Netanyahu proposes international alliance in address to Congress

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed a new international alliance with Israel during his hour-long address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. He described a regional alliance against Iran called the Abraham Alliance, built on the 2020 Abraham Accords. The Middle East is in upheaval as Iran’s axis of terror confronts America, Israel, and other Arab friends, Netanyahu said. He described the international effort to thwart an Iranian missile attack on Israel in April as a glimpse of what the alliance could look like.

The war with Hamas is not a clash of civilizations, but rather a clash between barbarism and civilization, he said. The prime minister reaffirmed Israel’s right to exist and insisted it would win the war against Hamas. Israel has been our home for nearly 4,000 years and will always be our home, Netanyahu said. The prime minister also reaffirmed the importance of continuing the US-Israel alliance. When the United States and Israel stand together, enemies will always lose, he said.

What else did the prime minister discuss? Netanyahu opened by sharing inspirational stories of Israeli soldiers and civilians during the war. He also honored a freed hostage in attendance and the families of other hostages also present. The prime minister took time to highlight the religious diversity within the Israel Defense Forces, specifically noting Muslim soldiers in its ranks fighting Hamas.

The prime minister addressed what he said were falsehoods around the flow of humanitarian aid in Gaza and the measures taken to protect citizens in combat zones. Israel has enabled more than 40,000 aid trucks with about half a million tons of food to enter Gaza, he said. Palestinians are starving not because Israel is stopping aid, but because Hamas is stealing it, he insisted.

The war in Gaza has one of the lowest combatant-to-non-combatant death ratios in the history of modern warfare, specifically in regard to Rafah, Netanyahu said. Israel has enacted more precautions to keep civilians safe than any military in history, according to Col. John Spencer, West Point’s Head of Urban Warfare Studies.

Netanyahu condemned anti-Israeli protesters who support Hamas and claim Israel is a colonizing state. He asked if people knew that Israel is where Abraham prayed and David ruled. Protesters who stand with rapists and murderers should be ashamed of themselves, Netanyahu said. He described the protesters as “Iran’s useful idiots,” which received a mix of cheers and boos from the gallery of U.S. lawmakers. He further shamed universities for not shutting down anti-Semitic protests, highlighting his alma mater MIT in particular.

The prime minister will remain in Washington and hold separate meetings with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Dig deeper: Read Catherine Gripp’s report on protesters demonstrating outside the Capitol ahead of Netanyahu’s address.