Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be greeted by deep divisions among US lawmakers, a distracted US public and large protests as he addresses the US Congress for a record fourth time.
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The long-time Israeli leader will speak to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon, passing British wartime leader Winston Churchill, who made such addresses three times.
Netanyahu's speech is expected to focus on co-ordinating the Israeli and US response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where there is a growing danger of the Gaza war spilling over into a wider regional conflict.
He is also expected to use his speech to call for stronger action against Iran, which supports Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters and has drawn increased US condemnation over its recent nuclear advances.
Though Netanyahu's visit was orchestrated by Congress' Republican leaders, it is likely to be less confrontational than in 2015, when Republicans sidestepped then-president Barack Obama and invited Netanyahu's to Congress to criticise the Democrat's Iran policy.
This time, Netanyahu will seek to bolster his traditional links to Republicans but also look to ease tensions with Biden, whom he will rely on for the remaining six months in the president's term.
He must also reach out to Vice-President Kamala Harris, who has at times been more forward-leaning than her boss in criticising Israel for heavy Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.
Activists have promised mass protests, and the Capitol building was surrounded by high fencing and additional police.
Dozens of Washington streets were also due to be closed on Wednesday.
Netanyahu's speech comes as Washington is largely preoccupied with the fallout from Biden's announcement on Sunday that he was ending his re-election bid and endorsing Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Dozens of Democrats plan to skip the speech, many expressing dismay over Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave and saying they do not want to help Netanyahu offset declining domestic poll numbers.
"For him, this is all about shoring up his support back home, which is one of the reasons I don't want to attend," senator Chris Van Hollen told reporters.
"I don't want to be part of a political prop in this act of deception. He is not the great guardian of the US-Israel relationship."
Some Republicans criticised Harris for travelling outside Washington instead of going to the speech.
She will meet Netanyahu separately.
But she was not the only candidate staying away.
Republican Senator JD Vance, running for vice-president on the ticket with former president Donald Trump, will be away "as he has duties to fulfil as the Republican nominee for vice-president," Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said.
Netanyahu was to travel to Florida to meet with Trump later this week.
The meeting will be their first since the end of Trump's presidency, during which the two forged close ties.
Australian Associated Press
