Netanyahu Insulted and Smeared the Pro-Palestine Protest Movement. Congress Clapped.
As thousands of protesters gathered outside the Capitol, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress — and spent a significant portion of his hourlong speech attacking the U.S. pro-Palestinian protest movement with insults and misinformation.
Attacks on the Pro-Palestinian Movement
The prime minister went after campus protesters, drawing a false equivalence between students calling on their schools to divest from Israel and antisemitic attacks. He also insulted protesters’ geographical and historical knowledge of the region, belittling their slogans and comparing them to fast food slogans.
Netanyahu claimed that movements for Palestine liberation were choosing “to stand with evil … to stand with Hamas.” He also alleged that the pro-Palestinian movement is funded by the Iranian government, labeling protesters “Iran’s useful idiots,” without offering any evidence to support his claim.
Controversy and Democratic Opposition
Netanyahu’s appearance before Congress generated significant controversy among Democratic lawmakers, drawing detractors across the party’s political spectrum. More than 50 Democratic lawmakers boycotted the address in protest.
Roaring applause met Netanyahu as he walked onto the House floor, with the ovation lasting for more than five minutes. Throughout his speech, Netanyahu singled guests in attendance out for praise, including Israel Defense Forces soldiers and a former hostage.
Criticism of Netanyahu’s Speech
Netanyahu’s speech was seen as an attempt to delegitimize the pro-Palestine movement and distract from the high number of casualties in Gaza. Protesters demanding a ceasefire and an end to Israel’s war saw his attacks as a testament to the power of their movement.
The prime minister appealed to lawmakers to fast-track military aid and invoked former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s World War II appeal to the United States. However, American soldiers in the region have been deployed to Gaza, died in attacks related to the ongoing war, and actively defended Israeli targets from attack.
ICC Case and International Condemnation
The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor requested arrest warrants in May for Netanyahu and his cabinet member and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on a series of war crimes. The ICC has yet to approve the warrants. In Congress, Netanyahu openly dismissed the ICC’s case against him.
Protest organizers hope to shift the focus from individual actors, such as Netanyahu, to the broader catastrophe of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and war on Gaza. The International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal and amounts to apartheid.
Conclusion
Netanyahu’s speech and attacks on the pro-Palestinian movement were met with applause from many members of Congress. However, critics argue that his speech was an attempt to delegitimize the movement and distract from the high number of casualties in Gaza. Protest organizers hope to shift the focus to the broader issue of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and its war on Gaza.