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July 24, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a magnificent speech to Congress

By Andrea Widburg

Today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke for almost an hour before a joint session of Congress. I was paying attention so hard to his magnificent speech that I forgot to take notes—and there’s no transcript available yet. These are my impressions of the speech.

One. Bibi got one of the most rapturous greetings I’ve ever seen Congress give anyone. The ovation when Bibi walked to the podium and stood there went on so long that Speaker Mike Johnson finally had to gavel it to an end.

Image: Benjamin Netanyahu. YouTube screen grab.

Two. Bibi stuck a huge shiv into the Democrat presidential ticket without seeming to have done so. It was remarkably clever and done with tremendous subtlety and grace. To appreciate what Bibi did, you must understand the Democrats’ antisemitic base.

Biden and Harris distanced themselves as far as possible from Bibi. Biden had the excuse of his COVID diagnosis and frailty, but Kamala had no excuse. That’s why it was so striking that she wasn’t at the airport to greet Bibi (nor was anyone else from the administration), and she refused to appear in Congress when he was speaking, opting instead for a sorority party:

The reason for Joe’s and Kamala’s terror of being seen with Bibi is their base. Almost 30 Democrats refused to appear at the event. Rashida Tlaib did show up, but only to make a statement, which the C-SPAN cameraman caught perfectly:

(I think it was this same cameraman whose gentle applause I kept hearing directly in front of the microphone during the speech.)

Meanwhile, out on the street, the Democrat base raged against Israel, screamed out “Allahu Akbar,” and burned American flags:

Others in the base boasted about releasing maggots, mealworms, and crickets at the Watergate Hotel (a criminal offense) where Bibi was staying:

The Democrats hope that leftist Jews (like Kamala’s stepdaughter, who supports Hamas) will vote for them even if the Democrats don’t support Israel, but they know that Muslims will not vote for Democrats if they seem to support Israel.

And that’s where Netanyahu’s delicate (and perhaps unintentional) shiv came in. Practically the first point he made in his speech was to express gratitude for Biden’s unwavering support for Israel:

That ought to enrage the base, which is why I appreciated it so much. In fact, it’s not really true. Biden has slow-walked much-needed weapons systems to Israel and repeatedly tried to slow Israel when she’s on the verge of victory. And that doesn’t even count the ill-fated Gaza pier that cost American taxpayers over $300 million and ended up feeding Hamas fighters, who seized all the food.

Well played, Bibi!

Three. Bibi had an incredibly strong, moral opening, which you should listen to because it’s brief:

That’s exactly right. Hamas is a death cult, as are Hezbollah and the Houthis. Notably, they are all Iranian proxies.

Four. Bibi made the strong case that Iran is the real enemy and that it’s America’s enemy, too. This is exactly right. Iran finances terrorism all over the world, and its ultimate target is America.

We Trump supporters like to say that the Democrats are really after us, but Trump is in the way, both as a target and as our defender. The same is true for Israel. For Iran, Israel is the “Little Satan” to America’s “Great Satan.” Bibi even read aloud a quotation from a Hezbollah official to that effect. When we support Israel, we defend ourselves.

Five. Bibi attacked the moral failings of the antisemites who support Hamas. They are acting at the behest of Iran, a totalitarian, misogynistic, homophobic nation. They are, said Bibi, “useful idiots.” (See, e.g., the Tlaib video, above.)

Six. Bibi showed clearly what a multicultural society Israel is. He introduced Noa Argamani, a hostage who was saved during the daring rescue in April. She is half-Asian. He introduced a soldier who ran eight miles carrying his weapon to get to the battle site on October 7. That soldier is black, with forebearers from Ethiopia. Bibi also introduced a Muslim Bedouin and a man who was clearly a Mizrahi Jew (i.e., brown-skinned Middle Eastern Jew rather than a more fair European Ashkenazi Jew). He noted that all serve in the military, regardless of race, ethnicity, or creed. That was a stick in the eye to those who claim Israel is an apartheid nation.

Seven. Bibi reiterated that the Jews’ ties to the land go back 4,000 years. They are the indigenous people.

Eight. Bibi made it absolutely clear that Jews will never meekly accept existential attacks against it. Israel will not attack, but she will always fight back against those who seek to destroy her. (And he may have slipped in a warning that he’s going to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and go after Lebanon if it doesn’t get rid of Hezbollah.)

UPDATE: Nine. Bibi made clear that he's committed to the Abraham Accords, which have held together for the nations that committed to them. He urged the rest of the Sunni Arab world to get on board as a  

That’s all I’ve got offhand without a transcript. I suggest you take the time to watch the speech. As I said, it’s magnificent, and it was heartwarming to see the love that the room showed for him. I had the unusual sensation of admiring Congress.

 

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