Netanyahu urges unity, but stirs a firestorm inside and outside Capitol

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a fiery speech to Congress on Wednesday that elicited a boycott by Democrats inside the Capitol, sparked massive protests outside, and elevated the partisan fight over Israeli-Palestinian relations that promises to continue straight into November’s elections.

Appearing before a rare joint meeting of Congress, Netanyahu recounted in violent detail the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7; warned of the ongoing menace posed by Iran and other regional adversaries; and urged American policymakers to unite behind Israel for the sake of eradicating those threats once and for all.

“For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together,” he said,  thanking President Biden for “half a century of friendship to Israel.”

Netanyahu, positioning Israel as America’s strongest ally and defense in the Middle East, called for U.S. military support to continue and speed up — in opposition to Biden withholding some heavy weapons and the call of opponents and protesters to halt U.S. military assistance. 

“I deeply appreciate America’s support, including in this current war, but this is an exceptional moment. Fast-tracking U.S. military aid can dramatically expedite an end to the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader war in the Middle East,” he said. 

The atmosphere surrounding Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, and his message, marked a departure from his last major address to Congress in 2015, when he lambasted the Obama administration over its efforts to forge a nuclear deal with Tehran.

While thanking Biden for his support throughout the war, Netanyahu also paid tribute to former President Trump ahead of his meeting with the Republican presidential nominee in Florida on Friday — underscoring the prime minister’s careful positioning between Republicans and Democrats ahead of the November election. 

“Like Americans, Israelis were relieved that President Trump emerged safe and sound from that dastardly attack on him, dastardly attack on American democracy,” the Israeli leader said of the July 13 assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally.

But Netanyahu’s mere presence deepened already sharp divisions between Republicans and Democrats — and between Democrats themselves — over his far-right policy agenda and, more specifically, his handling of the war with Hamas in Gaza.

Those tensions were impossible to miss around Capitol Hill, as thousands of activists gathered on the National Mall to protest a figure they deem a war criminal; Vice President Harris, the Democrats’ likely presidential nominee, was noticeably absent on the dais behind Netanyahu, where she would typically stand to welcome foreign leaders. 

And scores of Democrats — including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — boycotted the speech to denounce what they view as Netanyahu’s emboldening of an extremist far-right faction, fueling of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and thwarting a potential two-state solution. 

Those critics view Netanyahu as responsible for a humanitarian catastrophe in pursuit of his goal to eliminate Hamas, with widespread destruction across the Gaza Strip and tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in the fighting. 

Netanyahu dismissed those critics Wednesday, saying Israel had ensured the lowest number of civilians killed, relative to combatants, in the history of urban warfare — a line that prompted Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who earlier criticized Netanyahu as the worst leader in Jewish history, to give a modest applause. 

After the speech, Nadler went on MSNBC to accuse Netanyahu of dishonesty in his speech. “He says he wants peace, but his political interest is to keep the war going as long as possible,” he said. 

Dozens of Democrats who attended the speech remained mostly seated throughout Netanyahu’s remarks. 

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American member of Congress, went a step further, holding up signs that read “War Criminal” on one side and “Guilty of Genocide” on the other, prompting boos from some Republicans in the chamber. She had invited as her guest a Palestinian American, Hani Almadhoun, who has lost 150 members of his extended family in the war in Gaza. 

And families of hostages in attendance showed virtually no enthusiasm for the message from the prime minister, who they accuse of frustrating all efforts to secure a cease-fire deal to bring home the 120 people still held captive by Hamas, including eight Americans. 

“It is known in Israel, some people do believe that a dead hostage is better than a live one. One such person for whom a dead hostage poses far less embarrassment than a live one has the audacity to try to coerce the American Congress into his twisted ploy,” Zahiro Shahar Mor, whose uncle is still held hostage by Hamas, told a group of Democrats ahead of Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday. 

Or Gat, whose mother was murdered on Oct. 7 and whose sister is still held in Gaza, at times put his head in his hands as Netanyahu defended his record.

“To listen to him, nine months of war that is tearing Israel apart … to hear him speaking about it, and people applauding here in the Congress, which they have done more work for the hostages than him, for me it’s a shame, it’s an anger,” Gat said. 

But with Netanyahu’s sharpest critics not in attendance, the crowd in the chamber was overwhelmingly receptive to his message, with multiple standing ovations and chants of “USA, USA” when the prime minister condemned burning of American flags as part of anti-Israel protests on college campuses, and turned his ire on the protests taking place outside the Capitol. 

“You have officially become Iran’s useful idiots,” Netanyahu told the protesters, underscoring a unifying theme of his remarks: that Iran is cheering Israel’s destruction as a step toward threatening the U.S. 

“In the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran’s way, is one proud pro-American democracy, my country, the state of Israel.”

Just blocks from the Capitol, protesters were rallying around calls for Netanyahu to be arrested over alleged war crimes. After his speech, a group of protesters clashed with police as they lowered U.S. flags outside Union Station and raised a Palestinian flag. 

Wednesday’s speech marked the culmination of a months-long debate on Capitol Hill over Netanyahu’s leadership, particularly in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks. 

While members of both parties are virtually united in supporting Israel’s right to self-defense, many Democrats have been outspoken in condemning Netanyahu’s aggressive military response in Gaza, which has created a humanitarian crisis, and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank in violation of international law. 

In March, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish policymaker in U.S. history, gave an explosive speech on the chamber floor bashing Netanyahu’s leadership as an obstacle to peace and calling for new elections in Israel to replace him. 

Schumer’s extraordinary move prompted Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), within days, to draft an invitation for Netanyahu to address Congress. The letter was ultimately endorsed by Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), but those signatures came weeks after they received the draft. 

The delay reflected the sharp divisions within the Democratic Party, pitting pro-Israel Democrats, who are backing Netanyahu’s aggressive military strategy, against lawmakers more sympathetic to the Palestinians’ plight, who accuse Netanyahu of doing far too little to protect civilian lives. 

Biden is pushing for a phased cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas as the best way to secure the hostages and negotiate toward a Palestinian state. Netanyahu’s critics view him as an obstacle to signing the deal, although one sticking point is Hamas’s insistence on its own inclusion in governing the strip after the war, which the U.S. also opposes. 

Netanyahu gave a short nod to the talks, saying, “As we speak, we’re engaged in intensive efforts to secure their release. I’m confident some of these efforts can succeed, some of them are taking place right now.”

But he followed that with a call for a “demilitarized and deradicalized” Gaza Strip, ruled by a Palestinian civilian administration.

“The war could end tomorrow if Hamas disarms, surrenders, disarms and returns all the hostages. But if they don’t, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’s military capabilities, end its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home,” Netanyahu said. 

“That’s what total victory means, and we will settle for nothing less.”