Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called on the US Congress, meeting in joint session, to unconditionally support the Gaza war, including more weapons, and warned of the threat that Iran represents to the security of Israel, the region and the world. It was the first time that the Israeli head of government had addressed Congress since October 7, but his speech was marked by the absence of dozens of Democratic legislators who disapprove of the high cost in lives of his all-out war in Gaza, as well as by the protests around the Capitol, with around 5,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Protests that, the Israeli head of government said, are “financed and promoted” by Iran; protesters whom he dismissed as “useful idiots of Iran.”
“The US and Israel must be united, because when we are united, we win and they lose. And I assure you of one thing: we will win,” he said emphatically to applause about what he called “a fight between barbarism and civilization.” “This is not a conflict of civilizations, it is a fight between barbarism and civilization.” [de Hamás] and civilization,” he stressed, comparing the attack by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on October 7 to “twenty 9/11s in a single day,” given Israel’s size and population.
Netanyahu began his speech on an emotional note, with an account of what happened that day, the music festival interrupted by the irruption of armed Palestinians and the kidnapping of hundreds of Israelis. He immediately demanded the release of the hostages, in a message clearly intended to silence the criticism of the relatives of those still being held, some of whom were present in the guest gallery. “I will not rest until I bring all the hostages back to their homes, all of them,” he stressed. “As I speak, we remain committed to ensuring their release. I want to thank President Biden for his efforts to achieve this. He came to Israel to be with us in the darkest hours, we will never forget that,” he said, referring to the Democrat’s visit in the first days of the war. Netanyahu called the Democrat, whom he frequently quoted, “a proud Irish-American Zionist,” despite having recently harshly criticized him for blocking the shipment of 3,500 heavy bombs. “Give us the tools faster and we will finish the job faster,” he urged, to reinforce his determination to finish off Hamas.
Although media such as the portal Axios When Netanyahu was reported to be presenting a plan for the day after the war in Gaza, he merely outlined what he called his “vision” for the future of the enclave, which he said he had no plans to occupy (he only proposed the establishment of a demilitarized zone, under Palestinian civilian control but surrounded by an Israeli fence). He did so briefly, after turning all his rhetorical artillery against Iran. “Iran is financing and promoting protests against Israel here in the US… Also the protests that are taking place at the gates of this building (…) These protests shouting “From the river to the sea” [del río Jordán al Mediterráneo, una supuesta alusión a la expulsión de los judíos de Palestina]in which many have no idea what they are talking about, neither Geography nor History,” he angrily denounced. He also addressed, ridiculing it, the mobilization of campuses this spring to warn of the rise of anti-Semitism, which he described as an absolute evil. “It depends on the context,” said the Harvard chancellor. [al ser preguntada sobre si los mensajes antisemitas en los campus eran punibles] “Context? What context?” he bellowed.
“Iran is virtually behind all terrorism in the world. When Israel fights Hamas, it is fighting Iran; when it fights Hezbollah, it is fighting Iran. [en Líbano]fight Iran (…) We are not just protecting ourselves, we are protecting you. Our enemies are your enemies and our victory will be yours. Israel will do everything in its power to restore security and return all [los rehenes] to your house.”
His speech was hardly proactive —apart from the brushstrokes about the Gaza that he wants, a “deradicalized” Gaza— and above all, defensive, to defend his leadership: he rejected criticism of Israel for not allowing the passage of humanitarian aid to the Strip, assuring the opposite, that it has allowed access to tons of food and material, so he blamed the humanitarian crisis on the Hamas authorities, in power in Gaza, for reasons of political survival. “Every civilian death is a crime, and every … [palestina] “It is a tragedy, but for Hamas, it is strategy,” he said. He therefore reiterated his gratitude to the US “for supporting Israel, which is supporting the truth.”
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Division in the ranks of the Democrats
In the background of his visit to the United States, overshadowed by the political earthquake of the Democratic succession, Netanyahu will meet on Thursday with President Joe Biden and, separately, with the vice president and presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, who did not attend the session because she was at a rally in Indianapolis. His absence, described as disloyalty to an ally by some Republicans, does not imply any change in his position on Israel, according to his campaign.
In addition to Harris, at least 50 Democratic lawmakers, according to CNN, not only representatives of the progressive faction, but also moderates and centrists, have declined to attend the solemn session, including heavyweights such as Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emeritus of the House. Senator Bernie Sanders stressed that the invitation to Netanyahu, issued personally by the Speaker of the House, Republican Mike Johnson, at the height of the student protests against the war, was “a disgrace” and called the Israeli a “war criminal,” the definition used by his fellow Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Even the pro tempore president of the Senate, Democrat Patty Murray, who theoretically should have co-chaired the session, did not attend, saying that she expected Netanyahu to explain “how he plans to guarantee a ceasefire and a lasting peace in the region.” The tension inside the House was such that Johnson threatened to arrest anyone who caused disturbances in the chamber or in the gallery. The absences confirm the deep division that the Gaza conflict has caused in the Democratic ranks.
As the death toll in Gaza rises to almost 40,000 and the number of wounded to 90,000, according to official Gazan sources, Netanyahu’s visit not only comes in the midst of an unforeseen crisis, following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, with whom the Israeli head of government will meet on Friday, and Biden’s withdrawal; it also comes in the face of the frustration of the Democratic administration over its resistance to a ceasefire and the high cost in civilian victims of the war. In addition to the speech, hopes for progress on the agreement, brokered months ago by the United States, to end the war were also at stake in meetings with officials of the Biden administration. The consensus reached on Tuesday in Beijing by fifteen conflicting Palestinian groups, including Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, adds pressure to Netanyahu, whom relatives of the hostages accuse of subordinating the need for a ceasefire to his intention to stay in power.
Netanyahu’s speech to Congress should have had a strong symbolic effect, projecting power. Increasingly criticized at home, it gave him the opportunity to present himself as a global statesman before the representatives of Israel’s closest ally: that was his purpose when he received the invitation. His speech could have been a convenient boost to his image to silence criticism of his handling of the war both at home and in the US. No international conflict has shaken the US as much as the one in Gaza, as demonstrated by the deep fracture in the base of the Democratic Party and the growing frustration of President Biden, personally irritated with Netanyahu over the failure of his attempts to bring about a ceasefire. At the last minute, moreover, the turbulence in the US election campaign has contributed to further obscuring Netanyahu’s intention to shine from the rostrum of Congress.
The Capitol, the seat of Congress, was practically taken by storm on Wednesday morning by an impressive deployment of security forces in anticipation of incidents between some of the opposing protests for and against the visit: groups calling for the return of the hostages held by Hamas; signs demanding that Netanyahu close the elusive ceasefire agreement; and around 5,000 pro-Palestinian protesters, wearing kufiyas, the Palestinian headscarves, who accused him of genocide and war crimes. All access to Capitol Hill was closed to traffic, with high steel barriers. After a sit-in in one of the House office buildings under the slogan “Not in our name,” more than 200 protesters called by the progressive group Jewish Voice for Peace were arrested, according to the Capitol police. Johnson had warned of a “zero tolerance policy” for any sign of unrest.
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