{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleavers-statement-prime-minister-netanyahus-address-joint", "Congressman Cleaver\u2019s Statement on Prime Minister Netanyahu\u2019s Address to Joint Session of Congress", "2024-07-24", "2024", "2024-07", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Emanuel Cleaver", "C001061", "cleaver.house.gov", "cleaver", "https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "(Washington, D.C.) \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement before Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu\u2019s fourth address to a joint session of Congress.\n\n\u201cI am not able to attend the address to Congress today by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu due to an unfortunate case of COVID-19. I had planned to attend today\u2019s speech by the leader of one of America\u2019s oldest allies, because I believe Members of Congress have a responsibility to represent their constituents during any joint session, and out of respect for the long and close relationship between our two countries. However, that does not mean I agree with every policy that Prime Minister Netanyahu has enacted or proposed \u2013 to be clear, I do not. For the last several years, I and other pro-Israel Americans have watched with deep concern as the Prime Minister\u2019s far-right government has not only proposed changes to the Israeli judicial system that would reduce its independence and erode Israel\u2019s democracy, but also allowed the worst terrorist attack in Israeli history, followed by a currently unsuccessful campaign to safely return hostages and destroy Hamas.\n\n\u201cToday, I hope the Prime Minister speaks of his plans to reach an agreement that will free the remaining 120 hostages, including eight Americans, who were attacked and kidnapped on October 7th and end the war in Gaza as soon as possible. I applaud President Biden\u2019s statements two weeks ago after the NATO Summit that the war should end now, and I believe the President has laid out a comprehensive plan to achieve that critical goal. Innocent civilians in Gaza remain in dire need of humanitarian aid, which can only be adequately and safely distributed with an end to the fighting.\n\n\u201cAdditionally, it is imperative that Prime Minister Netanyahu lay out a legitimate plan for \u2018the day after\u2019 the fighting ends, one which does not return to the status-quo before October 7th. A plan which breaks the cycle of violence and includes a path for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to pursue self-determination and the ability to govern their own state. Without such a plan, I fear the cycle of violence will only continue and Israel\u2019s standing around the world will further diminish.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:24:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleavers-statement-prime-minister-netanyahus-address-joint"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0502510704100132, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}