WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senator Angus King, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, released the following statement ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress:

 “While I am and always have been an unwavering supporter of Israel — and Israel’s right to defend itself and defeat Hamas after October 7 — I strongly disagree with the Netanyahu government’s initial conduct of the war and, especially, its current lack of postwar planning for Gaza and the risks that poses to long-term regional stability. For this reason I have made the decision to not attend today’s Joint Session of Congress.

“I did not make this decision lightly. For nearly 10 months, the Israeli people have been fighting a war they did not start and a war that they did not want. And for those same 10 months, Hamas has been using fellow Palestinians as human shields and holding innocent civilians hostage, including several Americans and those of other nationalities. I understand Prime Minister Netanyahu’s frustration and love for country, but I do not agree with his apparent unwillingness to plan for post-war Gaza, and, in fact, believe that his failure to do so has done serious harm to Israel as well as prospects for long-term peace in the region. 

“It's not an overstatement to say that this is one of the most deep-seated and complex conflicts in the modern world. But its complexity does not eliminate a simple human truth: civilian casualties are always to be avoided to the maximum extent possible, and civilian pain and suffering addressed. 

“I recognize that the Israeli Defense Forces significantly changed their military approach earlier this year shortly after I met with the Prime Minister and Defense Minister in Tel Aviv and indeed operations in Gaza have been more targeted and less destructive in the last six months of the war compared to the first three months, but the government’s failure to full cooperate in addressing the dire humanitarian needs in Gaza remains deeply problematic.

“On the day of the attack, I stood fully beside Israel, saying ‘America's support of our allies must be steadfast and crystal clear, as should our priorities: justice, not revenge, for those who planned and committed these evil acts.’ As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu directly during my visit to Israel in January, however, the way in which he had chosen to conduct the war to that point had harmed Israel on the international stage more than it was working to dismantle Hamas. Further, this approach has not yet been successful in bringing the hostages home.

“Under Netanyahu’s leadership, while the war in Gaza has led to the deaths of thousands of Hamas fighters, it has also contributed to the death of thousands of innocent civilians, severe food shortages and dire humanitarian conditions.

“My absence today is by no means intended to indicate any wavering in my belief that Hamas must be defeated, but is meant to convey the deep concerns and reservations I have about the lack of post-war planning and concerns that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions have diminished Israel’s standing in the community of nations without providing Gazans with an alternative to their current destructive leadership.

“As the only Jewish state, Israel has an existential right and a responsibility to defend itself – which is why I joined 78 of my colleagues in voting for the supplemental defense aid bill to help Israel, as well as Ukraine and Taiwan, protect themselves. But I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s failure to engage on the issues of the status of Palestinian people after Gaza is not serving the interests of Israel’s long-term stability and the region’s interest in a lasting peace. While I will always continue to be a friend of Israel, I cannot support the Prime Minister on his current course and therefore will not be in attendance today.”

A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator King is recognized as an authoritative voice on national security and foreign policy issues. He has continuously supported Israel’s right to defend itself from the October 7^th terrorist attack. Senator King has also stressed the need to reduce civilian casualties in its effort to defeat Hamas. In a November 2023 letter, King and his colleagues pressed for answers on how assistance would advance efforts to engage with Israel, Egypt, and the broader international community to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

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