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Office of the 11th Congressional District of Virginia
Formerly the Office of Representative Gerry Connolly
The Washington, D.C., office and the district office of former Representative Connolly will continue to serve the people of the 11th Congressional District of Virginia under the supervision of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Representative Connolly passed away on May 21, 2025. See Press Release

Connolly Statement on Netanyahu Joint Session Address

Washington, DC, March 2, 2015
Congressman Connolly released the following statement in advance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Joint Session Address. Read more.

Congressman Connolly released the following statement in advance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Joint Session Address:

"I will attend the Joint Session of Congress of March 3, 2015 to receive the remarks of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I will attend as a symbol of my lifelong commitment to the State of Israel and the enduring relationship between the United States and that state.

"Nevertheless, the process employed by Mr. Netanyahu and his Ambassador, Mr. Dermer, to secure this privilege (to address a joint session) is deeply offensive and hurtful. It has driven a partisan wedge where none has ever existed before, it has provided a gratuitous insult to our head of state, and bypassed any reasonable norm of diplomatic protocol.

"Unfortunately, this confrontational style has characterized the Netanyahu approach to our government since the Clinton Administration. I fear it can only damage Israel’s own long term interests even if it benefits Mr. Netanyahu’s short term electoral goals with Israel’s pending elections exactly two weeks away.

"This is a shameful episode that diminishes the serious issue which ostensibly has caused Mr. Netanyahu to push aside diplomatic niceties; namely the Iranian nuclear negotiations. By acting in such a blatantly partisan way, Mr. Netanyahu has diluted the focus from that central, existential issue, to one of parochial partisan politics - his and ours."