In his 53 minute-long speech, Netanyahu heaped praise on Trump, criticized Biden and asked for more aid. “As Israel fights on the frontline of civilization, I too appeal to America: give us the tools faster, and we’ll finish the job faster.” Among the several dozen Democrats who skipped the shit show were pro-Israel members like Nancy Pelosi, Jim Clyburn, Jan Schakowsky, Rosa DeLauro, Debbie Dingell, Sara Jacobs and Steve Cohen.
Republicans criticized Kamala for missing it— although she was in Indianapolis and she has a private meeting with Netanyahu later in the week. And none of them mentioned that their own VP candidate, JD Vance, missed it as well. Other senators who missed the circus were Bernie Sanders, Jeff Merkely, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch, Brian Schatz, Tim Kaine, Ben Ray Lujan, Dick Durbin, Patty Murray nd Chris Van Hollen, who said “I don’t want to be part of a political prop in this act of deception, because he’s not the great guardian of the U.S.-Israel relationship.” Republican Thomas Massie didn’t like the idea of being a prop either:
There were about 60 members of the House who didn’t show up, including most progressives. Many, like Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Progressive Caucus, put out statement critical of Netanyahu.
Rashida Tlaib did show up— with a small sign she held up, much to the chagrin of of pro-genocide fanatics like Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) who ran up to her growling like a mad dog.
After the speech, members of the pro-genocide caucus, mostly Republicans, surrounded Netanyahu to shake his hand, give him an “attaboy” and get a photo with a genuine war criminal. Bonus: Elon Musk was there as well, Netanyahu’s guest.
“History,” wrote Summer Lee, “will judge us poorly for welcoming Netanyahu to Congress with open arms as he commits war crimes in Gaza.” Bernie came right to the point: “Netanyahu is a war criminal. We must do everything in our power to end the war in Gaza, and provide immediate humanitarian relief to the people who are suffering there.” AOC as well: “It is a dark day in US history when an authoritarian with warrant requests from the International Criminal Court is allowed to address a joint session of Congress.”
40k Palestinians are dead.
Hostages aren’t home.
Netanyahu is a war criminal.
I will be boycotting his address.
Mark Takano alerted his constituents why he wouldn’t be going: “For weeks I have wrestled with whether or not to attend Prime Minister Netanyahu’s joint address before Congress. In recent months, I’ve grown increasingly troubled by Mr. Netanyahu’s actions, which have sought to further his own political survival rather than securing the return of hostages and a much-needed ceasefire. As someone who cares deeply about Israel, I recognize that any path towards a permanent peace must begin with a bilateral ceasefire. Mr. Netanyahu has consistently demonstrated that he is an obstacle to the peace that both Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve.
“It is apparent Republican leadership have given this platform to the Prime Minister in order to sow division amongst Members of Congress during this precarious time. Rather than engage in political games, I plan to meet with Israeli citizens during the morning of the address to support families that have suffered in the wake of the October 7th attack. It is critical to elevate the stories of those who were directly affected by the initial attack and who have further suffered due to Netanyahu’s indifference to securing the return of hostages still held by Hamas.
“The Prime Minister has shown us time and time again his disinterest in achieving a peace that would bring safety and security to Israelis and Palestinians. He has prolonged the conflict that arose after Hamas’s unprovoked attack, has ignored the pleas of Israeli citizens to focus on bringing home the remaining hostages, and has rebuffed concerns from Israel’s allies about the growing humanitarian cost this war is placing on innocent Palestinians. For those reasons I will not be attending the joint address.”
Bonnie Watson Coleman took the same approach with her supports in central New Jersey: “I am deeply disappointed that Prime Minister Netanyahu will be addressing Congress tomorrow. A foreign head of government speaking directly to the legislative branch is a distinct honor that should be reserved for revered world leaders. Prime Minister Netanyahu has shown himself to be nothing of the sort. He has shown himself to be a war criminal.
“What began as a defensive operation in the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks of October 7th quickly turned into a campaign of total destruction. Over the past 9 months, over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed - most of whom are women and children. Roughly 1.1 million Palestinians are facing starvation— half the population of Gaza. Schools, homes, hospitals, mosques, all have been destroyed and 85 percent of the population has been displaced.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has at every turn disregarded the safety of the Palestinian and Israeli people and ignored the reasonable requests of the United States. He has abandoned a two-state solution, the only viable option for an enduring peace. Time and again he has thumbed his nose at our country. His conduct has been both inhumane and disrespectful. I will not be attending his address.”
5 patriots were arrested in the gallery for protesting against genocide, something every American should be doing today.
I wonder if bibi feels like stalin did when he did the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with hitler. bibi knows he'll get what he wants from either party, but he has a bromance with trump in spite of trump's party being fundamentally anti-semitic. The only reason our nazis tolerate israel is that their fundiest of christibanazis believe they need it to exist for their other jesus to return and rapture a few of them up to heaven... where there won't be any jews or blacks or meskins or lgbtqs polluting heaven.
censoring that truth -- that a vote for either nazi or democrap is a vote for genocide -- can be censored but it cannot be changed. And a few of yours will still know this in november. won't change anything. but evil here is evil. full stop.