As fighting continues in the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday delivered his first formal address to the U.S. Congress in nearly a decade.
As expected, Prime Minister Netanyahu focused on the strong and enduring alliance between the United States and Israel, and likened the October 7 attack on Israel to the two major foreign attacks on the United States in the past 85 years: Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks.
“Like Dec. 7, 1941, and Sept. 11, 2001, Oct. 7 will forever be remembered as a date that will live in infamy,” he said.
He then told U.S. lawmakers that assistance In the war against Hamas, he said, “For the forces of civilization to prevail, America and Israel must unite. If we unite, something really simple will happen: we win and they lose.”
“The sooner you give us the tools, the sooner we can get the job done.”
“Protesters are shouting ‘from the river to the sea’ but they have little idea which river or which sea they are referring to.”
During his speech, the prime minister also addressed the violent pro-Hamas protests that began outside the Capitol and have erupted on college campuses across the United States over the past year. Mentioned He called the protesters “Iran’s useful idiots” and suggested they were supporting the brutal regime.
“In the Middle East, an Iranian terrorist axis faces off against the United States, Israel and our Arab friends. This is not a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between barbarism and civilization. It is a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life,” he argued.
Netanyahu also argued that pro-Hamas protesters often do not even know the nature or history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “When they shout ‘From the river to the sea’, they barely know which river or which sea they are referring to,” he said.
“Some of the protesters are holding signs saying ‘Gays to Gaza’ but that’s the same as holding signs saying ‘Chicken to KFC’,” he joked.
Despite Netanyahu’s public statements of solidarity with the US, support for Israel and its actions has been waning in the US in recent months. As of early May, nearly 40% of survey respondents ABC News Ipsos Poll He said the US was doing too much for Israel.
Some people support the Palestinian cause, and others think America should focus on the Palestinian issue. Domestic Issues Rather than trying to intervene in foreign conflicts.
Congressional members are also divided on the issue, with between 40 and 60 of them mostly Democrats. Congressional Leadership Several members of Congress, including Reps. Nancy Pelosi of California, James Clyburn of South Carolina, Pramila Jayapal of Washington state and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, boycotted Netanyahu’s speech.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, an outspoken critic of Israel, also attended the speech and frequently carried signs calling Netanyahu a “genocidal war criminal.” Fellow Squad member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made similar comments about the prime minister.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who normally presides over such speeches, did not attend the speech, citing scheduling conflicts, nor was she there to greet Netanyahu and his wife at the airport when they arrived in the U.S. on Monday. Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee in 2024, is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu sometime on Thursday, as is President Joe Biden.
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet later on Friday with former President Donald Trump. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), who was recently selected as Trump’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election, did not attend Netanyahu’s speech because he was on the campaign trail.
Wednesday marked Netanyahu’s fourth address to Knesset, the most ever by a foreign leader and the first since 2015. He attended at the joint invitation of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York).
“While I disagree with many of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s policies, I will be speaking because the U.S.-Israeli relationship remains strong and transcends any prime minister or president. We must do everything in our power to bring the hostages home,” Schumer said.
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