When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his controversial speech to Congress Wednesday afternoon in a bid to shore up U.S. support for Israel, several members of Massachusetts’ all-Democratic congressional delegation were conspicuously absent.
In lieu of attending Netanyahu’s speech, Rep. Jim McGovern co-hosted a briefing with family members of hostages taken by Hamas who are critical of Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza.
“I don’t think he should be here in Washington,” McGovern told GBH News, referring to Netanyahu. “I think he should be in Israel, trying to get the hostages released and trying to get a peace deal and a way forward. This war has to come to an end.
”I want a ceasefire,“ McGovern added. ”I want an end to the violence. I want humanitarian aid to be able to get to the Palestinians, some of them who are starving to death.“
Dozens of members of Congress, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, reportedly did not attend the prime minister’s address. More than 100 members of Congress attended the briefing with the hostages’ families, McGovern said.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley also skipped Netanyahu’s speech. She spoke on the floor of Congress Wednesday morning about a Palestinian family in which two brothers were killed and a sister was severely injured during an Israeli attack on Gaza, and later attended the event co-hosted by McGovern.
Pressley also participated in a virtual press conference with congressional colleagues and advocates critical of Israel’s prosecution of the war. During that event, she offered a sharp condemnation of Netanyahu’s visit.
“While the United States Congress wrongly platforms Prime Minister Netanyahu today — a war criminal — I want to platform the people: the civilians killed, the hostages, their families,” Pressley said. “We must not lose sight of our shared humanity, because our destinies are tied.”
Pressley was also harshly critical of ongoing U.S. support for Israel’s war effort.
“The U.S. government has been shamefully complicit in the Israeli military genocide of the Palestinian people,” Pressley said. “While Congress turns its attention elsewhere, we continue to be met with the most gut-wrenching and devastating news about the torture ... the bombing, the famine the Palestinians are enduring. Shelters incinerated by U.S.-made bombs. People turned to ash by U.S.-made bombs. Innocent men, women and children and elderly burned, maimed, mutilated by U.S.-made bombs.”
Pressley closed by calling for an immediate end to the transfer of U.S.-made weapons to Israel and a permanent ceasefire that includes the return of all hostages.
In a statement ahead of Netanyahu’s address, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she would not attend, which she described as a “political show.”
“After nearly 300 days, Netanyahu has failed to bring the hostages home and he has created a humanitarian catastrophe — this war must end,” Warren said.
“Netanyahu’s government has prevented lifesaving aid from entering Gaza, starving innocent Palestinians,” Warren added. “His indiscriminate bombing campaign has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians. We need an immediate ceasefire, the return of all the hostages, and massive amounts of humanitarian aid — and we need to give both sides a hard shove toward the negotiating table to work out a two-state solution for a lasting peace.”
Sen. Ed Markey also opted not to attend. In a statement posted to X just before Netanyahu’s speech, he said the prime minister and his “extremist war cabinet” have failed to secure the return of hostages and “created a humanitarian catastrophe that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.” Markey called for an immediate ceasefire and a “diplomatic solution ... that leads to lasting security for the Israeli people and meets the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.”
In a statement released shortly before Netanyahu’s address, Rep. Lori Trahan said she too would not be attending. She cited the briefing with hostages’ families co-hosted by McGovern to explain her decision.
“I just left a meeting with families of the hostages still being held captive by Hamas,” Trahan said. ”What’s abundantly clear is that they have lost faith in Prime Minister’s Netanyahu’s willingness to prioritize the safe return of their loved ones. Time after time, he has obstructed and denied ceasefire agreements that would secure the release of the hostages, including innocent Americans still in captivity.
“Rather than seeking standing ovations in the Capitol and plotting his trip to Mar-a-Lago, Prime Minister Netanyahu should use his time in the United States to finalize the proposed ceasefire agreement that will finally bring the hostages home,” Trahan added.
Rep. Stephen Lynch also planned to skip Netanyahu’s speech, according to a spokesperson.
Spokespeople for Reps. Jake Auchincloss, Katherine Clark, Bill Keating and Seth Moulton said they planned to attend Netanyahu’s address. The office of Rep. Richard Neal did not respond to a request for comment.
