Murphy Statement On Prime Minister Netanyahu's Address To Congress

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, released the following statement on Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress.

"I attended Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech because it's part of my job to engage with foreign leaders who make their case before Congress, even if I disagree with them. I have spent my career fighting for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, and I want Hamas to be defeated. Unfortunately, today's speech was a setback for both the U.S.-Israel relationship and the fight against Hamas.

"Rather than lay out a path for achieving the peace agreement President Biden outlined two months ago to secure the long-term security of Israelis and Palestinians, Prime Minister Netanyahu used this speech as an opportunity to insert himself into American politics. His insistence on downplaying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was astonishing to hear, and the suggestion that any American who objects to the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Gazans is a Hamas sympathizer was way out of bounds. The truth is that the civilian deaths in Gaza will be bulletin board recruiting material for terrorists for years to come, increasing threats to both the U.S. and Israel.

"This was a speech designed to bolster Prime Minister Netanyahu's political standing and Republican messaging. His time would have been better spent in Israel finalizing a deal to end the war and bring the hostages home."

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