James Clyburn will skip the Israeli Prime Minister’s speech

In light of Israel’s war campaign in Gaza and Benjamin Netanyahu’s past tensions with former President Barack Obama, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) will skip the Israeli Prime Minister’s speech in July.

“Because I’m going to treat him the same way he treated Barack Obama, but I’m going to join a group of others in an alternative session to his joint session to see what we can pay attention to now that makes sense,” Clyburn said NewsNation.

Obama’s dispute with Netanyahu began in 2015 after the prime minister’s stance on Palestinian statehood and U.S. efforts to succeed in a nuclear agreement with Iran.

The legendary lawmaker wants a two-state solution in the Middle East. “You have to remember that Barack Obama tried to push this issue, Joe Biden is pushing this issue and on every front Netanyahu opposes it,” Clyburn said.

The NAACP shares a few of the same views as Clyburn. In early June, the civil rights organization wrote a letter to President Joe Biden saying: pressing him to stop arms sales to Israel.

“The Biden administration’s latest announcement is helpful, but does not go far enough,” the letter reads, based on NBC News. “Calling for a ceasefire is one thing; it is another to take the steps necessary to work for the liberation of all. “It is imperative that an immediate end to the violence that has claimed the lives of so many civilians.”

According to NBC NewsBiden-Harris campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika said Biden “shares the goal of ending violence” and recognizes that the stakes of the upcoming election are tied to rising tensions in the Middle East.

“The stakes of this election could not be higher, and with our communities, our democracy and our freedoms at stake, our campaign is putting in the effort to earn — not ask for — every vote,” Chitika said.

Clyburn said he sides with the NAACP on this issue, “but I’m also a legislator who supports this administration,” he said. “And I know that when you’re trying to find common ground, you can’t have everything your way completely all the time. That’s why Joe Biden is working hard to try to find common ground with the people of Israel. And the majority of Israelis are against what Netanyahu is doing.”

Israel’s prime minister is scheduled to seem at a joint meeting on July 24, despite the fact that Democrats have expressed criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has killed greater than 37,000 people since October 2023. Clyburn met with other Democratic leaders, who announced they’d boycott the session.