It’s Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first full day in Washington this week, and his arrival has been mostly met with eye rolls and shoulder shrugs on Capitol Hill.
Netanyahu will address Congress Wednesday afternoon, a monumental event that would normally take up the political oxygen in Washington in the weeks leading up.
An appearance by a controversial far-right leader, widely chastised internationally for his handling of Israel’s devastating war against Hamas militants in Gaza, has all the ingredients ripe for attention.
But it appears Netanyahu has had very little to do in Washington during his visit so far. Some aides on both sides of the aisle needed to be reminded that the leader was even in town.
“I had someone ask me what I thought Netanyahu would say in his speech and I had to stop and think for a minute to realize that was this week. I had completely forgotten it was happening,” said a senior House aide.
Because of the mind-boggling news cycle — one U.S. presidential candidate was almost killed while another dropped out of the race a week later — Netanyahu “hasn’t really been able to get the traction and the airtime they would have expected,” another House aide added.
A third aide in the Senate underscored the impact the news cycle has had, saying that Netanyahu’s visit is “barely registering” on the Hill. All were granted anonymity to speak candidly.
Outside the Watergate Hotel, where Netanyahu is staying, a POLITICO reporter noticed two rings of fences put up, drones buzzing overhead, a mass redirection of traffic, multiple security checkpoints and closed roads.
According to posts on X, a spattering of pro-Palestinian protestors gathered outside the Watergate complex on Tuesday calling for Netanyahu’s arrest.
President Joe Biden will meet with Netanyahu on Thursday, the prime minister’s office said, after Biden postponed their meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
It’s unclear when Vice President Kamala Harris — who isn’t attending Netanyahu’s address — will meet with him. Netanyahu will meet with Donald Trump in Florida on Friday, the former president said on Truth Social on Tuesday.
On Capitol Hill, Democratic lawmakers weighed whether or not to attend the address, while Republicans brainstormed how they’d show support for the embattled leader. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a staunch critic of the Biden administration’s Israel policies, said Tuesday that he won’t attend the address.
