Netanyahu seeks support for Gaza war in address to Congress that sparks large protests and boycotts
Washington, Jul 24: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to bolster U.S. support for his country's fight against Hamas and other Iran-backed armed groups in a speech to Congress Wednesday that sparked boycotts by some top Democrats and drew thousands of protesters to the Capitol to condemn the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it has created.
“America and Israel must stand together," said Netanyahu, who wore a yellow pin expressing solidarity with the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. "When we stand together something really great happens: we win, they lose.”
With criticism against him rising in Israel, too, Netanyahu also aims to portray himself as a statesman respected by Israel's most important ally. That task is complicated by Americans' increasingly divided views on Israel and the war, which has emerged as a key issue in the U.S. presidential election.
Tall steel barriers ringed the Capitol Wednesday, and security officers deployed on foot, bicycle and with dogs around the building and in hallways inside. Thousands of protesters rallied near the Capitol, denouncing Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and calling for a cease-fire.
Netanyahu received a warm welcome from House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican lawmakers who arranged his speech in the House chamber. “Today and every day, America must stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel,” Johnson said shortly before Netanyahu began speaking. He received a bipartisan standing ovation.
Noa Argamani, an Israeli hostage who was freed in a rescue mission in Gaza, was in attendance.
The appearance makes Netanyahu the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times, surpassing Winston Churchill.
More than 50 Democrats and political independent Bernie Sanders boycotted Netanyahu's speech. The most notable absence was right behind him: Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as president of the Senate, said a long-scheduled trip kept her from attending.
The next Democrat in line, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, declined to attend, so Sen. Ben Cardin, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, served as “senator pro tempore” in place of her.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat who has family in the West Bank, sat in the House chamber with a keffiyeh, which she often wears, wrapped over her shoulders. Tlaib was censured last year for her strident criticism of Israel's conduct in the war.
Republicans said the absence of Harris, the new Democratic front-runner for the presidency, was a sign of disloyalty to an ally. Former President Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance, was also a no-show for Netanyahu's speech, citing the need to campaign.
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden and Harris on Thursday, and with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.
Many in the swelling crowds of demonstrators protested the killings of more than 39,000 Palestinians in the war. Others condemned Netanyahu's inability to free Israeli and American hostages taken by Hamas and other groups during the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war.
Support for Israel has long carried political weight in U.S. politics. But the usual warm welcome for Netanyahu's visits has been diminished this time around by political turmoil, including the assassination attempt against Trump and Biden's decision not to seek another term.
Many Democrats who support Israel but have been critical of Netanyahu see the address as a Republican effort to cast itself as the party most loyal.
Many Democrats attended the address despite their criticism of Netanyahu, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called for new elections in Israel in a March floor speech. Schumer, of New York, said then that Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
About 60 lawmakers met Wednesday with relatives of those taken hostage by Hamas, and they expressed anger toward Netanyahu. “Because by coming here, he risks making himself the issue, turning the humanitarian issue of the hostages into a political one,” Maya Roman, who had several family members taken hostage, told the lawmakers.
The United States is Israel's most important ally, arms supplier and source of military aid. Netanyahu's visit is his first abroad since the war started, and comes under the shadow of arrest warrants sought against him by the International Criminal Court over alleged Israel war crimes against Palestinians. The United States does not recognize the ICC.
The Biden administration says it wants to see Netanyahu focus his visit on helping it complete a deal for a cease-fire and hostage-release. Growing numbers of Israelis accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war in order to avoid a likely fall from power whenever the conflict ends.
Netanyahu has said his aims for the U.S. visit are to press for freeing hostages held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza, to build support for continuing Israel's battle against the group, and to argue for continuing to confront Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iranian-allied groups in the region.
Some Democrats are wary about Netanyahu since he used a 2015 joint address to Congress to denounce then-President Barack Obama's pending nuclear deal with Iran.
Netanyahu used an appearance early Wednesday to focus on Iran, its nuclear program and its network of armed allies. Iran is “behind the entire axis of terror” that threatens the U.S. and Israel, he said, speaking at a memorial for former Sen. Joe Lieberman.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that Iran's nuclear program — which it says is for civilian purposes — was now one to two weeks away from having enough enriched fuel for a nuclear bomb. Blinken said there was no sign Iran had decided to take the final steps to build a bomb.
Hundreds of anti-Israel activists storm the U.S. Capital and stage a sit down protest against Netanyahu before his address to Congress tomorrow.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) July 23, 2024
They were arrested shortly afterwards.
Is this an insurrection? pic.twitter.com/qq0UksYo04
Welcome to Fort Netanyahu!
— Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) July 24, 2024
DC is rolling out the red carpet, the ten foot high fences, and massive police forces to hide war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu from the protests occurring wherever he goes. If support for Israel is so popular, why can't Netanyahu face the people? pic.twitter.com/63P0tidUqQ
Protesters gathered behind police barriers at the Hotel in Washington, DC, where the Netanyahy was staying, they said they hung the inscription “ WE DEMAND NETANYAHU’S ARRESTS ” on the building, made noise and waved Palestinian flags. pic.twitter.com/ttUViVuTSj
— S p r i n t e r (@SprinterFamily) July 24, 2024
Arrests are beginning as over 400 American Jews refuse to leave Congress, but we won’t leave until our government STOPS ARMING ISRAEL and ENDS THE GENOCIDE of Palestinians in Gaza! pic.twitter.com/ybVpz7Rgh6
— Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) July 23, 2024
The DC Palestinian Youth Movement released maggots and crickets were released throughout the Watergate Hotel where Netanyahu is staying.
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) July 24, 2024
The protestors also pulled multiple fire alarms throughout the night.
This is an utter security failure. pic.twitter.com/3O0XbOvoGx
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
