Wednesday marked the fourth time that Prime Minister Netanyahu has addressed a joint session of Congress, the most of any world leader in history.
His staunchest critics have claimed that the real reason for his visit to the States was “to enlist domestic American support to keep waging the war” rather than to end the war and bring home the hostages. Others have faulted him for failing to deliver anything of substance in terms of a long term solution, let alone making serious concessions toward the Palestinians.
His supporters saw things very differently, with one headline proclaiming, “JOINT SESSION: In wartime address to Congress, Netanyahu gives ‘masterclass in global diplomacy,’ most powerful speech of his career — 55 standing ovations.”
While the Middle East pundits parse the details, here are some of the most memorable lines from his speech. Bibi sure knows how to fire up the crowd. Indeed, the “no fewer than 55 standing ovations” marked “the most of any such speaker in Congressional history.” (Note that he is more popular in America than in Israel, especially among American evangelicals.)
After his introductory greetings, these were his opening lines:
“We meet today at a crossroads of history. Our world is in upheaval. In the Middle East, Iran’s axis of terror confronts America, Israel and our Arab friends. 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.”
After introducing several IDF soldiers who were sitting in the audience today, including “Lieutenant Yonatan, Jonathan Ben Hamo who lost a leg in Gaza and continued to fight,” he said, “My friends, these are the soldiers of Israel—unbowed, undaunted, unafraid.”
On the difference between good and evil:
“Defeating our brutal enemies requires both courage and clarity. Clarity begins by knowing the difference between good and evil. Yet incredibly many anti-Israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers. They stand with people who came into the kibbutzim, into a home, the parents hid the children, the two babies, in the attic, in a secret attic. They murdered the family, the parents, they found the secret latch to the hidden attic and then they murdered the babies. These protesters stand with them. They should be ashamed of themselves.
“They refuse to make the simple distinction between those who target terrorists and those who target civilians, between the democratic State of Israel and the terrorist thugs of Hamas.”
On the misguided protesters:
“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.’
“These protesters chant ‘From the river to the sea.’ But many don’t have a clue what river and what sea they’re talking about. They not only get an F in geography, they get an F in history. They call Israel a colonialist state. Don’t they know that the Land of Israel is where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob prayed, where Isaiah and Jeremiah preached and where David and Solomon ruled?
“For nearly four thousand years, the land of Israel has been the homeland of the Jewish people. It’s always been our home; it will always be our home.”
On the misguided “justice” of the ICC:
“The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has shamefully accused Israel of deliberately starving the people of Gaza. This is utter complete nonsense. It’s a complete fabrication. Israel has enabled more than 40,000 aid trucks to enter Gaza. That’s half a million tons of food, and that’s more than 3,000 calories for every man, woman and child in Gaza. 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.”
On the difference between Israel and Hamas:
“For Israel, every civilian death is a tragedy. For Hamas, it’s a strategy. They actually want Palestinian civilians to die, so that Israel will be smeared in the international media and be pressured to end the war before it’s won.”
On Iran’s war with Israel and the world:
“In the Middle East, Iran is virtually behind all the terrorism, all the turmoil, all the chaos, all the killing. And that should come as no surprise. When he founded the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini pledged, 'We will export our revolution to the entire world. We will export the Islamic revolution to the entire world.' Now, ask yourself, which country ultimately stands in the way of Iran’s maniacal plans to impose radical Islam on the world? And the answer is clear: It’s America, the guardian of Western civilization and the world’s greatest power. That’s why Iran sees America as its greatest enemy.
“Last month, I heard a revealing comment, ostensibly about the war in Gaza, but about something else. It came from the foreign minister of Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, and he said this: ‘This is not a war with Israel. Israel,’ he said, ‘is merely a tool. The main war, the real war, is with America.’”
Continuing with this theme:
“That’s why the mobs in Tehran chant ‘Death to Israel’ before they chant ‘Death to America.’ For Iran Israel is first, America is next. So, when Israel fights Hamas, we’re fighting Iran. When we fight Hezbollah, we’re fighting Iran. When we fight the Houthis, we’re fighting Iran. And when we fight Iran, we’re fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America.
“And one more thing. When Israel acts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons that could destroy Israel and threaten every American city, every city that you come from, we’re not only protecting ourselves. We’re protecting you.
“My friends, If you remember one thing, one thing from this speech, remember this: Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory.”
In sum,
“The war in Gaza could end tomorrow if Hamas surrenders, disarms and returns all the hostages. But if they don’t, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home.
“That’s what total victory means, and we will settle for nothing less.”
