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Several Texas Democrats skip Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress

The Israeli prime minister, addressing a joint session of Congress, defended his country’s handling of the war.

WASHINGTON — Several Texans were among the dozens of Democrats who boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Wednesday address to Congress as they sharply criticized his handling of the war in Gaza.

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar of Austin said the United States must end “unconditional military aid to the Israeli government” and secure an immediate cease-fire, the return of hostages and long-term peace.

“Not only has Netanyahu failed to safely return the hostages — he has killed, harmed, or displaced nearly every Palestinian in Gaza, has failed to keep Israelis safe, and is risking the United States’ own security by trying to drag us into another endless war in the Middle East,” Casar said in a news release.

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Pro-Palestinian demonstrations filled streets near the U.S. Capitol as Netanyahu delivered his speech, defending his country’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack and mocking the protesters outside as “useful idiots” for those attacking Israel.

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Other U.S. House Democrats from Texas who skipped the speech were Reps. Veronica Escobar of El Paso, Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, Lloyd Doggett of Austin and Al Green of Houston.

Those in attendance included U.S. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen, Henry Cuellar of Laredo, Colin Allred of Dallas, Lizzie Fletcher of Houston and Sylvia Garcia of Houston.

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It was not immediately clear whether U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, attended. Crockett did not respond to requests for comment through a spokesperson.

Castro was isolating at home after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this week but had not planned to attend Netanyahu’s address, he said in a news release. Instead, he had planned to meet with relatives of Hamas-held hostages and speak at an event hosted by the left-leaning Center for American Progress.

Netanyahu, Castro said, has conducted the war in Gaza “with contempt for human life” and only cares about his political survival.

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“He has failed to prioritize the rescue of hostages and has pursued mass destruction of Palestinian society instead of accountability for the Hamas terrorists who carried out the October 7 attacks,” he said.

Castro said he has no confidence that Netanyahu is willing or able to negotiate a cease-fire and hostage deal.

“The opportunity to address a joint session is an honor that should be reserved for the most distinguished world leaders,” Castro said. “Netanyahu should be standing in front of a criminal tribunal — not the U.S. Congress.”

Doggett said on X he had met with Efrat Machikawa, who had five family members kidnapped by Hamas, and he gave her a guest ticket to hear Netanyahu’s “excuses/distortions.”

Green delivered a short but fiery floor speech ahead of Netanyahu’s address, referring to Gaza’s children being killed and its infrastructure destroyed. He said he would not attend and would not vote to send “another dime” to Netanyahu’s administration.

“It’s not just Hamas that he wants to destroy,” Green said. “He is destroying Gaza and he would, if he could, take all of Palestine.”

Allred is running against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Each has expressed support for Israel and accused the other of undermining its security.

Allred’s chief rival in the primary, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, criticized him as too willing to go along with Israel.

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Cruz and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, criticized Democrats who boycotted Wednesday’s joint session.

Cornyn said on the Senate floor Wednesday that he was “absolutely stunned and profoundly disappointed” that Vice President Kamala Harris did not attend the joint session.

Harris was in Indianapolis speaking at the historically Black Zeta Phi Beta sorority’s convention. She is scheduled to talk with Netanyahu privately later this week.

Cornyn said it’s “absolutely disgraceful” that senior Democrats snubbed one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East while it’s “fighting for its very existence.”

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“It’s pandering to the most radical elements of the Democratic base,” he said.