Netanyahu Delivers a Forceful Defense of Israel to Applause in Congress
NYT
By Annie Karni and David E. Sanger
July 24, 2024 - Updated 7:41 p.m. ET
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Wednesday turned an address to Congress into a forceful defense of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. He cast it as a battle for survival of the Jewish state while making almost no mention of the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed in its drive to destroy Hamas.
The address laid bare deep divisions in Washington over the nine-month war, whose toll on civilians has outraged many Democrats and drawn international condemnation. Dozens of Democrats did not show up, with some openly boycotting the speech.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s presumptive presidential nominee who was campaigning in the Midwest, declined to preside in her capacity as president of the Senate alongside Speaker Mike Johnson, a break with tradition.
Outside the Capitol, pepper spray filled the air as police officers tried to push back thousands of protesters who had gathered to jeer Mr. Netanyahu. Demonstrators held signs calling him a war criminal, burned an effigy of him and an American flag and vandalized statues with anti-Israel slogans including “Hamas is coming.”
In a speech in which he condemned critics of the war as dupes aligning themselves with the world’s most dangerous actors or apologists for terrorists, Mr. Netanyahu portrayed the conflict as a proxy fight with Iran that must be won at all costs to protect both Israel and the United States.
“When we fight Iran, we are fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States,” he said.
“We’re not only protecting ourselves; we’re protecting you,” he added, emphasizing the alliance that has existed since Israel’s creation. He said nothing about the tensions in the relationship that have flared as Israel has used American weapons in attacks that have led, by the count of Gazan authorities, to 39,000 deaths.
The fact of Mr. Netanyahu’s speech was almost as notable as anything he said. In the face of increasing international censure and dissent both in Israel and in the United States, Mr. Netanyahu was seeking to use Congress to lift his sagging political fortunes. Leaders in both parties obliged with a bipartisan invitation to receive him.
But in the House chamber as he spoke, there was clear evidence of how the longstanding bipartisan consensus to back Israel has eroded in Congress since the offensive in Gaza that followed the Oct. 7 attack that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis.
The substantial number of Democratic no-shows included two top senators and Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker, who later panned the speech as “by far the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States.” In a social media post, she said Mr. Netanyahu should be spending his time working for a cease-fire deal that would bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
And as Mr. Netanyahu spoke, Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan and the first Palestinian American member of Congress, brandished a sign that read “war criminal” on one side and “guilty of genocide” on the other.
As more than 5,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators massed on streets near the Capitol, Mr. Netanyahu dismissed those who have built encampments on college campuses around the country as “Tehran’s useful idiots.”
That line brought him huge applause, though the standing ovations Mr. Netanyahu received were mostly partisan, as Republicans clapped loudly and Democrats hung back, some sitting silently and stone-faced. The speech appeared to be aimed at an Israeli audience to demonstrate that his leadership is critical for the state’s well-being, and that Mr. Netanyahu alone can serve as Israel’s protector.
The prime minister said nothing about the intelligence his country had collected ahead of the Oct. 7 attack that warned a brutal terror strike was brewing. He called out the military heroes of that day, but made no mention of the slow response of the Israeli defense forces.
He did, however, hint at some flexibility in negotiations for a cease-fire and prisoner-release deal, just days after Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said those talks were at “the 10-yard line.” He stopped short of saying Hamas had to be destroyed, a line he has used in the past to slow talk of such an agreement.
Mr. Netanyahu’s remarks came as the depth of the partisan split over his leadership has alarmed many lawmakers and analysts who warn it could do lasting damage to Israel.
“The one adhesive that has maintained the resilience of the relationship is bipartisanship,” said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator and adviser in Republican and Democratic administrations. “That is under extreme stress.”
He added: “If you have a Republican view and two or three Democratic views about what it means to be pro-Israel, the nature of the relationship is going to change.”
Mr. Netanyahu appeared aware of those politics in trying to strike a bipartisan tone.
He emphasized that Israel is a strategic asset and deserves America’s support, praising both President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump. He did not mention Ms. Harris, whom he is set to meet on Thursday.
“He came to Israel to be with us in our darkest hour,” Mr. Netanyahu said of Mr. Biden’s visit to Israel shortly after the Oct. 7 attack, thanking him for being a self-proclaimed “proud Irish American Zionist.”
Since that visit, the relationship between the two men has turned poisonous at moments, culminating in Mr. Biden’s decision to withhold 2,000-pound bombs from Israel, for fear Mr. Netanyahu would use them in crowded cities.
Even as he thanked the United States effusively for supporting Israel, Mr. Netanyahu gently hinted at his suspicion that the Biden administration is slowing arms shipments for leverage, saying: “Give us the tools faster, and we’ll finish the job faster.”
The prime minister tried to remind Congress of the attack that began the war, graphically describing what happened on Oct. 7, when 3,000 Hamas attackers stormed into Israel, killing and kidnapping civilians. “They burned babies alive,” he said.
And he placed the war in the context of the struggles of Jews throughout history, including the Holocaust. “After Oct. 7, ‘Never Again’ is now,” he said, emphasizing the historical right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel.
In a nod to the deep political divisions the war has sown in the United States, Mr. Netanyahu condemned Americans who have protested his tactics — including large swaths of the Democratic Party — equating criticism of his conduct of the war with sympathy for terrorists.
“Many choose to stand with evil, they stand with Hamas, they stand with rapists and murderers,” Mr. Netanyahu said of pro-Palestinian protesters. “They should be ashamed of themselves.”
“For all we know, Iran is funding the anti-Israel protests that are going on right now, outside this building,” he added. He did not cite evidence for that assertion, although U.S. intelligence officials have warned of Iranian attempts to influence protests.
Senator Ben Cardin, the Maryland Democrat who presided over the joint meeting after others in his party declined, said later that while he had mostly been encouraged by Mr. Netanyahu’s address, his castigation of the protesters was concerning.
“I’m not a big fan of a lot of the protesters, but they have a right to protest as long as they don’t interfere with someone else’s rights,” Mr. Cardin, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview. “I thought the prime minister’s comments about them — characterizing them all in a certain way — was not as I would have liked to have seen.”
Mr. Netanyahu’s visit was fraught for Democrats, some of whom wanted to show support for the state of Israel while at the same time criticizing its current leader. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader who has harshly criticized Mr. Netanyahu, did not shake hands with him when he entered the chamber.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2,100 years ago,” Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, said in a statement ahead of the speech. Still, he sat in the chamber, and rose to applaud Mr. Netanyahu throughout his address.
Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of J Street, a liberal pro-Israel advocacy group, criticized the speech for failing to offer “an actual plan for ending the war and bringing real security and peace to the region.” In a statement, he added: “His empty calls for ‘total victory’ are simply an illusion, as there is no military solution to the underlying conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, who in the past has signaled he is open to placing conditions on aid to Israel, said in a post online that, “the speech was, as I expected, a setback for both the U.S.-Israel relationship and the fight against Hamas.”
A few Republicans also did not attend.
Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Mr. Trump’s running mate, was campaigning. And Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, said that he would not attend an event he considered “political theater.” In a social media post, Mr. Massie said, “the purpose of having Netanyahu address Congress is to bolster his political standing in Israel.”
By Annie Karni and David E. Sanger
July 24, 2024 - Updated 7:41 p.m. ET
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Wednesday turned an address to Congress into a forceful defense of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. He cast it as a battle for survival of the Jewish state while making almost no mention of the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed in its drive to destroy Hamas.
The address laid bare deep divisions in Washington over the nine-month war, whose toll on civilians has outraged many Democrats and drawn international condemnation. Dozens of Democrats did not show up, with some openly boycotting the speech.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s presumptive presidential nominee who was campaigning in the Midwest, declined to preside in her capacity as president of the Senate alongside Speaker Mike Johnson, a break with tradition.
Outside the Capitol, pepper spray filled the air as police officers tried to push back thousands of protesters who had gathered to jeer Mr. Netanyahu. Demonstrators held signs calling him a war criminal, burned an effigy of him and an American flag and vandalized statues with anti-Israel slogans including “Hamas is coming.”
In a speech in which he condemned critics of the war as dupes aligning themselves with the world’s most dangerous actors or apologists for terrorists, Mr. Netanyahu portrayed the conflict as a proxy fight with Iran that must be won at all costs to protect both Israel and the United States.
“When we fight Iran, we are fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States,” he said.
“We’re not only protecting ourselves; we’re protecting you,” he added, emphasizing the alliance that has existed since Israel’s creation. He said nothing about the tensions in the relationship that have flared as Israel has used American weapons in attacks that have led, by the count of Gazan authorities, to 39,000 deaths.
The fact of Mr. Netanyahu’s speech was almost as notable as anything he said. In the face of increasing international censure and dissent both in Israel and in the United States, Mr. Netanyahu was seeking to use Congress to lift his sagging political fortunes. Leaders in both parties obliged with a bipartisan invitation to receive him.
But in the House chamber as he spoke, there was clear evidence of how the longstanding bipartisan consensus to back Israel has eroded in Congress since the offensive in Gaza that followed the Oct. 7 attack that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis.
The substantial number of Democratic no-shows included two top senators and Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker, who later panned the speech as “by far the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States.” In a social media post, she said Mr. Netanyahu should be spending his time working for a cease-fire deal that would bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
And as Mr. Netanyahu spoke, Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan and the first Palestinian American member of Congress, brandished a sign that read “war criminal” on one side and “guilty of genocide” on the other.
As more than 5,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators massed on streets near the Capitol, Mr. Netanyahu dismissed those who have built encampments on college campuses around the country as “Tehran’s useful idiots.”
That line brought him huge applause, though the standing ovations Mr. Netanyahu received were mostly partisan, as Republicans clapped loudly and Democrats hung back, some sitting silently and stone-faced. The speech appeared to be aimed at an Israeli audience to demonstrate that his leadership is critical for the state’s well-being, and that Mr. Netanyahu alone can serve as Israel’s protector.
The prime minister said nothing about the intelligence his country had collected ahead of the Oct. 7 attack that warned a brutal terror strike was brewing. He called out the military heroes of that day, but made no mention of the slow response of the Israeli defense forces.
He did, however, hint at some flexibility in negotiations for a cease-fire and prisoner-release deal, just days after Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said those talks were at “the 10-yard line.” He stopped short of saying Hamas had to be destroyed, a line he has used in the past to slow talk of such an agreement.
Mr. Netanyahu’s remarks came as the depth of the partisan split over his leadership has alarmed many lawmakers and analysts who warn it could do lasting damage to Israel.
“The one adhesive that has maintained the resilience of the relationship is bipartisanship,” said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator and adviser in Republican and Democratic administrations. “That is under extreme stress.”
He added: “If you have a Republican view and two or three Democratic views about what it means to be pro-Israel, the nature of the relationship is going to change.”
Mr. Netanyahu appeared aware of those politics in trying to strike a bipartisan tone.
He emphasized that Israel is a strategic asset and deserves America’s support, praising both President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump. He did not mention Ms. Harris, whom he is set to meet on Thursday.
“He came to Israel to be with us in our darkest hour,” Mr. Netanyahu said of Mr. Biden’s visit to Israel shortly after the Oct. 7 attack, thanking him for being a self-proclaimed “proud Irish American Zionist.”
Since that visit, the relationship between the two men has turned poisonous at moments, culminating in Mr. Biden’s decision to withhold 2,000-pound bombs from Israel, for fear Mr. Netanyahu would use them in crowded cities.
Even as he thanked the United States effusively for supporting Israel, Mr. Netanyahu gently hinted at his suspicion that the Biden administration is slowing arms shipments for leverage, saying: “Give us the tools faster, and we’ll finish the job faster.”
The prime minister tried to remind Congress of the attack that began the war, graphically describing what happened on Oct. 7, when 3,000 Hamas attackers stormed into Israel, killing and kidnapping civilians. “They burned babies alive,” he said.
And he placed the war in the context of the struggles of Jews throughout history, including the Holocaust. “After Oct. 7, ‘Never Again’ is now,” he said, emphasizing the historical right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel.
In a nod to the deep political divisions the war has sown in the United States, Mr. Netanyahu condemned Americans who have protested his tactics — including large swaths of the Democratic Party — equating criticism of his conduct of the war with sympathy for terrorists.
“Many choose to stand with evil, they stand with Hamas, they stand with rapists and murderers,” Mr. Netanyahu said of pro-Palestinian protesters. “They should be ashamed of themselves.”
“For all we know, Iran is funding the anti-Israel protests that are going on right now, outside this building,” he added. He did not cite evidence for that assertion, although U.S. intelligence officials have warned of Iranian attempts to influence protests.
Senator Ben Cardin, the Maryland Democrat who presided over the joint meeting after others in his party declined, said later that while he had mostly been encouraged by Mr. Netanyahu’s address, his castigation of the protesters was concerning.
“I’m not a big fan of a lot of the protesters, but they have a right to protest as long as they don’t interfere with someone else’s rights,” Mr. Cardin, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview. “I thought the prime minister’s comments about them — characterizing them all in a certain way — was not as I would have liked to have seen.”
Mr. Netanyahu’s visit was fraught for Democrats, some of whom wanted to show support for the state of Israel while at the same time criticizing its current leader. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader who has harshly criticized Mr. Netanyahu, did not shake hands with him when he entered the chamber.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2,100 years ago,” Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, said in a statement ahead of the speech. Still, he sat in the chamber, and rose to applaud Mr. Netanyahu throughout his address.
Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of J Street, a liberal pro-Israel advocacy group, criticized the speech for failing to offer “an actual plan for ending the war and bringing real security and peace to the region.” In a statement, he added: “His empty calls for ‘total victory’ are simply an illusion, as there is no military solution to the underlying conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, who in the past has signaled he is open to placing conditions on aid to Israel, said in a post online that, “the speech was, as I expected, a setback for both the U.S.-Israel relationship and the fight against Hamas.”
A few Republicans also did not attend.
Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Mr. Trump’s running mate, was campaigning. And Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, said that he would not attend an event he considered “political theater.” In a social media post, Mr. Massie said, “the purpose of having Netanyahu address Congress is to bolster his political standing in Israel.”
