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 Of the progressives who attended the address, just four expressed disapproval of the Israeli prime minister.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress on the state of the Gaza conflict and the necessity of US continuing assistance. Netanyahu is under intense pressure because to domestic calls for his resignation and global demonstrations over the war's continuing costs in lives. Congress was even the scene of demonstrations. Only about half of the Democrats in Congress attended the address by the Israeli prime minister after at least 38 legislators declared they would boycott it. Outside the Capitol, protests took place during the address.


Four Democrats from New York's House took part in the boycott. The most of the remaining There are reports that the state delegation was present for the address, however some of them had critical remarks for Netanyahu. The congressional lawmakers from New York have stated their opinions on the speech.

Congressman Jamaal Bowman was not present.

When it came to abstaining from Netanyahu's speech to Congress, Bowman stuck to his constant stance of criticizing Israel during the Gaza War. The spokesperson published a scathing opinion piece in the Guardian on Wednesday, denouncing the Israeli prime minister as a "genocidal war criminal."

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not show up.

Members of the progressive caucus in the House, Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez have similar opinions on a range of topics, such as Israel and abstaining from Netanyahu's address. In a statement on Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez referred to Netanyahu as "an authoritarian possessing International Criminal Court warrant requests," and she vowed to abstain from his address.

Congressman Paul Tonko was not present.

Tonko has continuously advocated for a truce and has expressed disapproval of the Gaza War. He tweeted many times on Wednesday morning, stating that he thought Netanyahu would not talk about ending the violence when he spoke to Congress. Tonko declared he would not attend the event and would instead give speeches to Congressmen, families of hostages, and Israeli and Palestinian officials who are working toward peace.


Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez was not present.

Since the conflict started in October, Velázquez has been advocating for a ceasefire. On Tuesday,

* She reaffirmed her decision to abstain from Netanyahu's address. The lawmaker discussed her opinions on the war and called Netanyahu "a major obstacle to achieving a permanent ceasefire" in an X post.

Representative Yvette Clarke—possibly present

Although Clarke was not included among those reportedly present for the address, she made no public announcements about her intention to boycott it. Her phone was unanswered when we tried to call her.

The address was attended by the whole congressional delegation from New York. While some openly questioned or complimented Netanyahu, the majority remained silent about their choice to attend the event.

Majority Leader of the Senate Chuck Schumer was present.

Since Schumer is the highest-ranking Jewish government official and the Senate majority leader, people pay attention to what he has to say about Israel.

as well as the conflict. Schumer criticizes Netanyahu while still endorsing Israel. Schumer made headlines in March by demanding Netanyahu step down and fresh elections be held in Israel. Nevertheless, the majority leader of the Senate accepted the Israeli PM's request to attend the address as one of the four signatories.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was present.

Gillibrand has stood for Israel during the conflict. Along with a delegation of congressional lawmakers, she traveled to the nation in January and upon her return, she advocated for the captives' release. Following Netanyahu's address, the senator reiterated the need of freeing the captives by tweeting about the five American hostages and their families, as well as the hostage who lost his life.

Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the House minority, attended

Jeffries has adopted a cautious approach to the Gaza War, condemning the dead toll and highlighting the need for humanitarian help in the area while simultaneously endorsing Israel and reiterating its right to exist. Though he hasn't said anything in public on Netanyahu's speech, he made sure to go since he signed the bipartisan invitation that the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate extended to Netanyahu.

Congressman Gregory Meeks – Present

Meeks has consistently backed Israel. Despite his reservations about the potential uses of the weapons, the lawmaker supported a $18 billion arms package for Israel last month while serving as the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Meeks said he will confirm participate in a Wednesday interview with NPR on the address.

Congressman Jerrold Nadler – Present

Similar to Schumer, Nadler is a vocal advocate for Israel while also criticizing Netanyahu. He denounced Netanyahu as "the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years ago" in a tweet he sent on Tuesday. Nadler declared that he will go to the address "out of respect for the state of Israel and the office of the Prime Minister," despite his contempt for the Israeli PM. Following Netanyahu's speech, Nadler called it "fundamentally dishonest" and stated that Netanyahu's "political interest is to keep the war going as long as possible" in an interview with MSNBC.

Congressman Ritchie Torres – Present

Torres has been an ardent defender of Israel since the start of the conflict, and his unwavering support for Israel has caused a gap between him and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. In a tweet after Netanyahu's address, Torres referred to the connection between the United States and Israel as "a proud champion of the world's greatest friendship."

Congressman Patrick Ryan – Present

Ryan has criticized Netanyahu, demanded a brief truce, and campaigned for billions of dollars' worth of humanitarian supplies to be sent to Gaza. He nevertheless went to hear Netanyahu speak. He told City & State in a statement, "I went out of deep respect for the important alliance between the United States and Israel."

Rep. Tom Suozzi was present.

In a combined statement with On Tuesday, in remarks to Senators Christopher Coons of Delaware, Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Suozzi stressed that freeing the captives should be the primary objective of the war. He also asked Netanyahu to refrain from using divisive language in his address. The objectives of the joint declaration were to put a stop to the hostilities, provide humanitarian help, and restore normalcy to the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel.