Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to a joint meeting of Congress at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday as House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin, D-Md., watch. Julia Nikhinson/Associated Press

Half of Maine’s congressional delegation did not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress Wednesday because of Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza.

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, were among dozens of mostly Democratic lawmakers who did not attend the speech, which also drew thousands of protesters demanding an end to the war and the humanitarian crisis.

Netanyahu, who was invited by Republican House Speaker Michael Johnson, delivered a combative speech, denouncing protesters and critics of Israel as Hamas sympathizers and “useful idiots.” He urged the United States to stand behind Israel because his country is fighting the allies of Iran on behalf of Americans, as well as defending its own people.

“America and Israel must stand together. When we stand together something really simple happens: We win, they lose,” Netanyahu said.

King’s announcement that he would skip the speech came as more of a surprise than the decision by Pingree, who has consistently expressed concerns about the impact Israel’s assault has had on ordinary Palestinians.

King, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, said in a written statement that he remains “an unwavering supporter of Israel” and supports its right to self-defense, but he skipped the address because of growing concerns about how the war is being handled and the lack of planning for a post-war Gaza. He said the lack of a plan could lead to long-term instability to the region.

“I did not make this decision lightly” King said. “I understand Prime Minister Netanyahu’s frustration and love for country, but I do not agree with his apparent unwillingness to plan for post-war Gaza, and, in fact, believe that his failure to do so has done serious harm to Israel as well as prospects for long-term peace in the region.”

King’s Republican challenger in the fall election, Demi Kouzounas, criticized his decision to skip the speech.

“Senator King has a responsibility to represent all Mainers in listening to the democratically elected leader of our greatest ally in the Middle East,” Kouzounas said in a written statement. “It’s unfortunate that instead he chose to make a hyper-partisan political statement.”

Pingree said in a written statement that she is “horrified” by the civilian casualties in Gaza and that Israel “does not have the right to violate international law.”

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has slow-walked cease-fire and hostage negotiations, bowed to extremists in his coalition who oppose a two-state solution, actively delayed humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians, and created a worse security environment for both of our countries,” Pingree said. “For these reasons, I am not attending Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress today.”

Spokespeople for Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, said they attended the address.

“The elected leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, made a very forceful and well-received case to a joint session of Congress this afternoon,” Collins said in an email Wednesday night. “In his remarks, he underscored why destroying the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hamas is not only in Israel’s interest, but in America’s interest and in the interest of our world. The United States stands with Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and our strongest ally in the region.”

Pingree condemned Hamas’ attack shortly after the group’s fighters killed Israeli citizens and took many others hostage in October. She said at the time that U.S. support for Israel “must be predicated on preserving humanity and not on perpetuating greater cycles of violence.” She also said most Palestinians in Gaza are “hostages of Hamas’ violent fanaticism.”

Earlier this year, Pingree was one of the 43 mostly progressive Democrats who voted against a Republican resolution stating that the phrase, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” was antisemitic. Pingree also voted against a military aid package for Israel in April.

Netanyahu’s address exposes the deep division within the Democratic party over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which began in response to a surprise attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 that killed nearly 1,200 Israelis. Another 251 people, including some Americans, were taken hostage.

Israel officials have maintained that their military campaign aims to destroy Hamas but it also has inflicted a disproportionate toll on Palestinian civilians. Gaza’s health ministry recently said that more than 39,000 people have died in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack.

HARRIS DID NOT ATTEND

Vice president and presumptive presidential nominee Kamala Harris was the most conspicuous Democrat to not attend the speech, citing a scheduling conflict. The vice president usually presides over joint sessions of Congress.

Golden said in a written statement that he attended the address “out of respect for the Israeli people and in solidarity with the families of American citizens” still being held hostage. He said he’s praying for their release and for Hamas to lay down its arms.

“Israel is one of America’s most important democratic allies and I have always supported them,” Golden said. “I appreciated Netanyahu’s recognition of the Trump administration’s work to pass the Abraham Accords and of the Biden administration’s strong support for Israel after the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust.”

Earlier this year, Golden reiterated his “unwavering” support for Israel after his Bangor office was vandalized with graffiti calling for a cease-fire in January. He said his support would continue until all of the hostages are released and Hamas’s military capabilities are “fully dismantled.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted Golden’s prerecorded address at the Maine Democratic Party’s state convention in May. His spokesperson reiterated that all of the hostages being held need to be released before a cease-fire could be considered.

Collins, meanwhile, had joined Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, in May to demand answers about why the U.S. was withholding military assistance to Israel.

“On a bipartisan basis, Congress has repeatedly affirmed its support for Israel and its right to defend itself,” the senators wrote in a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “We were alarmed when we learned from the media, rather than the administration, that despite the president’s assertion that his commitment to the security of Israel is ‘ironclad,’ certain shipments of munitions intended for Israel are being withheld from delivery.”

KING QUESTIONS ISRAEL’S TACTICS

King has both defended Israel’s right to defend itself and questioned its tactics, saying more needs to be done to prevent civilian casualties.

“I think all of us feel Israel has not only a right but a responsibility to defend itself, but it is the conduct by which they are doing so that is actually hurting Israel,” King told Austin during an April hearing. “That’s what bothers me. I consider myself a friend of Israel. And by not separating the Palestinian civilians from Hamas, they are playing into Hamas’ hand.”

On Wednesday, King acknowledged changes in Israel’s military operations in Gaza since his visit in January, but said “the government’s failure to full(y) cooperate in addressing the dire humanitarian needs in Gaza remains deeply problematic.”

“Under Netanyahu’s leadership, while the war in Gaza has led to the deaths of thousands of Hamas fighters, it has also contributed to the death of thousands of innocent civilians, severe food shortages and dire humanitarian conditions,” King said Wednesday.

“My absence today is by no means intended to indicate any wavering in my belief that Hamas must be defeated, but is meant to convey the deep concerns and reservations I have about the lack of post-war planning and concerns that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions have diminished Israel’s standing in the community of nations without providing Gazans with an alternative to their current destructive leadership.”