Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech before a joint U.S. Congress session on Wednesday, urging for unity and a commitment toward defeating common enemies.
Israel has been in a grueling war with Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, the day when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed approximately 1,200 people. During his remarks, Netanyahu called for an ironclad U.S.-Israel relationship and condemned the threat posed against the West by countries like Iran, the world’s largest state-sponsor of terrorism.
“The speech was Churchillian in its rhetoric and smart in how [Netanyahu] tried to appeal to both Democrats and Republicans, Presidents Trump and Biden,” Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“I think it was a very bipartisan speech. He thanked President Biden, he thanked former President Trump, and that was very important for him to do. And I think it really made the people who the lawmakers who boycotted the speech look foolish,” Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told the DCNF. “At the end of the day, the speech was about fighting to preserve and strengthen U.S. interests and Israeli interests. And if they’re not interested in hearing about that, what kind of message does that send to the American people — and also the Israeli people?”
Netanyahu spoke of the decades-long U.S.-Israeli relationship during his remarks and the importance of maintaining strong ties as the Middle East continues to devolve into chaos, given the threat posed by Hamas and other terrorist actors in the region, all supported, orchestrated and funded by Iran. Netanyahu also urged Congress to recognize the threat posed by Iran and called for Western unity around containing Tehran to ensure it cannot continue its hostilities.
“Our world is in upheaval,” Netanyahu told Congress. “In the Middle East, Iran’s axis of terror confronts America, Israel and our Arab friends. This is not a clash of civilizations. It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization. It’s a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life. For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together.”
“For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together,” Netanyahu said. “Because when we stand together, something very simple happens: We win, they lose.”
Netanyahu spoke of the Israeli government’s gratitude toward the U.S. for its ongoing support in the Israeli-Hamas war and how both Biden and Trump have played key leadership roles in providing security to the Middle East. As for the hostages in Gaza — of which there are over 100, including five Americans, according to The Wall Street Journal — Netanyahu said that Israel would not stop until they were freed.
“Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and its role in Gaza and bring all our hostages home. That’s what total victory means. And we will settle for nothing less,” Netanyahu continued.
On the pro-Palestinian protests — which have consumed the nation since Oct. 7 and sometimes turned into violent or antisemitic displays — Netanyahu condemned the protesters as ignorant.
The U.S. Capitol and surrounding areas in Washington, D.C., were flooded by pro-Palestinian protesters on Wednesday in response to Netanyahu’s visit, some of whom got into physical confrontations with law enforcement.
“Mobs of genocidal antisemites spewing hatred on the streets of America’s capital today,” Victoria Coates, senior defense executive at the Heritage Foundation and former White House national security advisor, said in a statement on Wednesday. “This is not just an Israeli issue. It’s an American issue.”
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