Live Updates: Netanyahu Offers Full-Throated Defense of Gaza War
The Israeli prime minister portrayed the war in Gaza as a “clash between barbarism and civilization” and declared “we will win.” He called antiwar protesters outside the Capitol “Iran’s useful idiots.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forcefully defended Israel’s military campaign in Gaza during an address on Wednesday to a joint meeting of Congress, in which he praised the Israeli-American alliance and sought to portray the war as a battle between good and evil, civilization and barbarism.
Mr. Netanyahu said the war against Hamas was part of a larger conflict between Iran and the United States, and he said America must stand with Israel to defend their common values.
“My friends, if you remember one thing, one thing from this speech, remember this,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “Our enemies are your enemies. Our fight is your fight. And our victory will be your victory.”
He also lavished praise on both President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump. He largely avoided talking about differences of opinion between himself and President Biden and instead directed anger at antiwar protesters, whom he accused of sympathizing with terrorists and acting as “Iran’s useful idiots.”
He did not mention a cease-fire by name, or discuss the status of the deal that Israel and Hamas have been negotiating for weeks and that the Biden administration desperately wants to get done. He did say that the war could end if Hamas surrendered, disarmed and returned hostages.
Mr. Netanyahu received repeated applause from Republican senators and representatives seated in the House chamber for the joint meeting, which dozens of Democratic lawmakers declined to attend, including two top senators and Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker.
Vice President Kamala Harris declined to preside over the session, as is traditional for the vice president, citing a scheduling conflict. Nearly 100 House and Senate interns called in sick to protest the speech.
Mr. Netanyahu laid out a vision for the day after the war ends, saying that after Israel defeats Hamas “a new Gaza could emerge,” and that Israel had no plans to “resettle” Gaza. That is an issue that Ms. Harris — now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee — has been pressing since the war began.
Outside the Capitol, more than 5,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered to protest the speech, some wearing Palestinian scarves, chanting for the United States to stop arming Israel. Some carried signs calling Mr. Netanyahu a “war criminal” and the “prime minister of genocide.”
Here’s what to know:
In Gaza: The death toll since the war began more than nine months ago has surpassed 39,000, according to the health authorities in the enclave, whose numbers do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel has been attacking areas of eastern Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, that it had previously designated as a humanitarian zone, saying that militants were firing rockets and Hamas was attempting to regroup there. More than 270 aid workers have been killed during the war, according to the United Nations.
Cease-fire talks: While both sides have agreed to the broad outlines of a three-phase cease-fire deal. negotiations to end the war in Gaza and free the hostages appear to have reached a standstill. On Thursday, a delegation of Israeli negotiators is expected to meet with mediators abroad, according to Mr. Netanyahu’s office, but it is not clear where the meetings will be held or how high-level they will be. Israel says it will only agree to a permanent cease-fire after Hamas’s elimination and the return of the 120 living and dead hostages in Gaza. Hamas has said it will not return any of the hostages unless Israel provides a path to a permanent cease-fire. At the same time, Hamas has resisted calls to abandon its control of the Gaza Strip, which it has ruled since 2007.
Meeting candidates: Mr. Netanyahu will meet with Ms. Harris in Washington on Thursday, after a separate meeting with President Biden. The two men will also meet with family members of Americans held hostage by Hamas, the White House said. The Israeli leader will then travel to Florida to meet with former President Donald J. Trump at his private club, Mar-a-Lago, on Friday. The Israeli leader was invited to Washington weeks ago, before Mr. Biden’s decision not to seek re-election. The relationship between Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu has grown testier in recent months as the war has dragged on.