Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday delivered an address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday and spent a good portion of his speech attacking Americans who have been protesting Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.
Netanyahu accused the pro-Palestine protesters, which include many Jewish Americans, of being pro-Hamas and “standing with evil” and said they should be “ashamed of themselves.” The majority of the lawmakers in the chamber responded with a standing ovation.
He also repeated unsubstantiated claims that Iran was funding the protests in the US. “They want to disrupt America,” Netanyahu said, referring to Iran. “For all we know, Iran is funding the anti-Israel protests that are going on right now outside this building … well, I have a message for these protesters. 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.”
People protesting Netanyahu included family members of Israeli hostages who are being held in Gaza who wore shirts inside the chamber during his address that said “Seal the Deal Now,” as the Israeli leader has been working to sabotage the chances of an agreement with Hamas to free the hostages. Several of the hostage family members were reportedly removed by police and arrested.
A small number of Democratic lawmakers did not stand up to applaud Netanyahu during much of his speech, and about half of the Democrats in the House and Senate skipped the address. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the only Palestinian American in Congress, attended and was spotted holding a sign that said “war criminal.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) didn’t attend and slammed Netanyahu after the address, calling his speech “the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States.”
At least one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), chose not to attend. “The purpose of having Netanyahu address Congress is to bolster his political standing in Israel and to quell int’l opposition to his war,” Massie wrote on X. “I don’t feel like being a prop so I won’t be attending.”
Overall, however, Netanyahu received strong support, and Congress gave him a big public relations victory by frequently standing up and applauding him. The address and its reception also demonstrated the strong US support for Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.
In the address, Netanyahu asked for the US to provide even more military aid than it has and called for a new anti-Iran alliance in the Middle East. “I have a name for this new alliance. I think we should call it the Abraham Alliance,” he said.
The Israeli leader also said Israel must maintain indefinite “security control” over Gaza, meaning a long-term military occupation. He thanked the US and Congress for the strong support and thanked President Biden for being a “proud Irish American Zionist.”
Netanyahu is due to hold separate private meetings with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday. The next day, he will travel to Florida to meet with former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.