Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, visited Washington on Wednesday, delivering a very passionate speech in front of Congress that emphasized how important the relationship between Israel and the U.S. while also criticizing Iran and the protesters who were outside of the Capitol.
Multiple Democrats weren’t present for that speech this week, though, as they stayed away in protest of Netanyahu’s actions in the ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
On Monday night, ultra-progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said she would be boycotting the speech that the “war criminal” Netanyahu would be giving.
Posting on the social media site X, AOC said it was “a dark day” in U.S. history that Netanyahu was even invited to speak in front of a joint meeting of the Senate and House.
As she wrote:
“It is a dark day in US history when an authoritarian with warrant requests from the International Criminal Court is allowed to address a joint session of Congress. 40k Palestinians are dead. Hostages aren’t home. Netanyahu is a war criminal. I will be boycotting his address.”
Back in May, a prosecutor from the ICC requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the defense minister of Israel, as well as several of Hamas’ leaders.
Yet, last month, the prime minister was invited to Washington to speak before Congress members in a letter that was signed by the leaders of both parties from both chambers.
Wednesday’s speech was the first time that Netanyahu addressed lawmakers in the U.S. in almost 10 years. As he said at one point during his speech:
“My friends, I came to assure you today of one thing: We will win. Like December 7, 1941, and September 11, 2001, October 7 is a day that will forever live in infamy.”
Israel’s prime minister compared the deadly surprise attacks on his country on October 7 of 2023 to the surprise attack on U.S. soil at Pearl Harbor in 1941, and the terrorist attacks carried out in New York and Washington in 2001.
Never one to shy away from controversial statements, Netanyahu directly addressed the many protests that were occurring while he was speaking, as well as those that have taken place at college campuses throughout the country during the spring semester.
As he said:
“Incredibly, many anti-Israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers.”
Netanyahu even accused the Washington protesters of receiving funding from Iran, referencing a statement that Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, issued this month that America has “observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protesters.”
The prime minister then had a pointed comment for the protesters:
“You have officially become Iran’s useful idiots.”
While America’s support for Israel has always been strong, it’s waned during the country’s ongoing war with Hamas, which has displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population.
Still, the Biden administration has remained steadfast in its support of Israel throughout the war, which Israel said won’t stop until the terrorist organization is completely eradicated.
