  KENT NISHIMURA/GETTY IMAGE The hour-long address drew frequent applause from those who attended, but a sizable number of Democrats either boycotted or remained seatedBy Marc Rod In his fourth address to Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an aggressive case to the U.S. and the world in defense of Israel’s operations in Gaza, while also offering appreciation to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump for their support for Israel. While the hour-long speech received frequent applause from the lawmakers in attendance, about 120 congressional Democrats and a handful of Republicans were absent from the address, a significant boycott of a speech by a foreign leader. In the chamber, many Democrats remained seated or declined to applaud for significant portions of the speech. Much of the speech was dedicated to defending Israel from attacks and criticism it has faced on the world stage since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, repeating arguments often invoked by the Jewish state and its allies. “Just as malicious lies were leveled at the Jewish people, now they’re being leveled at the Jewish state… meant to delegitimize Israel to demonize the Jewish state and to demonize Jews everywhere,” Netanyahu said. You May Have MissedOPEN MIKESpeaker Johnson: VP Harris will ‘pay a price’ politically for skipping Bibi speechIn interview with JI, Johnson also addressed the foreign policy divide within the GOP. Read more...REMEMBERINGIn Washington, American and Israeli statesmen remember Sen. Joe LiebermanThe memorial service took place four months after Lieberman's death at 82.        |
7.24.2024
Netanyahu speech rebuts Israel's detractors
