Dem
51
GOP
49
Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a badly divided Congress yesterday. About 80 liberal Democrats did not attend, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). President of the Senate Kamala Harris did not preside over the joint session, citing a "scheduling conflict," even though the date of Netanyahu's speech has been known for weeks. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) went further. He said: "Benjamin Netanyahu is the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2,100 years ago." Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) did not shake Netanyahu's hand when he entered the chamber. Several Democratic senators also skipped the speech.
The speech was as much aimed at Israelis as at the members of Congress or the American public. This is why it was set for 2 p.m., which is 9 p.m. in Israel. Netanyahu described the war in Gaza in almost Biblical terms, as a battle between good and evil, between civilization and barbarism. It was a fiery speech with lots of drama. He is a very good speaker.
The PM also was clever enough to lavish praise on both Joe Biden and Donald Trump. He tried to make it clear that the war was also America's war. He said, "Our enemies are your enemies. Our fight is your fight. And our victory will be your victory." Republicans gave him raucous standing ovations multiple times. Natanyahu wore a lapel pin with crossed American and Israeli flags (to show that America's interests and Israel's interests are the same):
In his speech, Netanyahu described what happened on Oct. 7 in graphic detail. He said that 3,000 Hamas barbaric terrorists stormed into Israel, raped women, and burned babies alive.
Netanyahu knows that Biden wants a cease fire, so he offered a proposal. If Hamas disarms, surrenders, and returns all the hostages, the war would end immediately. Needless to say, Hamas has no interest in doing that, since that would end all of its leverage. He also wants a security alliance with Saudi Arabia and some other Arab countries. They want it too, but they can't proceed as long as the war in Gaza continues. But if Netanyahu were to tell the Israeli Army to stop fighting without the other side conceding anything, his government would fall and there would total chaos. Also, Hamas would interpret that as weakness, and in that part of the world, the weak are eaten.
Experts said that for decades, support of Israel has been bipartisan. If that support erodes and support of Israel becomes just another partisan issue, that would change the nature of the U.S.-Israeli relationship for the worse. Netanyahu sort of tried to avoid being openly partisan, but given the different views of the Republicans and some Democrats, there is no real bipartisan position.
Outside, an estimated 5,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested his speech, called Netanyahu a war criminal, and demanded that the U.S. stop sending arms to Israel. Netanyahu did not help his "bipartisan" case by saying that the protesters are standing with Hamas, standing with rapists and terrorists. He called them Tehran's useful idiots. That was probably for domestic consumption in Israel, but won't go over well in the U.S.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, held up a sign reading "WAR CRIMINAL" on one side and "GUILTY OF GENOCIDE" on the other. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) went over and sat next to her and had a brief interaction with her. Rep Steny Hoyer (D-MD), a former House majority leader, called the sign "unfortunate."
Biden and Netanyahu will meet at the White House today. Netanyahu is expected to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, possibly Friday.