Netanyahu seeks to bolster US support with Congress speech

Israel's prime minister will address the joint houses of the US Congress in a bid to bolster support for his war in the Gaza Strip.

Benjamin Netanyahu's invite was initiated by the Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, whose party is trying to show unflinching support for Israel.

But several Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott the address over the levels of US military assistance to Israel, given the huge numbers of Palestinians killed.

Mr Netanyahu arrived in the US on Monday. After addressing Congress on Wednesday, he will meet President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris - then have a separate meeting with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

"Looking forward to welcoming Bibi Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida," the former US president said in a post on Truth Social.

Mr Netanyahu has said he would "present the truth about our just war" during his address to Congress, in what is his first trip to the US since the conflict with Hamas began.

Israel's PM continues to face both international and domestic pressure for his handling of the war, which started nearly 10 months ago.

His US trip also follows a ruling by the International Court of Justice that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories was "illegal".

But it is a ruling which has been rejected by Israel.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are also expected to descend on Washington for a "day of rage".

Speaker Johnson has warned against protests inside the House chamber, saying there would be arrests "if we have to do it".

On Tuesday, about 200 Jewish American peace activists held a protest in the Capitol building complex against Mr Netanyahu's speech.

Police eventually removed the protesters, who all wore red T-shirts proclaiming "Not in our name" and "Jews say stop arming Israel".

Mr Netanyahu's Washington visit comes as his relationship with the US has grown tense, especially among leading Democrats.

President Biden has also grown more critical of Israel as the war continues and the death toll in Gaza climbs.

Mr Biden, who was running for re-election in November until he dropped out of the race on Sunday, has come under political pressure from his party's left flank to do more to convince Israel to limit its war in Gaza.

Vice-President Harris, who is now the presumptive Democratic nominee, will not preside in her constitutional role as president of the Senate during Mr Netanyahu’s address.

At least nine senators have announced plans to skip the event, according to the Washington Post.

Illinois Senator Dick Durban is among them. He said he stood by Israel, but would not stand and cheer its current leader.

Senator Bernie Sanders also said he would skip the speech in protest at the "total war" waged by Mr Netanyahu's government in the Gaza Strip.

"His policies in Gaza and the West Bank and his refusal to support a two-state solution should be roundly condemned,” Senator Sanders said in a social media post.

Israel launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry, whose figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

The offensive continues as the World Health Organization said it was “extremely worried” about the possibility of an outbreak of the highly infectious polio virus in Gaza after traces were found in wastewater.