Benjamin Netanyahu’s Congress Speech

By Mahvish Akhtar

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the U.S. on Monday at the invitation of
the speaker of the house. This was his first visit since the start of the war in Gaza. Netanyahu has
been losing favor with his people in Israel. They say that his not considering ceasefire deals is
hurting the safe return of the hostages. As the political climate is changing in the United States, it
made sense for the Israeli PM to come here and solidify his country’s position as a strong ally
before the elections.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an hour-long speech in the
U.S. Congress. As the Israeli PM spoke, his words were met with frequent applause. Some seats,
however, had complete silence from one side of the aisle.

Netanyahu said the U.S. has a shared interest in his country's fight against Hamas and other Iran-
backed armed groups. “America and Israel must stand together. “When we stand together,
something really simple happens: We win, they lose,” said Netanyahu.

He went on about Iran’s connection to Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. He also claimed that
all the pro-Palestinian protesters were pro-Hamas, and they were backed by Iran as well. He
called protesters “useful idiots” for Hamas and Iran.

Bibi insisted that Israel is fighting this war for the U.S.’s safety just as much as they are fighting
for their own country’s safety. He said that this was a fight between civilization and Barbarism.

He made it clear that the Middle East is a critical threat to Western civilization, and the only
civilized and democratic country, Israel, is there to protect the U.S. and other allies. So, we then
must protect Israel in return. It seemed like a combination of war-mongering and fear-
mongering, and he received standing ovations for spreading unverified information.
He also stated that there have been practically zero civilian casualties in Rafah. The Israeli leader
claimed that on his visit to Rafah, he asked a commander about civilian casualties, and the
commander told him that there were “practically none.” Even though Netanyahu knew this
information could be fact-checked and is fact-checked every second, he said it, and most
congress members accepted it as the truth.

He continued to accuse the protesters outside the building of supporting baby killers as he told
tall tales of dead and burned babies. Raped women and butchered families on October 7 th , which
have been debunked time and over again. He did not mention months of U.S.-led mediation for a
cease-fire and hostage release deal pending his approval, and nowhere in his speech did he use
words that would show eagerness to work on an agreement that would end the war and bring the
hostages home.

The visit and the speech were a polarizing event within the country and the political arena.
Dozens of Democrats boycotted the speech; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer attended
but made his feelings known that he disagreed with Bibi’s actions in Gaza. Rep. Nancy Pelosi,
Sen. Burnie Sanders, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, and Rep. Maxwell Frost, the youngest
member of Congress, are some of the many who boycotted the speech. Others, such as Kamala
Harris, didn’t show up but said that a “long-schedules trip” kept her from attending. Similarly,
Sen. JD Vance explained that he was on the campaign trail so that he couldn’t make it to the
speech.

After meeting with President Biden on Thursday, while still in the White House, Benjamin
Netanyahu said to the POTUS in front of reporters, “From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud

Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for the 50 years of public service and 50 years of
support for the state of Israel.” Biden welcomed the comment, and the Israeli leader was
reassured that the US is committed to supporting them.

A senior US administration official said that negotiations on a Gaza deal were in the “closing
stages” and that Biden would try to close some “final gaps” with Netanyahu. According to a
document provided by the White House, Biden has warned the Israeli government to remove
obstacles in the flow of aid and “close the gaps” to reach a ceasefire. During his speech,
Netanyahu claimed that the Israeli government was letting in enough aid for every person in
Gaza. It's Hamas that doesn’t want their people to get the food, he says; it's Hamas that wants to
starve their people.

According to Vice President Kamala Harris’s aid, the meeting on Thursday between Prime
Minister Netanyahu and Vice President Kamala Harris was not awkward or unpleasant. After the
meeting, Harris spoke at a press conference, “I made clear my serious concern about the dire
humanitarian situation there.” She discussed the ceasefire and hostages release deal, saying, “The
first phase of the deal would bring about a full ceasefire including withdrawal of Israeli military
from populated areas. In the second phase, the Israeli military will withdraw from Gaza entirely.
And it would put a permanent end to the hostilities. It is time for this war to end.”
Talking to reporters in the briefing room, an Israeli official said that the Israeli Prime Minister is
not happy with VP Harris for her statement on camera. He was concerned it would harm the
negotiations over the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. However, Harris’s aid said that “President
Biden and Vice President Harris delivered the same message in Private to Netanyahu in their
meetings, and it was: “It is time to get the ceasefire and hostages deal done. That’s what the Vice
President said Publicly as well.”

One day before he met with BiBi on Friday, former President Trump said in an interview on Fox
News, “I want him to finish up and get it done quickly. You gotta get it done quickly because

they are getting decimated with this publicity. And you know, Israel is not very good at public
relations.”

The situation was already tense between Trump and Netanyahu since Trump had criticized the
IDF and Netanyahu’s government for being unprepared to handle the incident on October 7 th .
The Israeli government did not take kindly to that criticism. However, during his speech in
Congress, Netanyahu categorically thanked Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital
and for moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This is not the time for Israel
to leave any stone unturned. The visit aimed to find allies in Democrats and Republicans alike.

A senior Trump campaign adviser told CNN that Trump’s willingness to meet with Netanyahu
despite their fraught relationship shows his willingness to reconnect and build new ties. The
advisor added that this is also evidence of the evolution of how he will be running and
conducting his second term.
President Donald Trump invited the Vice President of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, to his Mar-a-
Lago estate. Talking to the press, Trump said that “no president has done what he has done for
Israel.”
On Thursday, Donald Trump wrote on X, “I received a letter from Mahmoud Abbas, the
Palestinian President, telling me that he wants peace in the Middle East.” Abbas sent Donald
Trump a letter on the 14 th of July after expressing his shock and relief that he was okay after the
assassination attempt against him. He also wrote, “Acts of violence must not have a place in a
world of law and order.” He continued, “Respect for the other with tolerance and valuing of
human life is what must prevail.” In response, Trump wrote on top of the same letter,
“Mahmoud, Thank you. Everything will be good. Best Wishes,” and returned it.
Was this a planned move on behalf of Trump to show off the letter during the days that the Israeli
PM was visiting? He knew that the PM had extended his stay especially to be able to see him.
The letter from Abbas had been with him since the 14 th of July. Trump likes to flaunt his control
and power. He likes to pull people’s strings. And he has found his match in Netanyahu. Maybe

he wanted to show Netanyahu who is the boss over here. These are all speculations; the facts are
what they are; we can only state them and be ready to tackle the future as it comes.
Israel has faced global criticism over its war in Gaza, over the expansion of Israeli settlements in
the occupied West Bank, and settler attacks on Palestinians. More than 39,000 people have been
killed in Gaza so far.

Freed Hostages and families of those still in captivity were listening in the house of Chambers.
At least five of them were wearing T-shirts with anti-war and pro-ceasefire slogans. Security
eventually removed them from the premises despite not causing any disturbance or noise.
Palestinian American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who has family in Palestine, was holding
up a double-sided sign; on one side, it said, WAR CRIMINAL, and on the other side, it was
GUILTY OF GENOCIDE.

Netanyahu’s speech in the U.S. Congress wasn’t just significant because of the elections and
Israel's win over Democrats and Republicans alike; it was also about the Israeli public. The time
chosen for the speech was prime time in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu is losing favor with his people fast.
Their next election will not look favorably on his party and BiBi. The Israeli public wants an end
to this war because they realize that this is not making them any safer; in fact, it is making them
less secure. They also want the hostages to come home, but that can only happen if the war is
stopped. As long as the bombing and fighting continue, the lives of the hostages are in danger. In
this way, The Prime Minister is the one who is putting their lives in danger. Hamas has agreed to
the deal that Israeli leadership keeps finding issues with.

He was here to show his people they had allies and support so the war could go on. He also
wanted to convince his people and the world how much danger everyone would be in if the war
were to stop right now. Bibi had to make it about more than just about Jews; he had to make it
more than just about Zionism; he had to make it about civilization itself. If he doesn’t sacrifice to
fight this war for all of us, civilization might be in danger. The only tactic left in his bag of tricks

is scaring people. Of course, he can't use the people of Gaza to instill fear. He can't even use the
government of Palestine to create panic and the will to fight. So, he has chosen a perfect
scapegoat, Iran. Even though Israel was the first aggressor in that case, even those who disagreed
with Iran’s politics admitted that Iran has never interfered with firepower directly. They had a
right to defend themselves. And they have not retaliated since then.

The only aggressor in the Middle East region right now is Israel. That fact can be fact-checked
and will come out to be true no matter what point of view one looks at this from.

Throughout history, we will find many examples of this behavior, to continue a war or just out of
ignorance and fear of the unknown. In Benjamin Netanyahu’s case, it's extreme prejudice and
colonialism. Think back to McCarthyism. Studying it today, we wonder how educated, well-
rounded people fell for such a crazy notion. There was a time when we asked how well-groomed,
educated people believed that color could dictate hierarchy. Here we are today. Someday, our
children and their children’s children will also wonder about us. How could they let someone
stand on the podium and say all these things? And those people who clapped or approved of it
were elected to lead? How?