Van Hollen says it was a ‘mistake’ for Democrats to support Netanyahu addressing Congress

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said it was a “mistake” for Democrats to support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu giving an address to Congress.

“I believe it was, and I’ve expressed that view,” he said when asked on CBS’s “Face the Nation” whether it was a mistake for Democrats to support the visit. “But the reality is, obviously, he came. So for those of us who thought it was a mistake to have him here, we expressed our views by not participating.”

Van Hollen has been critical of the current Israeli government’s policies and has called for a pause in sending offensive weapons to the country until President Biden’s demands of getting more humanitarian assistance into Gaza have been met.  

He was one of many Democratic lawmakers who opted not to attend Netanyahu’s address, saying in remarks on the Senate floor earlier this month that it “sends a terrible message” to invite the Israeli leader to the Capitol.

Van Hollen also noted Sunday that while he has been “critical of the conduct of the war in Gaza,” he has “always affirmed Israel’s right to self defense, in fact, duty to self defense.”

Netanyahu addressed Congress in a joint session last week — a speech met with opposition from some Democratic lawmakers and activists in D.C. who protested outside the Capitol against Netanyahu’s visit.

Van Hollen also said Netanyahu used Congress as a “prop” in his speech.

“I think Prime Minister Netanyahu accomplished his goal of using Congress as a prop to boost his support in Israel, especially among his right-wing extremists. If you saw the people who gave two thumbs up to his speech, they were Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. These are very right-wing extremists,” he said, referring to Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

This story was updated at 7:10 p.m. on July 29.