U.S. senators on both sides of the aisle welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with “much esteem” during a “warm and friendly” meeting on Thursday, per an Israeli readout of the meeting.
Senate leaders, including Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), “expressed unqualified support for the prime minister and the State of Israel and commended Israel’s achievements in the war,” according to Netanyahu’s office.
“It was a pleasure to host Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Capitol today,” Thune stated. “The friendship between the United States and Israel strengthens both of our countries.”
During the meeting, Netanyahu stated that Iran must be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons and that Hamas “had to be eliminated in Gaza,” positions with which Senate leaders agreed, according to the Israeli readout.
The Senate leaders committed to passing a law against the International Criminal Court, a stand-alone court in The Hague, which isn’t part of the United Nations, according to Netanyahu’s office. (In January, Senate Democrats blocked a bill sanctioning the court, whose prosecutor sought arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defense minister.)
“The senators asked the prime minister how Israel has succeeded in doing what it has done in the multi-front war, to which he replied that the great achievements in the war are due to the heroism of our soldiers and our people,” per the Israeli readout.
“After our meeting today with Netanyahu, I’m more hopeful that the ongoing ceasefire can be extended, so more hostages can be released and more humanitarian aid provided,” stated Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). “Both Hamas and Israel should accept it—as the only path to peace and stability and rebuilding Gaza.”
“More than ever, the Trump suggestion of Tuesday seems like a distraction,” the senator added. “There’s no need or support for an American takeover of Gaza, American troops on the ground, American taxpayer money directed or Palestinians forced to evacuate. The Trump proposal is a nonstarter.”
Separately on Thursday, Netanyahu’s office stated that the prime minister met with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), one of the Jewish state’s staunchest supporters in Congress. Netanyahu also met with Thune, per Netanyahu’s office.
Netanyahu also held a private meeting on Thursday with Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) and Blumenthal, and a meeting with Cotton, according to Netanyahu’s office.
Graham also said he had a “very good meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his team in Washington” on Wednesday evening. The senator’s main takeaway was that “Hamas remaining politically or militarily viable in Gaza is a non-starter,” he wrote.
“If Hamas, the perpetrator of the horrific Oct. 7 attack and the carnage that ensued, is still in charge then this will have been a strategic failure—not only for Israel but for the world,” the senator stated.
“The second major takeaway is that the existential threat a nuclear-armed Iran presents to Israel is real and growing,” he added. “The problem of a nuclear-armed Iran must be dealt with decisively, or we will all regret it.”
