Why Binyamin Netanyahu is giving a speech to Congress

For a country that has sadly been all too often mired in war and conflict with its neighbours, the question of a speech in a foreign capital ought to barely merit much attention. Yet few recent acts by Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, have been quite as controversial as his decision to accept an invitation to speak before Congress on March 3rd. Why is his decision causing such upset, and why is Mr Netanyahu going ahead with his talk?

 

Israeli prime ministers have regularly spoken before Congress, an unsurprising fact given the close relationship between the two countries. But this address will be Mr Netanyahu’s third (he previously spoke in 2011 and 1996), an honour rarely afforded foreign heads of state. The only other foreign leader to appear three times was Winston Churchill, Britain’s wartime leader.

 

Read More: The Economist explains: Why Binyamin Netanyahu is giving a speech to Congress | The Economist