Netanyahu defends war in Gaza and denounces protesters in speech to Congress

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged in a scathing speech to Congress on Wednesday to achieve “total victory” against Hamas and denounced American opponents of the war in Gaza as “idiots,” taking a combative stance in a visit the Biden administration hopes can yield progress in negotiations to end the fighting.

Netanyahu used the high-profile address to a joint meeting of Congress to emphasize longstanding and close ties between the United States and Israel. But the speech put in sharp relief the divisions in American society stirred by the war, with dozens of Democratic lawmakers boycotting the address and thousands of protesters outside the Capitol condemning the war and the humanitarian crisis created by it.

Some of the protests near the Capitol turned chaotic, including within a few hundred yards of the tightly guarded Capitol grounds. Protesters outside nearby Union Station lowered American flags and raised Palestinian ones. Officers on streets surrounding the Capitol brawled with demonstrators, swinging batons and spraying tear gas.

Speaking for nearly an hour to frequent applause from U.S. lawmakers, as well as stony silence from many leading Democrats, Netanyahu said the U.S. has a shared interest in his country’s fight against Hamas and other Iran-backed armed groups.

“America and Israel must stand together. When we stand together something really simple happens: We win, they lose,” said Netanyahu, who wore a yellow pin expressing solidarity with the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

But the Israeli leader soon pivoted to a darker tone as he derided those protesting the war on college campuses and elsewhere in the U.S., gesturing to demonstrations happening on the streets outside the Capitol. He called protesters “useful idiots” for Israel’s adversaries.

Netanyahu — making his first trip abroad since the war started — made no direct mention of months of U.S.-led mediation for a cease-fire and hostage-release. Yet his remarks, while combative, did not appear to close the door on a deal.

“Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’s military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home,” he said. “That’s what total victory means. And we will settle for nothing less.”

Hostages freed from Gaza and families of those still in captivity listened in the House chamber. Security removed protesters in the gallery who rose to display T-shirts with slogans demanding an end to the war and the freeing of remaining hostages.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American serving Congress, went a step further, holding a sign that said “WAR CRIMINAL” on one side and “GUILTY OF GENOCIDE” on the other. Tlaib is one of Netanyahu’s most strident critics in Congress and was censured for her comments last year against the Israel-Hamas war, which has killed more than 39,000 in Gaza.

She has relatives in the West Bank and represents a Michigan district with many Palestinian Americans.

Netanyahu steered away from discussing efforts by the United States and Arab allies to negotiate an end to the fighting and a release of surviving hostages seized by Hamas-led militants. He accused American protesters of the war of standing with the militants who he said killed babies.

“These protesters that stand with them, they should be ashamed of themselves,” he said. Some 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the Oct. 7 attack that started the war.

Netanyahu — who is frequently accused of wading into U.S. politics in favor of conservative and Republican causes — started his remarks with praise of President Joe Biden. But he turned to lavishing praise on former president and current presidential contender Donald Trump “for all he’s done for Israel.”

Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, and with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.

Kentucky Republican Rep. Andy Barr praised the prime minister’s speech as an exhortation to see Israeli and American interests as intertwined.

“Why should members of Congress, why should the American people defend Israel in their moment of need? Because it is in the national security interest of the United States to defeat Hamas and other Iranian proxies,” Barr said.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, said Netanyahu’s speech was made for Trump’s GOP.

“We didn’t hear anything about meaningful progress towards a bilateral cease-fire in return for hostages. We didn’t hear anything about peace,” he said.

The families of American hostages being held in Gaza said they were “profoundly disappointed” by Netanyahu’s speech. In a joint statement, the families said he “failed to commit to the hostage deal that is now on the table even though Israel’s senior defense and intelligence officials have called on him to do so.”

Eight Americans are believed to be held by Hamas, including three who were killed.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who boycotted the speech, called Netanyahu’s speech “the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress.”

Delivering the speech during Israel’s evening prime time, Netanyahu also had an eye on the audience back home. Netanyahu, whose popularity has plummeted from its pre-war levels, aimed to portray himself as a statesman respected by Israel’s most important ally and welcomed in the corridors of Washington. That task is complicated by Americans’ increasingly divided views on Israel and the war.

The appearance made Netanyahu the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times, surpassing Winston Churchill.

House Speaker Mike Johnson gave Netanyahu a warm welcome. More than 60 Democrats and political independent Bernie Sanders boycotted Netanyahu’s speech. The most notable absence was right behind him: 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.

Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, was also a no-show for Netanyahu’s speech, citing the need to campaign.

Support for Israel has long carried political weight in U.S. politics. But Netanyahu’s visit has been somewhat overshadowed by U.S. political turmoil, including the assassination attempt against Trump and Biden’s decision not to seek another term.

Many Democrats attended the address despite their criticism of Netanyahu, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who in a floor speech in March called for new elections in Israel. Schumer, of New York, said then that Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region.

The United States is Israel’s most important ally, arms supplier and source of military aid. The Biden administration had said 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’s visit came 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.

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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick, Eric Tucker, and Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.