donald Trump or a figure close to the Republican presidential candidate.
Despite the tensions, the United States has defended Israeli interests while playing a key role in mediation efforts, and the military relationship remains strong, officials say.
Washington’s support could be crucial as Israel faces mounting international criticism over the growing humanitarian toll from nearly 300 days of war.
The International Criminal Court prosecutor asked judges in May to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Arrest warrants have also been requested for three Hamas leaders.
The Republican majority in the House of Representatives has called for sanctions against the ICC.
The International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal on Friday and called on the country in February to prevent genocide in its Gaza offensive.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)