I went to Washington DC to hear Netanyahu’s Address.

Rabbi Nathan Farb | 7-26-2024

I found myself sitting behind the clacking keyboards and live video feeds of the press, maybe 20 feet from Sara Netanyahu, Noa Argamani, and – for some reason – Elon Musk. We are all in the gallery of the House Chamber of the US Capitol Building, about to hear Benjamin Netanyahu address the joint session of the United States Congress. It considered is a great honor for any foreign dignitary, and one that Bibi has now had four times. As he likes to remind his supporters, that’s one more than Winston Churchill.

A while back, I received a call from the office of our Congressional Representative, Monica De La Cruz. As an outspoken supporter of Israel in Congress, her office has been a repeated target of protests, vandalism, and letter writing campaigns attacking her for her support of Pro-Israeli policies. She and I have spoken about these issues in the past. This time, she was extending an invitation to attend the Israeli Prime Minister’s congressional address. When I arrived at her DC office, her impassioned support of Israel, in this time of ongoing national tragedy, was on full display. The public facing walls outside her door are filled with pictures of hostages, brought by their families, alongside the message: Bring Them Home. Her interns say they regularly have to stop people from attempting to cover or vandalize them.

As a Jewish community, protests against Israel are nothing new to us. I’ve been protested in Washington DC before, while attending Jewish and Pro-Israel events. I was not surprised when I arrived to see the entire capital complex enclosed by police barricades as a precaution. Some reports suggested that there could be as many as 10,000 people protesting Netanyahu’s speech. No one was allowed inside without a staff escort.

The truth is that I saw very little protester activity throughout the day. Despite the energized student encampments we saw over the past 6 months, it seems that the spirit of protest has dissipated. From the few scattered protesters I saw after the address and videos from news reports, it seems clear that the number was exaggerated by a couple of zeros. There were likely hundreds, but not thousands of protesters.

His supporters and detractors alike agree that Netanyahu is a gifted and dynamic speaker. This speech was no exception. He began with a vivid and emotional recounting of the events of October 7th, calling it “a date which will live in infamy,” likened to December 7, 1941. He framed the conflict as one not just between Israel and Hamas, but rather as a defense against Iranian global ambitions. He emphasized that Israeli and American cooperation was essential and exceptional: “when we stand together something very simple happens. We win. They lose.”

There were five or six protesters among the crowd at the beginning of the speech. They wore bright yellow T-shirts under their suits with the words, “seal the deal now.” They quietly stood showing their message before the speech began, and were just as quietly removed. I learned later that they were families of hostages still in Gaza, urging Netanyahu to accept the Hamas proposal to end the war in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages. In Israel, nothing is black and white.

Bibi shared his plans for ending the war in Gaza. He assured those gathered that Israel would settle for nothing less than “total victory.” That would include the three primary aims of the war: the release of all the hostages, total disarmament of Hamas, and total removal of Hamas from power in Gaza. He compared the demilitarization of Hamas to the policies of post war Germany and Japan. He didn’t provide any details of how it would be possible to accomplish all three, when so many observers and Israel’s own military experts have expressed doubt at the possibility. He didn’t make mention of the fact that Germany and Japan are formal nation states, whereas Hamas is a terrorist ideology.

One comment stood out to me that went by quickly. Netanyahu directly stated that Israel does not seek to resettle Gaza. While this has always been his apparent stance, it stands in contrast to the expressed intents of some of the right-wing leaders within his government. For months, there has been an open question of what would happen in Gaza “the day after” the war ends. He described in broad strokes the continuing Israeli security control, giving way to a civilian administration run by moderate Palestinians. It is an admirable vision to be sure.

Equally interesting is what he didn’t say. Much of the world has been waiting for Netanyahu to speak about the negotiated ceasefire agreement that could potentially end the war and bring the release of the remaining hostages. Although such a ceasefire is popular in Israel, especially among the families of the captives, it would leave Hamas partially intact. So far, Bibi has avoided showing his cards on the matter. Virtually any deal that Hamas would agree to could potentially end the far right government coalition in Israel and force new elections.

Apart from broad assurances that he had a plan for the remaining hostages, he didn’t share any details of the negotiations or indicate how soon a deal might be reached. So far, military operations to directly rescue the hostages have proven difficult and unreliable. He also didn’t give any sort of timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces and transition to civilian Palestinian leadership that he described. So far, Israel has not engaged in the type of nation building that the United States has done in places like Iraq.

Also notably absent from the address were the American President and Vice President. The typical protocol for a joint session of Congress is for the President, Vice President, and Speaker of the House to sit behind the speaker. Neither of them attended. Jewish Senator Chuck Schumer was front and center, although the two men did not shake hands. Schumer has very publicly called Netanyahu’s coalition an impediment to peace.

Netanyahu would go on to meet with President Biden and Vice President Harris before leaving DC (then heading to Mar-a-Lago to meet with former president Trump). For his own part, Netanyahu spoke glowingly and graciously of the support that President Biden has given through the course of this war with Hamas, and especially against the unprecedented attack from Iran. Bibi praised Biden for forming the military alliance that successfully intercepted hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones launched at Israel. He even proposed making it permanent, calling it “the Abraham Alliance.” He also thanked Trump for the support he gave during his own presidency.

The entire speech was punctuated by frequent, roaring applause and standing ovations. There was noticeably more enthusiasm from the right-hand side of the chamber, but also many times from all but the staunchest opposition of the left-hand side. Some lines like calling the campus protestors “useful idiots” who unknowingly served Iran’s agenda showed the split starkly. There were also lines (particularly while praising President Biden) where the applause came mostly from the left side of the chamber.

Ultimately, the address was far more of a rallying call than a policy plan or a diplomatic request. We all want to see the same things, even if we don’t agree on the most direct path to get there. We want to see a strong and secure Israel, at peace with her neighbors. We pray for an end of this war with Hamas and an end to unnecessary suffering for all people, not just Jews.

Hamas still stands in the way of that peace. Even nine months into the war, their arms are not depleted. They continue to attack Israeli soldiers and civilians alike, and have shown no indication of a desire for lasting peace. Iran continues to pump resources and arms to proxies like Hezbollah. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis from both the north and the South still live as refugees in their own country. We pray safety and security that will allow them to return home. We especially pray for the safe return of the more than 100 hostages who still remain in Gaza. May peace come very soon.