Elon Musk attends Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress as his guest, but Biden and Harris skip it

Elon Musk made a surprise appearance in Washington Wednesday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, attending the event as Netanyahu’s guest.

Mr Musk sat in Mr Netanyahu’s private box in the visitor gallery above the House floor, alongside Mr Netanyahu’s wife Sara, several Israeli soldiers and at least one former hostage of Hamas.

The Tesla Motors CEO’s visit to Capitol Hill came a day after he announced on X that his satellite internet company Starlink had been activated in a Gaza hospital, with the support of Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Nine months into the Israel-Hamas war and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Mr Netanyahu’s speech has become a lightning rod of controversy, triggering an eruption of protests in Washington.

Shortly before Mr Netanyahu was scheduled to begin speaking, U.S. Capitol Police announced they were “deploying pepper spray” against protesters who had “started to become violent” close to the Capitol.

Mr Netanyahu scolded the protesters in his speech, calling them “Iran’s useful idiots.”

“These protesters chant from river to the sea, but many don’t have a clue what river and what sea they’re talking about.” Mr Netanyahu said.

More than 30 members of Congress did not attend Mr Netanyahu’s address, many of them skipping the event in protest of the Israeli prime minister’s approach to the Israel-Hamas war.

One of Mr Netanyahu’s most vocal opponents in Congress, however, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., did attend the speech.

At several points, Tlaib held up a sign that read “War Criminal.” The clear breach of House decorum reflects the deep and painful divisions in Congress over the prime minister’s leadership.

Despite the absences, the prime minister entered a crowded House floor to loud applause and cheering, shaking hands with various lawmakers on his way to the podium.

“America and Israel must stand together because when we stand together something very simple happens. We win, they lose,” Mr Netanyahu said at the opening of his remarks.

The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to President Joe Biden “for his heartfelt support for Israel.”

“President Biden and I have known each other for over 40 years,” Netanyahu said. “I want to thank him for half a century of friendship to Israel.”

Biden and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet at the White House on Thursday.

Vice President Kamala Harris did not attend Mr Netanyahu’s speech, a conspicuous departure from tradition. The White House attributed her absence to the demands of travel. Harris will have a separate meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday.

Typically, the vice president presides over joint congressional sessions, but Ms Harris is travelling Wednesday, as the newly minted Democratic front-runner for the party’s presidential nomination.

Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, also skipped the speech due to his “duties to fulfil as the Republican nominee for Vice President,” a Trump campaign official told NBC News.

In the vice president’s absence, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., would usually take her place as the president pro tempore of the Senate, but she did not attend Mr Netanyahu’s address for ideological reasons, according to NBC News.

Instead, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., presided over Mr Netanyahu’s joint address.

“The United States relationship with the State of Israel transcends politics and partisanship,” Cardin said in a statement to NBC News. “It transcends any one Israeli government or any one U.S. administration.”

Though Ms Harris attributed her Wednesday absence to travel, many of the at least 30 lawmakers said they skipped the speech to boycott Mr Netanyahu. Several, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said they would instead meet with families of hostages held by Hamas or attend a panel on Middle East peace and security.

“Netanyahu should not be welcomed into the United States Congress. On the contrary, his policies in Gaza and the West Bank and his refusal to support a two-state solution should be roundly condemned,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., among the loudest critics of Netanyahu as the war carries on.

Wednesday’s speech was Mr Netanyahu’s fourth address to Congress, the last of which took place in March 2015.

While the Prime Minister is on Capitol Hill, he will meet with the top four congressional lawmakers: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.