Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has announced that he will not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's joint address to Congress next month, along with several other Democrats who have also pledged to boycott the speech.
"I will not attend that. I said that if he wants to come speak to members of Congress about how to end the war and release hostages, I would be fine doing that. But I'm not going to sit in a one-way lecture," Khanna explained on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Khanna's decision not to attend the address scheduled July 24 comes on the heels of Rep. James Clyburn's (D-S.C.) recent stance on the matter.
Clyburn had cited Netanyahu's treatment of Barack Obama as his reason for skipping the address.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has also vowed to attend the speech by "war criminal" Netanyahu.
In 2015, Netanyahu and former President Obama clashed over Israel's position on Palestinian statehood and U.S. efforts to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.
Over 50 Democrats boycotted Netanyahu's address to Congress after then-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) invited him without informing the White House.
"And I agree with Representative Clyburn. Based on how he treated President Obama, he should not expect reciprocity. That said, I think it should be polite, and we're not going to make a big deal about it. He's obviously addressing the Congress, and there has to be decorum," Khanna continued.
More Democrats are refusing to attend Netanyahu's upcoming speech next month. Some are pointing to Netanyahu's 2015 speech to Congress, while others are citing the ongoing conflict in Gaza with Hamas, The Hill reported.
