Politics

Netanyahu belts out all the old tunes but sounds a little off-key

The Israeli prime minister has addressed America’s combined political representatives four times now. His oration is famed, but this week he failed to deliver what everyone wanted: a plan.

Roberto Schmidt / AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing a joint meeting of Congress at the US Capitol on July 24, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Netanyahu belts out all the old tunes but sounds a little off-key

Aqeel Abbas

last update on 26 Jul 2024

During his 45-minute appearance before a joint session of the US Congress this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an impressive yet politically insufficient speech.

Speaking to members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, his delivery was punctuated by frequent applause, primarily from Republicans, who clearly appreciated Netanyahu’s renowned oration.

This was his fourth address to Congress—a record unmatched by any other foreign leader—but it was boycotted by around 40 Democrats and missed by Vice President Kamala Harris, due to her campaign commitments.

Schmoozing Stateside

Netanyahu used his profound understanding of US politics to good effect, invoking fundamental American values and intertwining them with Israel's narrative.

This included the belief in democracy, and the need to defend it; economic success, driven by individual initiative and creativity; and a resilient national spirit, particularly in times of crisis.

He spoke extensively of the horrors of 7 October, naming both Israelis recently freed from captivity and soldiers who fought on the day. They had flown in with him and were stood in the Congressional Hall to receive accolades and applause.

Drew Angerer / AFP — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to speak to a joint meeting of Congress at the US Capitol on July 24, 2024, in Washington, DC.

Netanyahu’s presentation style is reminiscent of the address an American President might give for the annual State of the Union. It sought to rekindle American sympathy for Israel, sensing this had waned in the months since October.

The Israeli leader aimed to create a strong association Israel’s 7/10 and America’s 9/11, adeptly framing this within the broader context of his implicit political argument, which he did not clearly articulate.

Glaring omission

The Gaza war is protracted, he argued, with no foreseeable end, because “Israel will fight” until “complete victory”. He vaguely defined this victory as “destroying Hamas’s military capabilities, its role in Gaza, and recovering all hostages”.

He linked this supposed victory to American military support, adding: “I urge America: give us the tools faster, and we will finish the job faster.”

This appeal frustrates Joe Biden’s administration, as it did a month ago, when Netanyahu made the same claim in private, in a video recording that subsequently leaked. The White House refuted it.

Netanyahu used his profound understanding of US politics, invoking fundamental American values and intertwining them with Israel's narrative.

Despite this subtle nudge, Netanyahu praise both Trump and Biden, lauding the former for signing the Abraham Accords, recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and endorsing Israel's annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights.

He commended Biden for his support of Israel in the Gaza war and his broader, ongoing support, describing the outgoing US president as "a Zionist of American-Irish descent".

Unlike his 2015 address to Congress, which angered Democrats due to his criticism of President Obama over the Iran nuclear deal, Netanyahu ensured this speech was non-partisan, highlighting the "special relationship" between the two nations.

In a heated and highly competitive US election season, Netanyahu could benefit greatly from rhetorical neutrality, given that Biden's withdrawal may now mean that the polling narrows. The next US president is still very much to be confirmed.

Strategic vacuity

Netanyahu's moral simplification of events since October may have garnered much applause in the hall, but they were misleading, and ignored the plight of ordinary Palestinians, the largest civilian victims in the Gaza war.

Seth Herald / Reuters — Demonstrators gather atop the Freedom Bell at Union Station during a pro-Palestinian protest on the day Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., July 24, 2024.

Their legitimate aspiration for self-determination, with a viable, independent Palestinian state, has been the official stance of six consecutive US administrations over the past 30 years, including those of Trump and Biden.

Netanyahu hardly mentioned this, referencing the Palestinians and their future prospects only in the context of Israel's security needs, while offering only a vague sentence about a "next day" scenario in Gaza.

Their future was described as contingent on a demilitarised, extremist-free entity, ostensibly leading to stability and prosperity.

Netanyahu's lack of a political framework for a solution, relying instead on a security approach to the "Palestinian problem," threw cold water on hopes in Washington that he might use the appearance to announce a political roadmap.

Ulterior motives

To many analysts, he appears interested only in buying time until the next US president is known. This implies Israel continuing to wage war in Gaza over the coming months, albeit within a very low-intensity military framework.

Saul Loeb / AFP — US Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, protests during Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to a joint meeting of Congress at the US Capitol on July 24, 2024.

The aim will be to minimise Palestinian civilian casualties to avoid media attention and international outrage, which could force a swifter end to the war.

People smell a rat. A day before the speech, the Congressional leadership received a letter signed by more than 30 prominent Israeli public figures from the worlds of security, business, and academia, among them a Nobel laureate.

The letter, which garnered attention from both US and Israeli press, accused Netanyahu of prioritising "his political and personal interests" over the "safety and security of Israel's future and the US-Israeli strategic relationship".

Netanyahu's lack of any framework for a solution threw cold water on hopes in Washington that he might use the speech to announce a roadmap.

Specifically, the signatories said Netanyahu was trying to save his precarious coalition government from collapse to avoid another election and the prospect of him facing corruption charges in an Israeli court.

This is not the first initiative aimed at forcing Netanyahu's dismissal, and it focuses on the key criticism of Netanyahu's Gaza strategy (or lack of): that the Israeli prime minister is deliberately delaying and buying time.

"Netanyahu has hindered the development of a military strategy to release the hostages, prevented a genuine discussion about the national strategic goals of the war, and abandoned the hostages in Gaza," it says, cuttingly.

Once popular across the US, Netanyahu is not well liked in America these days. Only 35% view him positively. Pollsters say his ratings are still falling, as Gaza's war rages on.

While the week was Netanyahu's, he will soon be forgotten as a newly invigorated US presidential race heats up, Kamala Harris now Trump's opponent.

Contrary to what Netanyahu will be hoping, Americans are unlikely to forget Gaza as quickly.

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