Amid ongoing protests during his visit to the US capital, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced an unprecedented boycott by about half of the Democrats in the House and Senate when he addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.
While many lawmakers had previously announced their intention to boycott the speech, Representative Rashida Tlaib, the only American lawmaker of Palestinian descent, chose to attend, wearing a keffiyeh and holding a sign that read “war criminal” on one side and “guilty of genocide” on the other as a sign of defiance.
After Netanyahu finished his speech, Tlaib said the applause for the Israeli prime minister was “disgusting.” However, she was not the only one to criticise the Israeli PM’s speech.
Nancy Pelosi, former House Speaker, called Netanyahu’s speech the “worst” performance by a foreign leader in US history. She said on her microblog:
Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the House of Representatives today was by far the worst speech by any foreign dignitary invited and honoured to address the US Congress. Many of us who love Israel spent time today listening to Israeli citizens whose families have suffered since the Hamas terror attack and kidnappings on October 7. These families are asking for a ceasefire agreement that will bring the hostages home, and we hope the prime minister will spend his time working toward that goal.
“Inviting Netanyahu was inexcusable”
For many Democrats, the decision by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to invite Netanyahu was inexcusable amid rising casualties in Gaza and raised questions about hypocrisy. Representative Summer Lee, one of dozens of boycotters, said on the House floor Wednesday morning:
Gaza was destroyed by the Israeli military with weapons provided by the United States. More than 39,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and more are being killed every day. Most homes, most infrastructure has been destroyed. So what are we doing? We invite with open arms Netanyahu, who is responsible for this, to address Congress. When Putin commits war crimes, we condemn him. When Netanyahu commits war crimes, we give him excuses and bomb him.” This hypocrisy does not come off the lips of the whole world.
The sentiment underscores a growing rift in the Democratic Party, which until very recently was far more united in its support for Israel.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, who has voiced support for continued US support for Israel, said he attended Netanyahu’s speech because any differences he may have with the Israeli leader are “far outweighed by the unbreakable bonds of the US-Israel relationship, the strength of which will stand the test of time.” He said, using a Hebrew phrase that means “the people of Israel are alive”:
I am proud to be an advocate of the world’s greatest friendship. I have always been and will always be a Zionist. #AmYisraelChai.
While Netanyahu addressed the crowd at the Capitol, thousands of demonstrators gathered outside to protest his speech and Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 39,100 Palestinians. Demonstrators called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and condemned the decision to give the Israeli leader one of the highest honours a foreign leader can receive.
McKenzie Manns, one of the protesters, told Anadolu Agency that Netanyahu’s visit to Congress was “wild” and said “he is committing genocide right now.” he also added:
I think it’s even crazier that our Congress welcomed him and allowed him to set foot in this country, and that’s why we’re here, because you can’t kill a whole nation and then come and make speeches like you’re a good kid.
Israeli offensive continues
Meanwhile, the deadly war in the Gaza Strip continues. Several Palestinians were killed and wounded in overnight Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip as Israel’s deadly attack entered its 293rd day, local media reported on Thursday.
The Palestinian official Wafa news agency said four Palestinians were killed and wounded, including women and children, in an Israeli airstrike on the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in northern Gaza City. Other Palestinians were also injured in an airstrike on the home of the Abu Jayyab family in the Beach refugee camp in western Gaza City.
Israeli tanks opened fire on Palestinian homes in the eastern neighbourhoods of Zeitoun district in the east of the city, Wafa also reported.
In the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, seven people were injured, most of them children, in an airstrike on the home of the Abu Garkoud family. In the south of the Gaza Strip, Israeli artillery continued to launch heavy strikes on the towns of Khan Younis and Rafah.
The Ministry of Health has not yet released details of casualties from Israeli shelling as the ground offensive by Israeli forces continues in both southern cities.
