Netanyahu Address to Congress is a Powerful Display of Leadership

The speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a joint session of Congress this past week was as inspiring as it was striking.  His recounting of the slaughter of 3,000 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, was gripping and heartbreaking.

America has always been close friends and allies with the Jewish state and millions of Americans love and are devoted to Israel.  This was the plea of a small nation—Israel is comprised of a mere 8.6 million citizens—for help.

As Netanyahu reminded us, “We meet today at a crossroads of history…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 sincerely acknowledged his gratitude to the Biden Administration for its support of the 9-month Gaza War but also firmly urged the U.S. to “fast track” additional weapons the Biden Administration has inexplicably held up.  “Give us the tools and we will finish the job,” stated Netanyahu. “Give us the tools faster and we will finish the job faster.”

Netanyahu highlighted the existential risk of terrorism to every civilized nation stating that “our enemies are your enemies.  Our fight is your fight.  And our victory will be your victory.”  

Netanyahu pointedly called out anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protesters, a mob of whom were at the very time of his speech burning the Israeli and the American Flag and desecrating monuments at Washington D.C.’s historic Union Station, a three-minute walk from the U.S. House Chamber where he spoke.  U.S. flags were burned and the replica of the Liberty Bell and the Columbus Memorial in front of Union Station were vandalized with pro-Hamas graffiti.  Further, all 3 flag poles in front of Union Station had their American flags torn down from them and Palestinian flags put up in their place.

It makes your blood boil.   And it made the Prime Minister’s blood boil as 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 …. It’s amazing, absolutely amazing.  Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming “Gays for Gaza.”  They might as well hold up signs saying “Chickens for KFC.”

He declared that all of these terror groups are merely proxies for Iran, the world’s greatest sponsor of terrorism, now flush with cash due to the weakness and appeasement of the Biden Administration.

He also forcefully denied that Israel had ever targeted civilians in any military mission or in any way inhibited humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza. He stated, “if there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren’t getting enough food, it’s not because Israel is blocking it, it’s because Hamas is stealing it.”

He concluded his speech to a standing ovation: “As we defend ourselves on all fronts, I know that America has our back.”

I was disappointed but not surprised that Vice President Kamala Harris, whose duty it is to preside over a joint session of Congress, was absent (so she could address a sorority).  So were dozens of Democrat lawmakers.  One Democrat, U.S. Rep Rashida Tlaib, held up a two-sided sign while Netanyahu spoke.  One side stated “war criminal” and the other side “guilty of genocide.”  Had these Democrats attended, the Wall Street Journal points out, they could have really pondered “how the ability of all democracies to fight terrorism will be imperiled by the constraints international institutions seek to impose on Israel.”  (WSJ, July 25, 2024).

I do acknowledge that VP Harris met with Netanyahu privately later but that in no way matches the perception and symbolic value of her having personally attended the speech and it was cowardly and dishonest of her to suggest there is any moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel. 

I was grateful that Netanyahu simply acknowledged the truth, which is that President Trump had brokered the historic Abraham peace accords that established relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries.  He also expressed great gratitude for Trump recognizing Israel’s right to the Golan Heights, for moving our American Embassy to Jerusalem and for opposing the constant aggression of Iran.

This address highlights what strength and leadership look like, and the necessity of maintaining America’s strong bond with Israel while underscoring the nature of the evil forces that seek to destroy it.