WASHINGTON (CN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told members of Congress Wednesday that his country’s war in Gaza was inexorably linked to the safety and security of the United States and urged Washington to continue supporting his efforts to root out Hamas.
Netanyahu’s address on Capitol Hill, which drew protests around Washington and within the House chamber, also saw the controversial leader slam international authorities seeking his arrest and refute allegations that Israel has indiscriminately killed Palestinian civilians in bombardments and ground operations in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor in May requested an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, arguing among other things that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza by starving Palestinian civilians and bottlenecking access to water and electricity. The top international court issued similar arrest warrants for Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Nearly 40,000 people, including many civilians, have died in Gaza since Hamas’ attack on Israel late last year. Jerusalem has vowed to wipe out Gaza’s de facto governing body after its forces killed around 1,000 people in Israeli border regions.
But despite the mounting death toll and international condemnation of Israel’s prosecution of the war, Netanyahu told Congress Wednesday that such criticism was born from “wild accusations” akin to historical antisemitic tropes.
“Just as malicious lies were leveled for centuries at the Jewish people,” the prime minister said in his remarks, “malicious lies are now being leveled at the Jewish state.”
The International Criminal Court’s accusations that Israel has starved Palestinian civilians is “a complete fabrication,” Netanyahu said. He argued that Israel has allowed tens of thousands of aid trucks to enter Gaza — though some reports say the amount of aid moving into the enclave falls short of what’s needed.
“If there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren’t getting enough food, it’s not because Israel is blocking it,” Netanyahu said. “It’s because Hamas is stealing it.”
The same goes for accusations that Israel has targeted Palestinian civilians, he said, arguing that the Israeli military has dropped flyers, sent text messages and made phone calls aimed at getting Palestinians out of harm’s way.
“Hamas does everything in its power to put civilians in harm’s way,” he countered. “They fire rockets from schools, from hospitals and from mosques. They even shoot their own people when they’re trying to leave the war zone.”
Netanyahu also sought to frame the conflict as part of a larger fight against Iran, who he said was pulling the strings behind the scenes to destabilize Israel and hurt U.S. interests.
“Iran understands that to truly challenge America, it must first conquer the Middle East,” he told lawmakers. “But standing in Iran’s way is one proud pro-American democracy: my country, the state of Israel.”
Netanyahu also was not shy to suggest that Tehran was behind some of the pro-Palestinian protest movements that began amidst the war in Gaza, including demonstrations that were taking place outside the Capitol while he delivered his remarks.
“I have a message for these protesters,” the prime minister said. “When the tyrants of Tehran who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair are promoting and funding you, you have officially become Iran’s useful idiots.”
Thanks to what he positioned as Iran’s malicious aims, Netanyahu argued that U.S. and Israeli interests are inexorably tied.
“Our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory,” he told lawmakers.
Dozens of lawmakers did not attend Netanyahu’s speech. Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, was not present Wednesday; her team said she was traveling.
Among the members of Congress who attended, several refused to stand or applaud for the prime minister. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has called for elections in Israel to oust Netanyahu, did not shake his hand as he entered the chamber.
At points throughout the Israeli prime minister’s speech, Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib — the only Palestinian-American member of Congress — silently held up signs that said “war criminal” and “guilty of genocide.”
Outside the Capitol, groups of protesters railed against Netanyahu’s visit and Washington’s support for the war in Gaza. The demonstrations come just a day after another group of pro-Palestine protesters were arrested by Capitol Police while staging a sit-in protest in the rotunda of Cannon House Office Building.