5 Takeaways from Netanyahu’s Address to Congress

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress Wednesday as the Jewish state remains embattled with Hamas terrorists in Gaza and Tehran proxies on its borders.

In the one-hour speech, the 74-year-old leader defended his country’s military campaign in response to the October 7 massacre while thanking the United States for its support in the efforts to defend the Israeli people.

The following are five highlights from his presentation:

1. Netanyahu started by telling the accounts of different soldiers who responded on October 7th and honored them with standing ovations from the crowd. He underscored that one was an immigrant from Ethiopia, and another was Muslim. This was a clear effort to show Israel has a diverse fighting force and is fighting Hamas, not Muslims at large.

2. Netanyahu pushed back against criticisms of Gazan civilian casualties and cited Foreign Desk News regular guest urban war expert John Spencer. He said Israel has gone to extreme lengths to reduce civilian casualties, such as dropping leaflets, making phone calls, and texting Gazans.

3. He criticized American protestors for not knowing the truth about the conflict and basic details such as what River and what Sea they were chanting about. He talked about the recent reports of Iran regime influence in the protests, saying protestors are allowing themselves to be the mullahs' "useful idiots."

4. He demonstrated that the fight against extremism is not Israel's alone. "Our enemies are your enemies. Our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory," he said. He thanked Joe Biden for decades of friendship with Israel, quoting a time when Biden called himself a "Zionist." He called for weapons to be delivered faster but didn't accuse the Biden administration of slow-walking deliveries like he has in the past. He also condemned the assassination attempt on Donald Trump and praised the Abraham Accords.

5. He strongly pushed back against the International Criminal Court’s ruling that Israel is starving Gazans, saying Israel has sent 500,000 tons of food to Gaza. He said that if Gazans are starving, it is because Hamas is stealing the aid that Israel sends.