Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an address to Congress on Wednesday that said almost nothing about a diplomatic settlement of the war, instead doubling down on his dream of “total victory” over Hamas and “nothing less”—a goal that many of his own generals see as infeasible.>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE....CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE
In other words, he was saying: Forget about any cease-fire that doesn’t entail the destruction of Hamas as a military and political power.
To that end, while thanking the United States for sending Israel weapons over the years, he urged the administration and Congress—which have been in the throes of debate over whether to cut off military aid—to “send us the tools faster so we can finish the job faster.”>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE
He also turned the speech into the partisan spectacle that many had feared. Toward the beginning of the hourlong address, he thanked President Joe Biden for standing with Israel in its “darkest hour” during a visit “that will never be forgotten.” However, toward the end, he also thanked former President Donald Trump, in a much louder voice, “for all the things he did for Israel”—including recognizing Israel for its annexation of Syrian territory, moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and brokering the Abraham Accords with Arab neighbors.
Many Democratic lawmakers, including Vice President Kamala Harris, stayed away from the speech, not wanting to play props in Netanyahu’s political theater. They were right to do so.
Israeli officials had said ahead of time that the prime minister’s speech would be measured and bipartisan, and that he would focus on the negotiations—which the U.S., Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and Hamas have been conducting—for a cease-fire and hostage trade. But except for one sentence, in which he acknowledged the existence of such talks, he said nothing about this. Some Israeli hostage families, who came to Washington for the speech, urged him to make a deal quickly. Some in his entourage suggested that he might propose, or have news of, a breakthrough. He did not.
Netanyahu also spent much time denouncing pro-Palestinian protesters, including those demonstrating outside the Capitol, as “Iran’s useful idiots,” who know nothing about history or geography. True, Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, has testified that Iran has recently “sought to opportunistically take advantage of ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza,” including “providing financial support to protesters.”
It is also true that many protesters interviewed by newscasters don’t know what bodies of water they’re talking about when they advocate to free Palestine “from the river to the sea.” But not all the protesters are foreign agents, and in any case, it’s offensive for the leader of a country that depends so deeply on our aid to come here and scold our citizens, no matter how misguided he might find them.
Finally, although Netanyahu could have mustered a good argument against charges that Israel has committed genocide, he instead cited a study showing that the ratio of civilian deaths to combatant deaths in Gaza has been lower than any other campaign of urban warfare in history. The claim is hard to verify, since neither Israel nor Hamas makes a distinction between civilian and combatant deaths—mainly because, given that Hamas fighters don’t wear uniforms, it’s almost impossible to do so.
Throughout, the prime minister argued that U.S. and Israeli interests are one. He linked Oct. 7, 2024, the date of Hamas’ murderous assault on Israel, with Sept. 11, 2001, and Dec. 7, 1941—the dates of the attacks on the Twin Towers and on Pearl Harbor, respectively—as days of infamy perpetrated by near-identical barbarians.
In that spirit, he said, “our enemies are your enemies” (referring mainly to Iran). He asserted that “shackling Israel”—by which he meant refusing to deliver all the arms Israel wants—would be tantamount to “shackling America and all democracies,” adding, in a rising voice, “The hands of the Jewish state will never be shackled.”
This was an address intended for audiences in his homeland. It started at 2 p.m. Washington time, or 9 p.m. in Israel—TV prime time. Netanyahu was playing on his long-standing appeal—that he is the Israeli leader who can get the goods from the U.S. and stand up to American pressure. His friends in Congress gleefully played their vocal bit parts.
The Middle East does stand on the precipice of great hope and great danger, as he said at the start of his speech. Depending on how the war in Gaza goes over the next days, weeks, or months, it could spread to involve Hezbollah (which has been stepping up its attacks on northern Israel) and Iran (the main sponsor of both Hezbollah and Hamas). Or it could settle down, into not only an armistice with all enemies but a “normalization” of relations with Saudi Arabia—a stance that could broaden good relations with Arab and Muslim nations worldwide.
Netanyahu did not address the challenges of achieving that sort of peace without endangering security. He merely flung the red meat. Nothing will come of this speech; nothing was meant to come of it.
On Thursday, he will meet with Biden and Harris. On Friday, he will travel to Mar-a-Lago for a meeting with Trump. Little can be hoped to come out of those sessions either. He is engaged in mere theater and so has done nothing to improve Israel’s relations with its No. 1 ally or its prospects for peace.>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE
