Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized anti-Israel protesters who have been demonstrating at college campuses and on the streets near the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, lambasting them as “useful idiots” of Iran.
“Incredibly, many anti-Israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. … They should be ashamed of themselves,” Netanyahu said to applause.
Netanyahu, who wore a yellow pin expressing solidarity with the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, highlighted a recent statement from the director of national intelligence that found Iran stoked anti-Israel protests. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement that the United States has “observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protesters.”
“I have a message for these protesters: When the tyrants of Tehran who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair are praising, promoting, and funding you, you have officially become Iran’s useful idiots,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu called out Gays for Gaza, a slogan used by some anti-Israel protesters. He argued the slogan is an oxymoronic.
“Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming ‘Gays for Gaza,’” he said. “They might as well hold up signs saying ‘Chickens for KFC.’”
The Israeli prime minister praised the Biden administration’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, calling America “Israel’s indispensable ally.”
“America and Israel must stand together. When we stand together, something very simple happens: We win, they lose. I came here to assure you of one thing: We will win,” Netanyahu said as the majority of the chamber stood and applauded.
However, boycotts of his address by some Democratic lawmakers and protests in the Capitol threatened to overshadow his message, with his appearance highlighting rifts, particularly among Democrats, with how his government has handled the war in Gaza.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) staged a silent protest during Netanyahu’s address, holding a double-sided sign that read “War Criminal” and “Guilty of Genocide” as he delivered his speech.
Some empty seats on one side of the chamber illustrated the progressives’ frustration with how Israel is handling the war, particularly when it comes to the Palestinian civilian death toll. The number of Palestinians killed since the start of the conflict has exceeded 39,000, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. The toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
About 80 House Democrats and at least six Democratic senators skipped Netanyahu’s speech. Typically when foreign leaders address Congress, the U.S. vice president serves as the president of the Senate and sits behind the speaker. However, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the likely Democratic presidential nominee, was absent from the rostrum, citing a long-scheduled campaign stop in Indiana. She is expected to meet Thursday with Netanyahu.
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The last time Netanyahu addressed Congress in 2015, he also did so at the invitation of a Republican House speaker, and the Democratic vice president was not in attendance. The Israeli prime minister has addressed Congress four times.
“We meet today at a crossroads of history,” Netanyahu said. “Our world is in upheaval. In the Middle East, Iran’s axis of terror confronts America, Israel, and our Arab friends. This is not a clash of civilizations. It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization.”
