Republican congressional leaders are scheduled on Thursday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the Capitol, a show of support that comes after President Trump proposed that the United States “take over” the Gaza Strip and displace the millions of Palestinians living there.
Mr. Netanyahu had a morning meeting with Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, and an afternoon session with Speaker Mike Johnson, who has echoed the ironclad support that Mr. Trump offered during his appearance with Mr. Netanyahu earlier this week.
“We need to be supporting Israel right now, as strongly as ever,” Mr. Johnson said during an interview on Fox previewing his meeting. “It’s a critical time in the Middle East and they’ve got a real dilemma on their hands.”
It will be the second meeting between Mr. Johnson and Mr. Netanyahu. Over the summer, Mr. Johnson led the effort to invite Mr. Netanyahu to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress. Mr. Netanyahu used the occasion to forcefully defend Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. He cast the offensive as a battle for survival of the Jewish state while making almost no mention of the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed in Israel’s drive to destroy Hamas.
Since then, a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas has gone into effect, and a number of hostages have been released from Gaza and reunited with family members.
Now the focus is on maintaining the cease-fire and making plans to stabilize the region ravaged by more than a year of war.
Mr. Johnson this week has praised Mr. Trump’s declaration that the United States should “own” Gaza and send its Palestinian population elsewhere, transforming the war-torn enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Mr. Johnson defended his idea and pledged that House Republicans would “stand with the president on his initiative.” He added that he expected to discuss the proposal with Mr. Netanyahu during their meeting.
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