Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delivered his fourth address to a joint session of the United States Congress, as he attempted to drum up continued support for his country’s war in Gaza.
But protests over the war greeted Netanyahu as he arrived on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Wednesday — and they continued inside halls of Congress.
Representative Rashida Tlaib, for instance, held up a sign that read “guilty of genocide” on one side and “war criminal” on the other, echoing criticisms of the devastating toll of the war.
Netanyahu, however, was not caught off guard. He used his podium before the US Congress to blast perceived enemies as anti-Semitic and misguided, specifically calling out campus protesters and prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, among others.
Here are five key takeaways from Wednesday’s speech.
Netanyahu praises allies in the US
With his latest speech, Netanyahu overtook the late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill — an icon of World War II — as the world leader with the most US congressional speeches under his belt.
Netanyahu entered the chamber to a standing ovation, though some lawmakers could be heard to boo beneath the cheers. He paused to shake hands with some legislators, giving only a brief nod to others.
Once at the podium, he offered effusive praise for the American people and politicians on both sides of the aisle.
“Through thick and thin, in good times and in bad, Israel will always be your loyal friend and your steadfast partner. On behalf of the people of Israel, I came here today to say thank you, America,” Netanyahu said.
He also acknowledged the historic circumstances of his speech, saying it was his “profound honour” to address “this great citadel of democracy for the fourth time”.
The prime minister, however, faced an increasingly fractured Congress, with Democrats splintered over support for the ongoing war in Gaza.
Some, like New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, refused to attend Wednesday’s speech. Others walked out early.
Wading into election-year politics
Netanyahu dedicated particular mention to two figures on opposite sides of the political spectrum: US President Joe Biden and his erstwhile Republican rival Donald Trump.
Up until this week, Biden and Trump had been locked in a heated race for the presidency, as Election Day approaches on November 5. But on Sunday, Biden dropped out of the race, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
First, Netanyahu acknowledged Biden’s support after the October 7 attacks on Israel.
“After the savage attack on October 7, he rightly called Hamas ‘sheer evil’,” Netanyahu said, playing up their more than 40-year relationship.
Later, he expressed relief that Trump had survived a recent assassination attempt and thanked him personally for pro-Israel policies he enacted while in office.
“I also want to recognise President Trump for all the things he did for Israel, from recognising Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights to confronting Iran’s aggression to recognising Jerusalem as our capital and moving the American embassy there,” he said.
These moves remain controversial both in the US and abroad, and the United Nations has condemned Israeli actions in the occupied Golan Heights.
Netanyahu takes aim at protesters
Outside the Capitol building, thousands of protesters rallied as Netanyahu spoke, denouncing what they called a “genocide” unfolding in Gaza.
US Capitol Police issued a statement that, after some protesters became “violent”, its officers were forced to use pepper spray. Demonstrators were seen to pour water in their eyes in order to mitigate the burns.
Rather than ignore the protests happening steps away from his speech, Netanyahu took direct aim at them, calling the demonstrations misguided. He also slammed anti-war protests on US campuses.
“Many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers,” Netanyahu said. “These protesters stand with them. They should be ashamed of themselves.”
He also accused the anti-war protesters of echoing talking points from Iran, a country with which Israel has been in a proxy war for decades.
“When the tyrants of Tehran who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair are praising, promoting and funding you, you have officially become Iran’s useful idiots,” Netanyahu said to the protesters.
A swipe at the International Criminal Court
The protests, however, were not the only pushback that Netanyahu faces.
In May, Prosecutor Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court (ICC) called for arrest warrants to be issued for Netanyahu and his allies, accusing them of “war crimes and crimes against humanity” for their actions in Gaza.
Netanyahu used his platform at the US Congress to “forcefully oppose” what he called “false accusations”.
The prime minister defended the war as necessary for Israel’s security. He also warned that the court could take aim at the US if Khan’s arrests are allowed to proceed.
“If Israel’s hands are tied, America is next. I’ll tell you what else is next: the ability of all democracies to fight terrorism will be imperiled,” Netanyahu said.
“The hands of the Jewish state will never be shackled,” he added. “Israel will always defend itself.”
The US currently does not recognise the authority of the ICC. A panel of judges is expected to weigh in on the request for arrest warrants in the coming months.
Netanyahu lays out post-war vision
As the war in Gaza rounds out its ninth month, with more than 39,000 Palestinians killed, the pressure is nevertheless rising for Netanyahu to end the conflict.
Ceasefire negotiations have been ongoing for months. Families of Israeli captives in Gaza told the US news outlet NPR they hoped Netanyahu would use his speech to announce “a deal has been completed”.
But Netanyahu disappointed such expectations. Instead, he repeated far-right rhetoric that has been slammed as dehumanising and anti-Palestinian.
“This is not a clash of civilisations. It’s a clash between barbarism and civilisation,” Netanyahu told Congress.
“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. Because when we stand together, something very simple happens: We win, they lose.”
Netanyahu also called for the defeat of Hamas as a precondition for peace, saying he would settle for “total victory” and nothing less.
In explaining what life after the war might look like, he sketched a vision that involved Israel forces maintaining control over Gaza — a prospect critics fear could lead to the further displacement and oppression of Palestinians.
“The day after we defeat Hamas, a new Gaza could emerge,” Netanyahu said. “My vision for that day is of a demilitarised and deradicalised Gaza. Israel does not seek to resettle Gaza. But for the foreseeable future, we must retain overriding security control there to prevent the resurgence of terror, to ensure Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”
“A new generation of Palestinians must no longer be taught to hate Jews but rather to live in peace with us,” he added.
To achieve that end, Netanyahu made his sales pitch to the US legislators seated before him. He called on military aid to increase and be delivered more rapidly, despite concerns — particularly among progressives — that it could be used for human rights abuses in Gaza.
The US already sends Israel $3.8bn a year in military aid, and in April, President Biden signed an aid package that would provide up to $17bn in additional support.
“Fast-tracking US military aid can dramatically expedite an end to the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader war in the Middle East,” Netanyahu told the US Congress.
“Give us the tools faster, and we’ll finish the job faster.”
