Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to make the case to Congress and the American people on Wednesday that Israel should be free to defeat Hamas and Iran without any constraints imposed by the Biden administration.
(update: Netanyahu’s office released photos of the prime minister on Monday as he departed for the U.S. One photo shows him reflecting on the speech at a table near a blue-and-white hat that reads “Total Victory.”
Sara and Benjamin Netanyahu review a draft speech to parliament on their way to the United States, July 22, 2024 (Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO)
Netanyahu will address his fourth special joint session of Parliament, but his second amid ongoing serious disagreements with the Democratic government over whether to confront or appease Iran and terrorism.
In 2015, Netanyahu was invited to speak before the Republican-led Congress to argue against then-President Barack Obama’s proposed nuclear deal with Iran, a speech that infuriated Democrats but foreshadowed Iran’s intentions.
Nearly a decade later, Prime Minister Netanyahu will insist that Israel must be allowed to destroy Hamas and confront the threat from Iran and its terrorist proxies before there is any talk of a Palestinian state or a new settlement with Iran.
The background to this is President Joe Biden’s lukewarm support for Israel, who visited Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, but has at times criticized Israel and called for the establishment of a Palestinian state as a result of war.
More significantly, Biden has overtly and covertly withheld various weapons from Israel and directed it to refrain from certain military operations, such as attacks on Hamas in Rafah, which Israel has at times failed to comply with.
The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Israel in response to pressure from pro-Palestinian groups, and the president has also backed calls through protests in the Israeli streets to force new elections and oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The White House has warned Netanyahu against taking a confrontational stance in his speech, and he is under pressure at home to press the United States not only for arms but also to reach a hostage release deal with Hamas.
Netanyahu is therefore likely to act diplomatically, praising and thanking the Biden administration and Congress for their provision of arms, foreign aid and moral support, and will likely keep his criticisms to a minimum and emphasize shared interests.
But Biden’s abrupt withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race has brought a new dimension to U.S.-Israeli relations. Netanyahu had worked well with President Donald Trump before they fell out after he congratulated Biden.
With relations improving, Netanyahu may be hoping to carve out a path for cooperation with Trump without alienating Biden’s nominee to succeed him, Vice President Kamala Harris, who has appeased anti-Israel activists.
Netanyahu will also have to deal with anti-Israel sentiment among Democrats, many of whom are likely to boycott the speech, and growing skepticism about foreign aid among a small but vocal minority on the American right.
So President Trump will need to address Congress and navigate the maze of shifting party and cross-party relationships while aiming to reach a broader audience and make a direct case to the American people for the need for the alliance.
He will draw on a rare skill set: Unlike other leaders, particularly Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is close to the elite, Netanyahu understands and respects ordinary Americans, and is liked and respected in return.
His mission is to frame the challenge of fighting terrorism as a broader struggle to reclaim Western civilization from its enemies, particularly Iran, and to strengthen the West against rising rival powers in a multipolar world.
He will be able to strike a chord with people by emphasizing not only the shared values of democracy and freedom, but also the shared aspirations of Americans and Israelis to be free peoples with a connection to their land and traditions that is deeper than words alone can express.
update: “Regardless of who the American people choose as their next president, Israel will remain America’s essential and strongest ally in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said in a statement before leaving Israel.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
