Rep. Doris Matsui skips Netanyahu's address to Congress

Rep. Matsui will skip the Israel Prime Minister's address to the U.S Congress. | 

Along with prominent Congressional representatives like former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Doris Matsui has decided to skip Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress.

While stressing she has been a longtime friend of Israel, Matsui said she objects to the way his coalition government has conducted the war in Gaza. The war started last October after Hamas led an attack on a music festival where 364 people were killed and others taken hostage. 

In an attempt to strike a conciliatory note, Matsui's statement said,  "Instead, I spent time with the loved ones of people taken by Hamas."

Since the war erupted last October and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has killed over an estimated 38,000, many of them civilians, Matsui has been regularly targeted on social media. Matsui's critics have pressed her to support a ceasefire. 

Matsui tacitly addressed that criticism, noting the hostages must be released before a ceasefire is initiated.  

"It fortified my belief that we must secure an immediate ceasefire that ensures the return of all hostages and addresses the devastating humanitarian crisis for the Palestinian people," Matsui said. "My priority continues to be finding a path towards a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side with peace and dignity – and that should be the Prime Minister's focus as well."

As of this posting, Matsui has not posted any information about skipping the address on her Instagram account, the place where she is regularly criticized. 

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