“In the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran’s way, is one proud, pro-American democracy—my country, the state of Israel!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting Washington amid the Israel-Hamas war, spoke these words Wednesday to enthusiastic applause during an address to a joint meeting of Congress that some Democrats boycotted.
Several Democrats chose not to attend as an act of protest against Israel and its war with Hamas.
Hamas has rejected every proposal for a cease-fire that allows for the release of hostages held by the terrorist group.
“I want to thank you for giving me the proud honor of addressing this citadel of democracy for the fourth time,” Netanyahu told lawmakers.
Netanyahu thus became the foreign leader who has spoken to Congress more than any other in history. Israel’s prime minister previously had been tied with Winston Churchill, the celebrated British prime minister, with three appearances before Congress.
Netanyahu began by accusing Iran and its allies of aggression and “barbarism” against Israel, Western allies, and other Arab nations.
“America and Israel must stand together,” he said to a standing ovation, “because when we stand together, something very simple happens: We win, they lose.”
After praising the actions of the Israeli military for rescuing over 130 hostages, Netanyahu introduced Noa Argamani, one of four hostages rescued in a daring special forces operation. He also welcomed the families of American hostages still in captivity.
“When I met with [these families] again, I promised them this: I will not rest until all of their loved ones are home,” he said.
Netanyahu praised President Joe Biden for “tireless” support of Israel and promised that America’s stance with Israel during her “darkest hour” will “never be forgotten.”
Other celebrated guests included four soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, a paratrooper officer who emigrated from Ethiopia, an injured tank commander, an infantryman who lost a leg fighting Hamas, and a sergeant named Ashraf who serves with one of Israel’s Muslim defensive units. Netanyahu celebrated their spirit, unity, and dedication:
“Like Ashraf, the Muslim soldiers of the IDF fought alongside their Jewish, Bedouin, Christian, and other comrades in arms with tremendous bravery,” Netanyahu said, over applause.
Netanyahu reaffirmed the post-World War II, post-Holocaust promise of “Never Again,” saying that “after Oct. 7, ‘Never Again’ is now!”
The Israeli prime minister heaped scorn on those protesting in favor of Hamas on college campuses and elsewhere, contending that those who support the brutal rapes and murders of parents and children “should be ashamed of themselves.”
“They refuse to make the simple distinction between those who target terrorists and those who target civilians,” Netanyahu said. “Between the democratic state of Israel and the terrorist thugs of Hamas.”
He then outlined a report from U.S. intelligence citing Iranian funding for anti-Israel protests in the United States. “They want to disrupt America,” he said.
“These protesters burn American flags, even on the Fourth of July—and I wish to salute the fraternity brothers of the University of North Carolina who protected the American flag against these anti-Israel protesters.”
Amid the standing ovation and cheers that followed, many lawmakers in the audience began to chant “USA! USA!”
“For all we know, Iran could be funding the anti-Israel protests going on right outside this building—not that many, but they’re there, and throughout the city,” Netanyahu said. “Well, I have a message for these protesters: When the tyrants of Tehran, who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair, are praising and promoting and funding you, you have officially become Iran’s useful idiots.”
“Some of these protesters—it’s amazing, absolutely amazing,” he quipped, “some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming ‘Gays for Gaza.’ They might as well hold up signs saying ‘Chickens for KFC’!”
Netanyahu called out protesters who chanted the ethnic-cleansing slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free!” but don’t “have a clue which river or sea they’re talking about.”
“They not only get an ‘F’ in geography, but an ‘F’ in history,” he said.
Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to securing a historic home for the Jewish people, dating back 4,000 years to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: “It’s always been our home. It will always be our home.”
He didn’t slam only the anti-Israel protesters on American university campuses, but also their administrators. He said that Harvard, UPenn, and his own alma mater, MIT, “couldn’t bring themselves to condemn the calls for the genocide of Jews.”
Antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred. For centuries, the massacre of Jews was always preceded by wild accusations. We were accused of everything from poisoning wells to spreading plagues to using the blood of slaughtered children to bake Passover matzos. These preposterous antisemitic lies led to persecution, mass murder, and ultimately to history’s worst genocide, the Holocaust.
Just as malicious lies were leveled for centuries at the Jewish people, malicious lies are now being leveled at the Jewish state. The outrageous slanders that painted Israel as racist and genocidal are meant to delegitimize Israel, to demonize the Jewish state, and to demonize Jews everywhere.
No wonder we’ve witnessed an appalling rise of antisemitism in America and around the world. My friends, whenever and wherever we see the scourge of antisemitism, we must unequivocally condemn it and resolutely fight it without exception.
Netanyahu rebuffed the International Criminal Court’s claim that Israel has starved civilians in Gaza, citing 500,000 tons of food that has been shipped in.
“If there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren’t getting enough food, it’s not because Israel is blocking it,” he said, “it’s because Hamas is stealing it.”
The prime minister warned that bowing to calls for a cease-fire “before the war was won” would allow Hamas to continue perpetrating additional acts of terror against Israel and civilians in Gaza. He reaffirmed that he would never allow a premature conclusion.
Netanyahu cited the analysis of Col. John Spencer, military historian and professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Spencer’s investigation into urban warfare throughout history concluded that Israel had taken more steps to prevent civilian casualties (beyond those required by international law) than any other nation in history.
Netanyahu argued that Israeli soldiers “should not be condemned for how they’re conducting the war in Gaza, but commended for it.”
He warned that the threat of Islamist terrorism from Iran and its proxies is not limited to Israel but looms over the entire Middle East, Western powers, and the United States. He cited assassination attempts, Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and open calls for war with the U.S.
“My friends, if you remember one thing from this speech, remember this,” Netanyahu said. “Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory. That victory is in sight.”
He added:
This war could be over tomorrow if Hamas surrendered and released all of the hostages. But if they don’t, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, end its rule in Gaza, and bring all of our hostages home. That is what victory means, and we’ll settle for nothing less.
Netanyahu called on America to “give us the tools faster, and we’ll finish the job faster,” echoing Churchill’s calls for U.S. aid during World War II. He also painted a picture of a civilian-run, demilitarized Gaza Strip similar to Japan and Germany after the Allies’ victory in 1945.
And he thanked former President Donald Trump for his staunch support of Israel and Jerusalem as the nation’s capital, and for brokering the Abraham Accords—calling on that peace agreement to be the bedrock of an “Abraham Alliance” among Israel and friendly Arab nations in the Middle East.
Netanyahu concluded by praising the alliance between the United States and Israel, vowing:
Israel will always be your loyal friend and your steadfast partner. On behalf of the people of Israel, I came here today to say: Thank you, America!
Thank you for your solidarity, thank you for standing with Israel in our hour of need. Together, we shall defend our common civilization. Together, we shall secure a brilliant future for both our nations.
May God bless Israel, may God bless America, and may God bless the great alliance between Israel and America forever.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/07/24/netanyahu-almost-drowned-standing-ovations-congress/
************************************************A very unfit president
Doctors who watched Joe Biden 's address to the nation tonight have revealed the subtle clues about the president's health. They warned his lack of blinking may suggest a neurological issue. His dry mouth and stiff hands implies cognitive decline. They also highlighted his generous application of makeup - likely to mask his pale skin
Virginia neurologist Dr W Chris Winter picked up on the 81-year-old's low blink rate.
He said the president blinked fewer than 10 times per minute on average, well below the average of 15 to 20 that most people experience. 'Low blink rate can be a sign of Parkinson's Disease... an earlier sign of the disease,' Dr Winter added.
Many medical experts have previously suggested Biden's apparent cognitive decline could be due to his suffering from an early form of the condition, especially after it emerged a Parkinson's doctor regularly visited the White House during Biden's tenure.
Dr Ernst von Schwarz, a cardiologist in California, said Biden's 'dry mouth, fixed stare, very little... hand movements and gestures... could be signs of cognitive decline' caused by his age, or 'a neurodegenerative condition' such as dementia.
Despite having nearly four days of practice, the president flubbed several lines and at times spoke so quietly that white noise could be heard during the broadcast. Dr Winter said a low voice was another warning sign of Parkinson's.
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On Economics, Kamala Harris Skews Left of Bernie Sanders
We don’t have much from Kamala on either the economy or the Federal Reserve, but what we do have says she’d be substantially to the left of Biden.
On the Fed, Kamala was one of just 13 senators (including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts) to vote against Jerome Powell’s nomination as chairman because he’s not inflationary enough. As vice president, she mostly just pushed the Fed to focus on diversity.
On the broader economy, Harris mostly toed Biden’s line as vice president, so we have to go pre-Biden. As senator, Kamala was rated by the nonpartisan GovTrack as the most liberal U.S. senator—to the left of Warren or self-declared socialist Bernie Sanders.
Kamala scored a 7% from the National Rifle Association and a 4% from Club for Growth, meaning she’s a gun-grabbing tax hiker. The New York Times described her as a “pragmatic moderate,” which means she’s a raging communist.
In the Senate, Kamala pushed left-wing causes from affirmative action to sanctuary cities to a $10 trillion climate change plan.
She voted against Trump’s tax cuts. And she voted against the Trump administration’s United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement, because it didn’t “confront climate change.” The one thing she has liked is the forever wars.
We’re in the biggest presidential succession crisis since at least 1968. We don’t even know if Biden is of sound mind. So maybe Kamala will be president tomorrow. Or maybe donors will dismiss her out of the race altogether.
What we can say is that everybody currently on the radar on the Dems’ side would be as bad or worse than Biden. There are still centrists in the Democrat orbit, such as Joe Manchin, John Fetterman, or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But with left-wing donors in charge, though, none of them are in the running.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/07/23/kamalas-economics-left-of-bernie/
*******************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://jonjayray.com/covidwatch.html (COVID WATCH)
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com (TONGUE-TIED)
https://immigwatch.blogspot.com (IMMIGRATION WATCH)
http://jonjayray.com/short/short.html (Subject index to my blog posts)
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