Pingree to Skip Netanyahu Address, Citing the Appalling Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza and Long History of Failed Leadership

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced she will not attend Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's joint address to Congress today, and issued the following statement:

"The October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas terrorists were a heinous crime. Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. However, Israel does not have a right to violate international law. I am horrified by the shocking loss of civilian life in Gaza, including thousands of children, and the ongoing famine conditions that threaten many more innocent lives. For months, I've joined dozens of my colleagues in calling for a permanent bilateral ceasefire.

"While I continue to support a strong U.S.-Israeli relationship, Prime Minister Netanyahu's failed leadership has pushed tensions to the brink long before the current conflict in Gaza. For years, Netanyahu has assembled a far-right coalition that actively undermines efforts to find a two-state solution. In East Jerusalem and the West Bank, the Prime Minister has allowed extremists like Bezalel Smotrich to expand illegal settlements, encourage settler violence, and choke the Palestinian economy by blocking funds to the Palestinian Authority. And in recent months, Netanyahu's leadership has enabled ultranationalists like Itamar Ben-Gvir, inflaming regional tensions with Arab states, setting back Israel's normalization process and jeopardizing a hostage and ceasefire deal. I stand in solidarity with the 72% of Israelis who believe Netanyahu should resign over his inability to protect Israel and the disastrous policies that he has allowed to threaten Israeli and American national security interests.

"The last time Netanyahu addressed Congress nearly a decade ago - I did not attend then, either - he sought to undermine the multilateral nuclear deal with Iran negotiated by President Obama. Once again, Netanyahu is using the platform of the United States Congress for personal and political gain.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu has slow-walked ceasefire and hostage negotiations, bowed to extremists in his coalition who oppose a two-state solution, actively delayed humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians, and created a worse security environment for both of our countries. For these reasons, I am not attending Prime Minister Netanyahu's address to Congress today.

"Rather than support Netanyahu's misuse of a Congressional platform, this morning, I was honored to join my colleagues in meeting with the families of innocent Israeli hostages. Their stories were heartbreaking and a reminder of where Netanyahu's attention should be instead here in Washington. We must keep the focus on freeing the remaining hostages, negotiating a bilateral permanent ceasefire, and protecting the countless civilians affected by this terrible conflict."

Click here to learn more about Pingree's actions in Congress to bring about a bilateral permanent ceasefire and deliver humanitarian aid.

###