It's nice of Benjamin Netanyahu to graciously credit the US with firm bipartisan support for Israel. Just how accurate is that statement? One can measure it in the absence of leaders from one side of the aisle. Vice President Kamala Harris, who would normally co-preside over a joint session of Congress with Speaker Mike Johnson, absented herself. So did president pro tem Patty Murray, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and a number of other leading Democrats.

At least Rashida Tlaib showed up! Although, er ...

🚨Rep. Rashida Tlaib holds up a sign that reads "Guilty of genocide" during Netanyahu's speech to Congress.

Source: C-Span pic.twitter.com/P4B5v9shKa

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 24, 2024

Stay classy! Johnson had warned the House not to engage in protests; Tlaib got told repeatedly to stop waving the sign, but continued to pop it up during the speech. And a few others showed up outside, too, as my friend Julio Rosas reported:

Anti-Netanyahu protesters continued to shout at officers, demanding they be let through to get closer to the Capitol building. pic.twitter.com/lhE7IsUVDF

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) July 24, 2024

Netanyahu delivered a "full-throated defense of the Gaza war," as the New York Times put it, precisely why he made this appearance at a joint session of Congress -- or most of it, anyway. He went out of his way to praise both Joe Biden and Donald Trump for their support, as well as the unity Netanyahu hopes to foster again, the Squad notwithstanding. The more Netanyahu can dial down the partisan rancor around the military alliance with Israel, the more secure his country will be. 

However, Netanyahu made clear that he will not trade security for peace. "The war in Gaza could end tomorrow," Netanyahu reminded Congress, "if Hamas surrenders, disarms, and returns all the hostages." Until that happens, Netanyahu pledged, Israel would not stop until Hamas is destroyed as a fighting force and ends any chance that Gaza can be used to launch more wars against Israel. 

The main ask from Netanayhu: expedited weapons sales and transfers. He wants Congress to press forward with arms shipments and an end to the interference that has delayed key purchases. Netanyahu cited Winston Churchill's 1940 plea, asking Congress to give him the tools to fight tyranny and terrorism, and Israel will defeat both. The quicker the tools come, Netanyahu promised, the faster the war will conclude.

And he made no apologies for fighting a war Hamas began, either:

“In the Middle East, Iran’s axis of terror confronts Israel, America and our Arab friends. This is not a clash between civilizations, it’s a clash between barbarism and civilizations. It’s a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life," the premier said.

“For the forces of civilization to triumph, Israel and America must stand together," he added. "We will win."

Turning to the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, Netanyahu said that "heaven turned into hell" when 3,000 Palestinian terrorists stormed into Israel and butchered 1,200 people.

"These monsters, they raped women, they beheaded men, they burned babies alive, killed parents in front of their parents, and children in front of their parents," he said.

He also emphasized that Israel has no interest in a new occupation of Israel. However, thanks to years of attacks from Gaza, Israel will insist on security control, hopefully in partnership with Abraham Accord allies, while a de-Hamasification takes place:

He says Israel does not seek to resettle Gaza, but must maintain overall security control to make sure Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.

Gaza should have a civilian administration run by Palestinians who don’t seek to destroy Israel, he says. “That’s not too much to ask.”

The next generation of Palestinians must learn to live alongside Jews, he says, calling for deradicalization of the Palestinians in Gaza and comparing the need to what happened in Japan and Germany after World War II.

Netanyahu also took a swipe at the protesters outside the Capitol as well as those that seized college campuses for much of the last nine-plus months since the war started. He castigated them as "Iran's useful idiots." Jerusalem Post live-blogged that part of the speech:

Israel recently learned that Iran is funding and promoting anti-Israel protests in America, they want ot disrupt America,” he said.

Someone in the gallery shouted out “yes,” to that statement. Others shouted out, “USA, USA!”

Iran is funding the anti-Israel protests outside of this building, he said.

Those protesters, he said, “have become Iran’s useful idiots.”

Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming gays for Gaza or from the River to the Sea, but they do not know what River and Sea they are talking about.

They call Israel a colonial state, “don’t they know that” this is the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he stated. For 4,000 years Israel has been the land of the Jewish people, Netanyahu said, “it has always been our home and it will always be our home.”

For the most part, Netanyahu said exactly what he's been saying all along. As US media outlets noted, he pointedly did not discuss a two-state solution, which has become wildly unpopular in Israel -- for good reason. He didn't oppose it explicitly either, likely out of deference to Biden, who still has his fingers on the weapons shipments. Netanyahu clearly wants to get beyond the anger and frustration in the American political mix and get back to a bipartisan basis of the US-Israel strategic alliance, mainly by emphasizing that the real enemy at hand is Iran, and that's a serious threat that has to be stopped for the safety and security of both nations. 

The speech lasted about an hour, and is embedded below. I haven't yet found a transcript, but will add a link to this post when I do. Netanyahu spoke with impressive force and clear good will, reminding everyone here how speeches can be delivered by people competent at the task, and reminded us that leaders actually show up. Watch it all. (PS: That's Ben Cardin presiding with Johnson in the absence of Murray and Harris.)