Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a fiery speech to Congress on Wednesday that sparked a Democrat boycott inside the Capitol, sparked massive protests outside and elevated a partisan fight over Israeli-Palestinian relations that he vows to continue until the November elections.
Appearing before a rare joint meeting of Congress, Netanyahu recounted in violent detail the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7; he warned of the continued threat that Iran and other regional adversaries pose; and urged American lawmakers to unite behind Israel to eradicate these threats once and for all.
“For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must remain united,” he said, thanking President Biden for “half a century of friendship with Israel.”
Netanyahu, positioning Israel as the US’s strongest ally and defense in the Middle East, called for the continuation and acceleration of US military support – as opposed to Biden’s retention of some heavy weapons and the call of opponents and protesters to suspend military assistance from the USA.
“I deeply appreciate America’s support, including in this current war, but this is an exceptional moment. Accelerating U.S. military aid could dramatically accelerate the end of the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader war in the Middle East,” he said.
The atmosphere surrounding Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, and his message, marked a departure from his last major speech to Congress in 2015, when he criticized the Obama administration for its efforts to forge a nuclear deal with Tehran.
While thanking Biden for his support during the war, Netanyahu also paid tribute to former President Trump before his meeting with the Republican presidential candidate in Florida on Friday – underlining the prime minister’s careful positioning among Republicans and Democrats ahead of the November elections.
“Like the Americans, the Israelis were relieved that President Trump came out safe and sound from that cowardly attack on him, a cowardly attack on American democracy,” the Israeli leader said of the July 13 assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
But Netanyahu’s mere presence deepened already sharp divisions between Republicans and Democrats – and among Democrats themselves – over his far-right political agenda and, more specifically, over his handling of the war with Hamas in Gaza.
These tensions were impossible to ignore around the Capitol, as thousands of activists gathered on the National Mall to protest a figure they consider a war criminal; Vice President Harris, the Democrats’ presumptive presidential nominee, was noticeably absent from the dais behind Netanyahu, where she normally stood to greet foreign leaders.
And several Democrats — including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — boycotted the speech to denounce what they see as Netanyahu’s encouragement of a far-right extremist faction, fueling violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and thwarting a potential two state solution.
These critics consider Netanyahu responsible for a humanitarian catastrophe in pursuit of his goal of eliminating Hamas, with widespread destruction throughout the Gaza Strip and tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in the fighting.
Netanyahu rejected that criticism on Wednesday, saying Israel has secured the lowest number of civilian deaths, relative to combatants, in the history of urban warfare — a line that prompted Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who has previously criticized Netanyahu as the worst leader in Jewish history, to modest applause.
After the speech, Nadler went on MSNBC to accuse Netanyahu of dishonesty in his speech. “He says he wants peace, but his political interest is to keep the war going for as long as possible,” he said.
Dozens of Democrats who attended the speech mostly remained seated during Netanyahu’s remarks.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, went a step further, holding signs that read “War Criminal” on one side and “Guilty of Genocide” on the other, drawing boos from some Republicans in the House. She invited as a guest a Palestinian-American, Hani Almadhoun, who lost 150 members of his family in the war in Gaza.
And the families of the hostages present showed virtually no enthusiasm for the message from the prime minister, whom they accuse of frustrating all efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement to bring home the 120 people still held captive by Hamas, including eight Americans.
“It is known in Israel that some people believe that a dead hostage is better than a live one. One of those people for whom a dead hostage is much less of an embarrassment than a live hostage has the audacity to try to coerce the American Congress into his distorted maneuver,” Zahiro Shahar Mor, whose uncle is still held hostage by Hamas, told a group of Democrats. ahead of Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday.
Or Gat, whose mother was murdered on October 7 and whose sister is still detained in Gaza, sometimes put his head in his hands as Netanyahu defended his record.
“To hear him, nine months of war that is destroying Israel… to hear him talk about it, and the people applauding here in Congress, who did more work for the hostages than he did, to me it’s a shame, it’s anger,” Gat said.
But without Netanyahu’s staunchest critics present, the crowd in the House was overwhelmingly receptive to his message, with multiple standing ovations and chants of “USA, USA” as the prime minister condemned the burning of American flags as part of the protests. anti-Israel on college campuses and turned his ire against protests taking place outside the Capitol.
“You have officially become Iran’s useful idiots,” Netanyahu told the protesters, underscoring a unifying theme of his comments: that Iran is applauding the destruction of Israel as a step toward threatening the US.
“In the heart of the Middle East, in the path of Iran, lies a proud pro-American democracy, my country, the State of Israel.”
A few blocks from the Capitol, protesters mobilized around calls for Netanyahu to be arrested for alleged war crimes. After his speech, a group of protesters clashed with police as they lowered US flags outside Union Station and raised a Palestinian flag.
Wednesday’s speech marked the culmination of a months-long debate on Capitol Hill over Netanyahu’s leadership, especially after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
Although members of both parties are virtually united in supporting Israel’s right to self-defense, many Democrats have openly condemned Netanyahu’s aggressive military response in Gaza, which has created a humanitarian crisis, and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank in violation of the international right.
In March, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish lawmaker in U.S. history, gave an explosive speech on the House floor criticizing Netanyahu’s leadership as an obstacle to peace and calling for new elections in Israel to replace him.
Schumer’s extraordinary action prompted House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) within days to draft an invitation for Netanyahu to speak to Congress. The letter was ultimately endorsed by Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.), but those signatures came weeks after they received the draft.
The delay reflected deep divisions within the Democratic Party, pitting pro-Israel Democrats, who support Netanyahu’s aggressive military strategy, against lawmakers more sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians, who accuse Netanyahu of doing too little to protect civilian lives.
Biden is pushing for a phased ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas as the best way to protect hostages and negotiate the creation of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu’s critics see him as an obstacle to signing the deal, although a point of contention is Hamas’s insistence on its own inclusion in the strip’s post-war government, which the US also opposes.
Netanyahu gave a brief nod to the talks, saying: “As we speak, we are engaged in intensive efforts to secure his release. I am confident that some of these efforts can succeed, some of them are occurring right now.”
But it followed with a call for a “demilitarized and deradicalized” Gaza Strip, governed by a Palestinian civilian administration.
“The war could end tomorrow if Hamas disarms, surrenders, disarms and returns all hostages. But if they don’t, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, end their hold on Gaza and bring all our hostages home,” Netanyahu said.
“That’s what total victory means and we won’t settle for anything less.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
