‘Useful idiots’ – Netanyahu slams protesters in US speech

Updated / Wednesday, 24 Jul 2024 21:31

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has addressed the US Congress for a record fourth time as protests took place over his appearance in the chamber.

Several of his remarks were met with sustained applause, standing ovations, cheers and even whistling.

He dismissed the protesters as “Iran’s useful idiots”, and said that they should be ashamed of themselves.

“America and Israel must stand together,” he declared, and called US President Joe Biden “a proud Irish American Zionist”.

Mr Netanyahu made the case for Israel’s war in Gaza, and urged greater coordination with the US in its response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where there is a growing danger of the violence spilling over into a wider regional conflict.

He called for stronger action against Iran, which supports Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters and has drawn increased US condemnation over its recent nuclear advances.

A Hamas spokesperson responded to the address by saying that it demonstrated that Mr Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire deal.

The long-time Israeli leader addressed a joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives, surpassing the record held by British wartime leader Winston Churchill, who made three addresses, and who Mr Netanyahu referenced in his speech.

This week’s visit was orchestrated by Republican leaders in Congress, but the speech was less confrontational than in 2015, when he berated then-US president Barack Obama over his performance in the Middle East.

Mr Netanyahu is seeking to bolster his traditional links to Republicans, and will meet with presidential nominee Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago later this week.

He paid tribute to Mr Trump in his speech, and also to President Biden, upon whom he will rely for support for the remaining six months in the president’s term.

The Israeli leader must also reach out to US Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been critical of the massive numbers of Palestinian civilians that Israeli forces have killed in Gaza since the 7 October Hamas attack last year.

Preoccupied Washington

Mr Netanyahu’s speech comes as Washington is largely preoccupied with the fallout from Mr Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he was ending his re-election bid and endorsing Ms Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Dozens of Democrats are skipping the speech, with many expressing dismay over Israel’s war in the Palestinian enclave and saying they do not want to help Mr Netanyahu offset declining domestic poll numbers.

The Palestinian death toll from the offensive has exceeded 39,000, Gaza health officials said.

“For him, this is all about shoring up his support back home, which is one of the reasons I don’t want to attend,” Senator Chris Van Hollen told reporters.

“I don’t want to be part of a political prop in this act of deception. He is not the great guardian of the US-Israel relationship,” he added.

In the House, those staying away included progressives such as Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Ami Bera, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Adam Smith, the top Democrat on Armed Services.

Mr Smith said he never attends joint meetings but also yesterday described himself as “very, very opposed to what Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing in Israel”.