Benjamin Netanyahu had come to Washington in search of an audience he can no longer dream of having in his own country, as in many others. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. In front of both chambers of the US Congress, gathered to hear him on Wednesday, July 24, the Israeli prime minister found, mainly on the Republican benches, an audience that rose and rose for him for 52 minutes, ready to offer him nearly 50 standing ovations.
The ritualistic applause did not, however, mask the high number of absentees in the Democratic ranks, starting with that of Vice President Kamala Harris, also president of the Senate and conveniently away in Indiana. Her immediate protocol replacement, Washington State Democratic Senator Patty Murray, as president pro tempore, also called in sick. These absences reflected exasperation with the conduct of Israel's particularly bloody and destructive war in Gaza, following the massacre of Israeli civilians by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023. The day before, independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders had spoken of a "unique" day. "It will be the first time in American history that a war criminal has been given that honor" of speaking before Congress, he declared.
The content of Netanyahu's speech was expected, as he described the war as "existential" for Israel, and reduced the Israel-Palestine conflict to part of a wider struggle against "Iran's axis of terror" that "confronts America, Israel and our Arab friends." He asserted that his country is "on the frontline" of this battle, which he said is not "a clash of civilizations," but "a clash between barbarism and civilization," "between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life." "Give us the tools faster, and we'll finish the job faster," added the prime minister, in search of further American military aid.
In so doing, Netanyahu left no room for the slightest criticism, denying both the disproportionate use of force and Israel's responsibility for the appalling humanitarian situation facing Palestinians in Gaza. This presentation also enabled him to denigrate the demonstrators who had gathered under heavy police surveillance in the capital – including relatives of Israeli hostages captured on October 7. They denounced the massacres of civilians resulting from Israeli bombardments over the last 10 months with weapons from the United States. "They should be ashamed of themselves (...) You have officially become Iran's useful idiots," he said, insinuating that the Islamic Republic was manipulating the protest movements that have sprung up across the country, particularly in universities.
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