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A defiant Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, dismissed as "utter nonsense" criticisms by the United Nations, human rights groups and the International Criminal Court that Israel's government has committed war crimes in Gaza, and he derided pro-Palestinian protesters as "useful idiots" and tools of Iran.
The Israeli prime minister told U.S. lawmakers that Israel will settle for "nothing less" than total victory over Hamas, and described a vision for postwar Gaza seemingly at odds with the terms of a peace deal advocated by the Biden administration. The fate of Israel and the United States are inextricably linked, he asserted, arguing that U.S. investment in Israel's war aims also serves to defend the United States and "all democracies."
"We help keep Americans' boots off the ground," Netanyahu thundered, imploring Congress to expedite the transfer to Israel of billions of dollars in U.S. weapons. "Give us the tools faster, and we'll finish the job faster," he said.
Netanyahu's address, spanning nearly an hour, occurred as his government nears the start of its tenth month of war in Gaza. He encountered a Congress sharply at odds over the conflict, with Republican leaders upbraiding the dozens of Democrats who boycotted his appearance, and many Democrats appalled by the decision to platform a foreign leader accused of war crimes.
Netanyahu arrived on Capitol Hill in a bulletproof motorcade, passing through a phalanx of security as protesters carrying Palestinian flags marched through downtown Washington, condemning the Israeli leader's "genocide" against Palestinians and calling on the Biden administration to end its weapons shipments to his government.
As he spoke, police skirmished with protesters on nearby streets, fired tear gas to disperse crowds, and made arrests throughout the Capitol grounds, including of five people inside the House chamber. In Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis, including the families of slain Israeli hostages, also gathered in protest, blaming Netanyahu for dragging out the war to further his political survival.
"Benjamin Netanyahu, my grandfather could have been alive today with us," Eliya Dancyg, the granddaughter of slain hostage Alex Dancyg, told her fellow demonstrators in Tel Aviv between sobs. "He was waiting for someone to come save him. He was waiting for you to seal the deal."
More than 50 Democratic lawmakers and at least one Republican refused to attend the speech, calling it "political theater" and wishing to distance themselves from a man they have accused of using mass carnage and starvation to carry out genocide.
"I am past pissed off. I am past upset. I am absolutely ashamed of what is happening," Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) told reporters on a conference call alongside other Democrats and former government officials who resigned from their jobs in protest of the administration's Israel policy. "Our government has been actively complicit in genocide every step of the way," Bush added.
More than anything, however, Netanyahu's fourth speech before Congress - a privilege afforded to few foreign leaders, and to Netanyahu more than any other in U.S. history - underscored Israel's staying power as a fixture of American foreign policy and as the largest recipient of U.S. military aid. If Democrats have wavered in their support, Republicans, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), have welcomed Netanyahu with open arms, praising his leadership since Hamas launched its cross-border attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw upward of 250 taken hostage.
And from the dais, Netanyahu was unrepentant.
He claimed Israel's military has caused very few civilian casualties by taking unprecedented steps to protect those trapped in the crossfire, a statement also starkly at odds with accounts from the ravaged enclave. He vowed that "those who attacked Israel will pay a very heavy price." And he dismissed those saying otherwise as "Iran's useful idiots" and antisemites.
"You should be ashamed of yourself," he bellowed, characterizing pro-Palestinian protesters as allies of the Hamas militants who staged the Oct. 7 mass terrorist attack on Israel, triggering the war in Gaza.
Iran is the root of all of the Middle East's ills, Netanyahu claimed. And America must stand with Israel to vanquish such an enemy, he said.
He displayed little doubt that America would. "I know that America has our back," he declared, framing Israel's war as one serving the larger good of protecting the United States, "civilization" and democracy.
"This is not a clash of civilizations. It's a clash between barbarism and civilization. It's a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life," Netanyahu said to cheers and applause in the House chamber as protesters burned the prime minister in effigy a few blocks from the Capitol.
If Israel loses, "America is next," he declared. "And I'll tell you what else is next: the ability of all democracies to fight terror. … That's what's on the line."
The Biden administration and many congressional Democrats, who have grown increasingly vocal in their displeasure with Netanyahu's conduct of the war, have nevertheless shied away from inflicting consequences on a key U.S. ally, leaving unimpeded the flow of billions of dollars in weapons, intelligence and diplomatic commitments central to the two nations' security relationship.
Many of the Democrats who did attend the speech did so with resignation. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) was one, saying earlier this week that he had chosen to show up out of respect for Israel but that he considers Netanyahu to be "the worst leader in Jewish history." As the speech continued, many chose to stay seated - including, at times, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) - while their Republican colleagues cheered.
The Biden administration has been at pains in recent weeks to stress the fervent, months-long efforts by senior officials to negotiate a lasting cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that would see the return of the remaining hostages and pave the way toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. Officials have claimed repeatedly that a deal is within reach, with a State Department spokesman, Matt Miller, telling reporters earlier Wednesday that Washington is working "to bridge the final differences."
But behind closed doors, U.S. officials, and even some former Israeli officials, have acknowledged that Netanyahu and his cabinet have shown little interest in ending the war. The vision Netanyahu outlined Wednesday, in which Israel would maintain overriding security control of Gaza for the "foreseeable future," made no mention of a future Palestinian state, which the Biden administration backs and he has opposed.
Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser and peace negotiator to multiple administrations, said the speech reflected "the way Netanyahu sees the world. If you're not totally with Israel, you're against it."
"If any Democrat in the chamber today expected nuance, flexibility on cease-fire negotiations or creative thinking on Netanyahu's day-after plan in Gaza, they don't know Benjamin Netanyahu," he added.
Netanyahu sought to paint a very different picture Wednesday, telling U.S. lawmakers that his government was engaged in efforts to bring home the hostages as he spoke, and that he has promised their families that he "will not rest until all their loved ones are home."
He used about 20 minutes of his speech to spotlight other hostage families, as well as Israeli soldiers - some of whom had filled the seats left vacant by boycotting Democrats.
Netanyahu, who enraged the Obama administration in 2015 by using the pulpit of his last congressional address to blast the administration's efforts toward an Iran nuclear deal, stuck to a more bipartisan line Wednesday. He praised the Capitol as a "citadel of democracy," avoided partisan distinctions and praised Biden for being a "Zionist."
Republicans have sought to capitalize on deepening liberal opposition to the U.S.-Israel relationship, particularly on college campuses, and have framed Democratic criticisms as a betrayal in Israel's hour of need. The GOP, Republican leaders have argued, is Israel's only true ally. "This is a moment for moral clarity, and it is unconscionable to us that the president of the United States and some of the leaders in the Senate are unable or unwilling to stand and say what is good and what is evil," Johnson said last week at the Republican National Convention.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who sat beside Johnson during the speech and is one of Israel's most unwavering supporters among congressional Democrats, praised Netanyahu - who has made little effort in recent years to disguise his preference for the GOP - for abstaining from partisan rhetoric during the speech and delivering a "balanced" address.
Although Vice President Harris, who has replaced President Biden atop the Democratic presidential ticket, declined to preside over the address, an aide emphasized her "unwavering commitment to the security of Israel." Both she and Biden will meet with Netanyahu on Thursday instead.
A senior administration official said Biden and Netanyahu will discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza and ongoing negotiations over a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to preview the meeting, expressed optimism that a deal was within reach but refused to put a timeline on when it would be completed.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump plans to meet with Netanyahu on Friday at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago. It will be their first meeting since Trump broke with the Israeli leader for recognizing Biden's electoral victory in 2020.
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