Netanyahu justified war in Gaza as protesters gathered outside the US Congress

(Patria) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US lawmakers "our enemies are your enemies" in a speech to Congress aimed at garnering support for the war in Gaza, but it was marked by protests inside and outside the Capitol, the BBC reported.

"When we fight Iran, we fight the most radical and deadliest enemy of the United States," Netanyahu said.

"Our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory," he added.

The Israeli leader received a warm reception from mostly Republicans as he addressed a joint session of Congress, his fourth. However, growing political divisions over the war in Gaza were highlighted by dozens of Democratic members of Congress who deliberately did not attend and thousands of protesters on the streets.

A crowd gathered near the stage on Capitol Hill, with banners, including one that declared the Israeli leader a "wanted war criminal," referring to an arrest warrant sought by the International Criminal Court prosecutor. Five people were arrested inside the Capitol building for attempting to disrupt his address, police said.

Addressing the protesters, Netanyahu said: "You have officially become useful idiots of Iran."

In one of numerous references to Iran, the Israeli prime minister claimed that an "axis of terror" threatens the US, Israel, and the Arab world, describing it as a "clash of barbarism against civilization."

The term contrasted with what Iran describes as the "axis of resistance," an alliance across the Middle East including Palestinian Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah, and the Houthis, who rule parts of Yemen.

He told Congress that Iranian proxy forces had attacked American targets, adding that Iran believes that "to truly challenge America, it must first conquer the Middle East."

"But at the heart of the Middle East, on Iran's path, lies a proud pro-American democracy: my country, the State of Israel."

Speaking for over an hour, Netanyahu dismissed criticism of Israel and presented the war in Gaza as his country's battle for survival, seeking further US military aid. He thanked Washington for providing Israel with "generous military assistance" for decades, adding that in return, Israel had provided the United States with critical intelligence that "saved many lives."

He called for "accelerated" US military aid, arguing that it could speed up the end of the war in Gaza and help prevent a wider regional war. Quoting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's appeal to the American people during World War II, he said:

"Give us the tools, and we will finish the job."

Netanyahu did not extensively discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, other than to claim that Israel was delivering enough food aid to provide 3,000 calories per person. If Gazans were not receiving food, he said, it was because "Hamas is stealing it."

Outlining his vision for the Gaza Strip after the war, he called for a "demilitarized and deradicalized" enclave under Israeli military control.

"Gaza should have a civilian administration led by Palestinians who do not seek to destroy Israel. That is not too much to ask," he said.

He did not mention the possibility of a two-state solution, which President Joe Biden and
Vice President Kamala Harris desire.

Dozens of lawmakers absent

Several ovations could not hide the fact that at least 39 lawmakers were absent. Almost all were Democrats, including influential former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said it was "inappropriate" for Netanyahu to visit.

Kamala Harris was not present, reportedly due to her schedule.

During the speech, Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American member of Congress, was seen holding a sign that read "guilty of genocide" and "war criminal."

Aware that Donald Trump could return to the White House, Benjamin Netanyahu also thanked the former president for moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and for recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, territory Israel captured from Syria in 1967. The two are scheduled to meet in Florida later this week.