Despite fanatical pro-Hamas protesters who set off fire alarms all night in his hotel, left maggots in the conference room set aside for the Israelis, and tried to block all the roads on the way to the Capitol, the forces of evil did not prevail: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress on Wednesday afternoon as planned and did his best to shore up a U.S./Israel alliance that the Biden-Harris administration, in desperate pursuit of votes from Michigan, has done so much to damage.
The signs of that damage were unmistakable as Netanyahu entered the House chamber to an enthusiastic and prolonged standing ovation. Some of the House’s most notorious leftists boycotted the event, including Nancy Pelosi, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the lame duck Jamaal Bowman, Jamie Raskin, and Cori Bush. Rashida Tlaib was there, looking even more sour than usual and holding up a fan, on which was printed “War Criminal.”
For the most part, however, Netanyahu was warmly received. He was interrupted repeatedly for standing ovations as he declared that the Gaza war is “not a clash of civilizations – it’s a clash between barbarism and civilization.” The war, he said, was “a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life.” In one of many gentle but unmistakable ripostes to those in the Biden regime who want to destroy America’s alliance with Israel, he emphasized that “for the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together.”
Netanyahu took his audience through a brief but pointed recap of just how bad the Hamas jihad attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, really were, noting that in proportion to the populations of Israel and the U.S., Oct. 7 was like twenty 9/11s. He introduced the rescued Israeli hostage Noa Argamani, who was in the galleries (seated not far from Elon Musk), and struck a conciliatory tone, ignoring all the ways that the Biden administration has betrayed Israel while thanking Biden for his “tireless efforts on behalf of the hostages,” as well as his “heartfelt support for Israel.”
The Israeli prime minister also struck back at the false claim that Israel is an “apartheid” state, introducing a Bedouin Muslim soldier and pointing out that in the Israeli military, Muslim soldiers are fighting alongside their Jewish, Druze, and Christian comrades-in-arms for the defense of their country.
In the same vein, Netanyahu had strong words for the anti-Israel protesters who, he said, “stand with evil, stand with Hamas.” They should, he said to prolonged applause, “be ashamed of themselves.” Gays for Gaza, he said, were equivalent to Chickens for KFC. It was, of course, blazingly obvious, and only unusual in that no one of his stature had said it before.
To those who claim that Israel is a colonialist state, he emphasized the Jewish people’s 4,000-year connection to their homeland. Claims that Israel is racist and genocidal were, he stated, “outrageous slanders.” He also addressed the International Criminal Court’s accusation that Israel is starving the people of Gaza, calling it a “complete fabrication” and noting the fact that Hamas is stealing aid meant for the people of Gaza.
In response to ICC claims that the IDF is deliberately targeting civilians, Netanyahu pointed out the immense efforts that Israel makes to keep civilians out of harm’s way. He noted that Col. John Spencer of West Point, after extensive study of the situation on the ground in Gaza, stated that Israel has implanted more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history, and more than what international law requires.
The rate of civilian casualties is lowest, Netanyahu said, in Rafah. Practically no civilians have been killed in Rafah, he added, because Israel got the civilians out of harm’s way. In a subtle swipe at Kamala Harris, he recalled her words: “Some said, ‘If Israel enters Rafah, Palestinian civilians have nowhere to go.’ But guess what? We entered and took Rafah, and there was the lowest rate of civilian casualties in the entire Gaza!” Israeli soldiers, Netanyahu emphasized, should not be condemned but commended.
Above all, Netanyahu emphasized that what Israel is facing is a war that Iran is waging through its proxies and that the Islamic Republic has not just Israel in its sights, but also the U.S. He quoted a Hizballah official saying: “This is not a war with Israel. Israel is merely a tool. The main war, the real war, is with America.” Iran understands, Netanyahu continued, “that to truly conquer America, it must conquer the Middle East. Israel stands in the way. For Iran, Israel is first; America is next. We’re not only protecting ourselves, we’re protecting you. Our enemies are your enemies. Our fight is your fight. And our victory will be your victory. That victory is in sight. Israel’s defeat of Hamas will be a powerful blow to Iran’s axis of terror.”
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Netanyahu several times expressed his gratitude to Biden, but he also, without naming the apparent president, asked for an end to the administration’s slowdown in supplying weapons to Israel. “Fast-tracking U.S. military aid,” he said, “can dramatically expedite an end to the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader war in the Middle East.
Offering a vision for Gaza after the war, he called for the region’s “demilitarization and deradicalization,” likening his proposal to the treatment of Germany and Japan after World War II. “Following our victory,” Netanyahu said, “with the help of regional partners, the demilitarization and deradicalization of Gaza can also lead to a future of security, prosperity, and peace. That's my vision for Gaza.”
Netanyahu also offered a vision for “the broader Middle East”: “America and Israel today can forge a security alliance in the Middle East to counter the growing Iranian threat.” Thanking Donald Trump for the Abraham Accords, he suggested calling this the “Abraham Alliance.”
Could it happen? Well, this, like so much else, is riding on what happens in November. “I'm confident,” Netanyahu said, “that our two nations will vanquish the tyrants and terrorists who threaten us both.” His confidence is inspiring. If the tyrants and terrorists in Washington are defeated, his optimistic vision might have a chance to come to fruition.
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