Wisconsin’s Democratic members of Congress skip Netanyahu speech

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s two Democratic members of Congress are among the group of Democrats who do not plan to attend the Israel’s prime minister speech on Capitol Hill today.

Both Madison Congressman Mark Pcoan and Milwaukee Congresswoman Gwen Moore announced they would not sit for Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress.

““For nearly 10 months, Netanyahu has waged a deadly and excessive response that has targeted Gazan civilians. It is wildly inappropriate to give the distinct honor of addressing Congress to a man who has violated international human rights law so severely that an arrest warrant for war crimes has been recommended by the International Criminal Court,” Pocan said in a statement. “I regret that one has not been issued yet, as I would have gladly served it to him on the House floor.”

Pocan has called for a ceasefire in Gaza for months and called for a ceasefire again Wednesday.

Pocan did, however, invite a guest to Netanyahu’s speech. He invited Maya Roman, a cousin of Yarden Roman, who was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and released after 54 days.

Moore, who has also been a critic of the war in Gaza, said she is skipping the speech, too. Though she insists that she stands with the people of Israel.

“I strongly support the ongoing efforts of President Biden and his administration to support them and innocent Palestinians by working to reach a ceasefire deal that will ensure remaining hostages are released, and current fighting and supply more aid to address the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians,” Moore said on social media. “The Prime Minister's speech will not bring us any closer to achieving those goals given his record of publicly snubbing President Biden's efforts to advance peace, dismissing the two-state solution, and failing to reign in the extremists in his coalition.”

More than 50 Democrats on Capitol Hill also said they would not attend Netanyahu’s speech.

None of Wisconsin’s Republican members of Congress planned to skip Netanyahu’s address to Congress.