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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forcefully defended Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza during a joint address to the US Congress on Wednesday afternoon.
“Our enemies are your enemies. Our fight is your fight. And our victory will be your victory,” Netanyahu said. “That victory is in sight.”
“No matter how long it takes,” he said, “Israel will not relent, Israel will not bend.”
Netanyahu thanked US President Joe Biden for supporting Israel and urged the US to speed up weapons deliveries, suggesting again that the administration is dragging its feet on military assistance (something the White House has denied). “Give us the tools faster and we’ll finish the job faster,” Netanyahu said, invoking a quote from Winston Churchill.
The Israeli leader also sharply criticized protesters demonstrating against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, accusing them of siding with Hamas. “They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers,” he said. “They should be ashamed of themselves.” At one point, Netanyahu called the protesters “Iran’s useful idiots.”
Scores of Democratic lawmakers boycotted the address, angered by Netanyahu’s campaign in Gaza and failure to embrace a ceasefire. Those included prominent Democrats like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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Netanyahu repeatedly mentioned former President Donald Trump during the address, thanking him for brokering the Abraham Accords and decrying the assassination attempt against him at a rally earlier this month. “There is no room for political violence in democracy,” said Netanyahu, who is due to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday following a meeting with Biden.
Democrats who did attend the speech included House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries; House Minority Whip Katherine Clark; House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar; Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and Reps. Dean Phillips, Jared Moscowitz, Jamie Raskin, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jerrold Nadler, and Richie Neal.
Several Democratic senators also attended, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Amy Klobuchar, Gart Peters, Sherrod Brown, Michael Bennett, Bob Casey, Chris Coons, John Fetterman, and Mark Kelly — a rumored potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who said before the speech that Netanyahu is a “war criminal committing genocide against the Palestinian people” who should be “arrested and sent to the International Criminal Court,” sat in the chamber for the speech. She remained seated throughout the address and at points held up a sign that read “guilty of genocide” and “war criminal.”
Some other attendees wore bright yellow t-shirts that read “seal the deal now” — a call for Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. They were arrested.
Throngs of pro-Palestinian protesters were positioned on Capitol Hill in anticipation of the address, and extra police officers were on hand for the visit to boost security. The US Capitol Police said they would deploy pepper spray against members of the crowd becoming violent near the Capitol.