Chuck Darwin<p>Democrats are anticipating a large chunk of their caucus to sit out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin <a href="https://c.im/tags/Netanyahu" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Netanyahu</span></a>'saddress to a <a href="https://c.im/tags/joint" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>joint</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/session" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>session</span></a> Congress.<br>Why it matters: <br>It would represent a significant repudiation of the Israeli prime minister amid persistent Democratic objections to how he has conducted the war in Gaza.</p><p> Netanyahu's 2015 speech to Congress, which was a major snub of the Obama administration, was skippedby 58 Democratic lawmakers.<br> Many Democrats this year argued against inviting Netanyahu in the first place, accusing Republicans of attempting to divide their party with the speech.</p><p>Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) told Axios the <a href="https://c.im/tags/boycott" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>boycott</span></a> "will be large" and that there are "a lot of people who are extremely upset he is coming here."</p><p> Jayapal said she has spoken to several lawmakers who went to Netanyahu's 2015 speech but said they will not attend this time.<br> Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the progressive ranking member of the House Rules Committee, told Axios he will not attend and said: "I wish it wasn't [happening]."<br> Several other progressives previously told Axios when the speech was first floated in March that they would sit it out.</p><p>Some Democrats who have tried to balance their support for Israel and their discomfort with how the war has been prosecuted are struggling with whether to attend, as Axios previously reported.<br> One House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a lot of members will "wait up until the very end to decide" whether they will attend, calling it a "very fluid, unpredictable situation."</p><p> The lawmaker said that whether there is a <a href="https://c.im/tags/ceasefire" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ceasefire</span></a> in Gaza by the time Netanyahu speaks will be the key factor, predicting anywhere from 50 to 100 Democrats will skip the speech if the war is still raging.<br> Another, senior House Democrat said it is "all being discussed" and that "a number [of Democrats] are going and <a href="https://c.im/tags/disrupting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>disrupting</span></a>" the speech.</p><p>The other side: Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), a senior Progressive Caucus member, told Axios he is "hoping to have a conversation about it."</p><p><a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/06/04/democrats-boycott-benjamin-netanyahu-speech-congress" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">axios.com/2024/06/04/democrats</span><span class="invisible">-boycott-benjamin-netanyahu-speech-congress</span></a></p>