July 25, 2024
At the invitation of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a bipartisan audience during a joint session of Congress on July 24.
The speech comes amid Israel’s ongoing war to defeat Hamas following the October 7 massacre, negotiations to free the remaining hostages held by Hamas, and the U.S. presidential election season.
The address focused on the longevity and closeness of the U.S.-Israel relationship, longstanding, bipartisan support for Israel, and PM Netanyahu’s broader vision for a Middle East, including building on the groundbreaking Abraham Accords to help push against the malign activities of the Iranian regime.
AJC CEO Ted Deutch attended the historic occasion, posting on X afterward, “I was honored to be on the House floor for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s historic address to a joint session of Congress, 292 days after October 7th. Our hostages will come home. The brave soldiers of the IDF will win this war. The world must come together to confront Iran. Israel will always remain America’s indispensable ally.”
Here are a few key takeaways from Netanyahu’s address to U.S. lawmakers.
Honoring the heroes of Israel and freeing the hostages
Netanyahu was joined at the Capitol by several freed hostages, hostage families, and heroic Israel Defense Forces soldiers.
Netanyahu mentioned rescued hostage Noa Argamani, who was present in the gallery, standing with his wife, Sara. He also highlighted the bravery of IDF soldiers during the October 7 Hamas massacre, such as Lt. Avichayil Reuven, an Ethiopian-Israeli paratrooper who “ran eight miles to the frontlines of Gaza to defend his people” and Sgt. Ashraf Al-Bahiri, a Bedouin soldier from the Israeli-Arab city of Rahat who "defended his community and then rushed to defend the neighboring communities like Be'eri."
"Ladies and gentlemen, the men and women of the IDF come from every corner of Israeli society, every ethnicity, every color, every sector, left and right… with the spirit of the Maccabees," he said.
The prime minister noted that negotiations to secure the hostages' release are “taking place right now” and vowed that he would not rest until they were all brought home.
“Israel has already brought home 135 of these hostages, including seven who were freed during rescue operations,” he added.
Here are the heroes who attended the address and were highlighted by the prime minister:
Noa Argamani
After Noa Argamani was kidnapped to Gaza by Hamas, her terminally ill mother had one last wish: to hug her daughter again. This wish came true when Noa was rescued, along with three other hostages, in a heroic IDF operation.
Lt. Avichayil Reuven
When Lt. Avichayil Reuven, an Ethiopian Israeli soldier, heard about the Hamas attack, he ran eight miles to reach the front line and defend his nation. He killed many terrorists and saved multiple lives on Oct. 7.
Sgt. Ashraf Al-Bahiri
Sgt. Ashraf Al-Bahiri is a Bedouin Israeli who bravely defended Israel from Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
Muslim soldiers of the IDF, like Ashraf, fought alongside their Jewish, Druze, Christian, and other comrades to defend their country.
Lt. Asa Sofer
Lt. Asa Sofer was wounded in battle on Oct. 7, losing his right arm and his vision in one eye. He will soon return to active duty in command of a tank company.
Lt. Jonathan Ben-Hamel
In the aftermath of October 7, Lt. Jonathan Ben-Hamel lost a leg while fighting Hamas in Gaza. Despite his injury, he bravely continued to defend his home.
‘Our fight is your fight’
Netanyahu spoke forcefully about the shared challenges facing the U.S. and Israel. In particular, the threat posed by Iran through its nuclear program and support for terror proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
“In the Middle East, Iran is virtually behind all the terrorism, all the turmoil, all the chaos, all the killing,” the Israeli leader said. America, “the guardian of Western civilization,” stands in the way of Iran’s maniacal plans to impose radical Islam on the world. Israel “is merely a tool” for Iran, added Netanyahu, quoting a Hezbollah official. “The main war, the real war, is with America.”
He said that if Iran was to truly challenge America, it must first conquer the Middle East, using its many terror proxies. But standing in Iran’s way “is one proud pro-American democracy—my country, the State of Israel.”
When Israel is fighting Hamas, we’re fighting Iran, he said. When Israel is fighting Hezbollah or the Houthis, we are also fighting Iran.
“If you remember one thing, one thing from this speech, remember this: Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory.”
Building an ‘Abraham Alliance’
The Israeli leader spoke about his vision for a more peaceful Middle East that would build on the historic Abraham Accords agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, which Netanyahu stressed were supported by Republicans and Democrats alike.
Suggesting that the new security agreement be called the Abraham Alliance, Netanyahu said that the U.S. and Israel can work together to form an alliance to counter the Iranian threat. “In the Middle East, Iran's axis of terror confronts America, Israel, and our Arab friends.”
“All countries that are at peace with Israel, and all those countries that will make peace with Israel, should join this alliance,” he continued.
Netanyahu also highlighted how the recent joint international effort on April 14 to shoot down the hundreds of Iranian drones, rockets, and missiles that were fired at Israel offers a “glimpse of that potential alliance.”
Violent antisemitic protests outside of the Capitol
Thousands of anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protesters gathered in Washington, D.C., near the U.S. Capitol to demonstrate ahead of Netanyahu’s address.
Netanyahu noted the protestors outside of the Capitol as well as the anti-Israel protests on college campuses throughout the spring semester in the U.S.
“Just as malicious lies were leveled for centuries at the Jewish people, malicious lies are now being leveled at the Jewish state,” he said. “The outrageous slanders that Israel is racist and genocidal are meant to delegitimize Israel, demonize the Jewish state and demonize Jews everywhere.”
According to the U.S. Capitol Police, some of the protesters became violent, with the crowd failing to obey police orders, leading to officers deploying pepper spray to push the rioters back behind the police line.
Demonstrators were heard calling for an intifada, which is a violent Palestinian uprising, and also declared that “resistance is justified when people are occupied.”
Pro-Hamas protestors were also seen outside of the Watergate Hotel, where Netanyahu and hostage families were staying, chanting “Allahu Akhbar Hamas…Jewish motherf*ckers. We’re gonna kill all of you. We’re gonna burn you.”
Additionally, the New York Times shared an image from the protests depicting Netanyahu with satanic features. This harmful stereotype dates back to medieval times, fueling dangerous antisemitism.
