Netanyahu defends Gaza war to Congress amid lawmaker boycott, protests
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the chamber of the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol on July 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
With thousands of protesters outside the U.S. Capitol Building and in front of a partially empty chamber, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to a joint session of Congress for nearly an hour and called for more U.S. support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Why it matters: Netanyahu tried to use the speech to reassert his leadership in Israel, where polls show that more than 70% want him to resign, and in the U.S., where a dramatic presidential election campaign is captivating the public and overshadowing the Israeli leader's controversial visit.
Driving the news: Netanyahu's speech took place at a critical moment in negotiations over the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, but the prime minister barely mentioned the issue.
- Shortly before the speech, Netanyahu's office admitted the prime minister canceled Israeli negotiators' planned trip to Qatar on Thursday, claiming Netanyahu wanted to meet President Biden before the delegation goes to Doha.
- Netanyahu, who brought hostages who were rescued and families of hostages who are still held in Gaza to the speech, mentioned there are "intense negotiations" taking place, but didn't say he is going to push for the deal that is on the table and originally proposed by him.
- Several family members of the hostages protested from where they sat in the gallery by putting on T-shirts calling for a deal now. They were arrested and taken out of the room by Capitol Police.
- Israel Defense Forces retrieved the bodies of five people killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Wednesday. Their remains were held hostage in Khan Younis for nine months.
- Netanyahu received several standing ovations from the lawmakers present in the chamber, who were mainly from the Republican party.
The intrigue: Netanyahu, who will meet Biden at the White House tomorrow, thanked the president several times during his speech and said his visit to Israel during its most difficult hour will never be forgotten.
- "I want to thank President Biden for half a century of friendship to Israel and for calling himself a proud Zionist," Netanyahu said.
- Netanyahu also thanked former President Trump, whom he will meet on Friday, for brokering the Abraham Accords between Israel and four Arab countries and for other actions, including moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and "standing up to Iran."
- Netanyahu didn't mention Vice President Kamala Harris who didn't attend the speech. Netanyahu will meet Harris on Thursday afternoon.
State of play: Netanyahu attacked the pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses and outside the Capitol building, calling them "useful idiots of Iran." Some of the protesters outside the capitol burned the U.S. flag.
- He denied there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, according to local health officials, and where a recent report found half a million people remain at risk of starvation.
- Netanyahu claimed if there are Palestinians who don't receive aid it is because Hamas is stealing it, not because Israel is blocking it. The UN says the security situation in Gaza is creating significant challenges in distributing aid.
The Israeli prime minister thanked Biden and Congress for U.S. military assistance but claimed if weapons delivery accelerated, the war would end sooner and a wider regional conflict would be avoided.
- "Give us the tools faster and we will finish the job faster," he said.
The big picture: Netanyahu laid out his general ideas for Gaza after the war, but they fell short of a detailed plan sought by the White House and several Arab countries.
- He said his vision for Gaza is that it is "demilitarized and de-radicalized" and that Israel doesn't want to rebuild settlements in the enclave but wants to maintain security responsibility to prevent further attacks.
- Netanyahu added that Gaza needs to have a civilian administration run by Palestinians "who don't want to destroy Israel."
What's next: Netanyahu said his vision for the Middle East is that the U.S., Israel and Arab countries who want peace with Israel build a regional security alliance to counter the Iranian threat.
- "The alliance I propose will be an extension of the Abraham Accords — we can call it the Abraham Alliance," he said.
