Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before Congress on Tuesday, May 24, was a spectacle rarely seen in Washington. Both Democrats and Republicans gave the Israeli statesman over 25 standing ovations during the 40-minute address. The Washington Post described the occasion in these words:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a rapturous reception worthy of a rock star from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle on Capitol Hill on Tuesday — a stark contrast to last week’s tense White House visit.
His speech to a joint session of Congress was repeatedly punctuated by sustained applause, laughter and more than two dozen standing ovations. It also received some high praise from bipartisan admirers.
“For someone who has listened to a lot of speeches, I have to say you’ve made the all-star team,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, told Mr. Netanyahu at a press conference afterward.
During the address, Mr. Netanyahu told Congress he was willing to make “painful compromises” to achieve peace, but ruled out negotiating with the new Palestinian unity government unless it ditches its Islamist militant partner Hamas, which calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. Hamas is also on the U.S. terrorist list.
”Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of al Qaeda. That we will not do,” Mr. Netanyahu vowed.
This bipartisan support of Israel comes out of the deep understanding by the American people that we are both at war with radical Islam. What happened on 9/11, and all of the attacks by Islamic radicals on American interests, made it plain to the vast majority of Americans that we and Israel are at war with the same enemy. What Netanyahu did, in a somewhat Churchillian way, was inform his country’s natural ally of what Israel faces on its front in the war.
The problem with Barack Hussein Obama is that he is proud of his Islamic heritage through his father, which he makes clear in his autobiography, Dreams from My Father. And that it why he refuses to recognize that we are indeed in a war against radical Islam. He seems to regard 9/11 as an isolated criminal act by Islamic fanatics who should not be confused with a widespread international jihad in which millions of Muslims are potential participants. He has waffled on our involvement in Afghanistan, sending a confusing message.
It is that ambivalence over who the real enemy is that has made Obama’s Mideast policy both confusing and incomprehensible. But there is no confusion in the mind of Netanyahu as to who the enemy of both Israel and the United States is. And that is what he made abundantly clear in his speech before Congress, and that is why Congress both applauded and appreciated the clarity and urgency of the Prime Minister’s message.
He particularly focused on the threat the Judeo-Christian West faces from the madmen in Iran. He emphasized that these madmen must not be permitted to build a nuclear weapon, and that America must take the lead in preventing the mullahs from incinerating Israel and also American cities. The president of Iran has told the world over and over again what the intentions of his government are: the destruction of Israel — the little Satan, and the destruction of America — the big Satan. And the Israeli Prime Minister stressed the urgency of the situation.
As for whether or not Israel will unilaterally attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Prime Minister simply said that Israel has the right to defend itself and will exercise that right when necessary. And everyone applauded. After all, America has suffered more casualties in this war against radical Islam than any other country — in New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan.
And very smartly, Netanyahu congratulated the President on finding and killing Osama bin Laden. That got a thunderous standing ovation. In fact, the Israeli Prime Minister let it be known that he greatly appreciated the help Israel has received from America, and that while there were some differences in views, he appreciated the President’s desire for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
But the Prime Minister left no doubt that there were serious differences on how best to go about achieving that evasive peace. One of the reasons why the Palestinians have been so reluctant to make peace with Israel is that by establishing a viable Palestinian state they would have to give up their dream of destroying Israel. There cannot be a two-state solution if the Palestinians continue to strive for the destruction of the Jewish state.
And, unfortunately, this genocidal dream is at the heart of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. It is a pity that President Obama did not address this problem as strongly as he should have. Perhaps after listening to what Israel’s Prime Minister had to say, he will reconsider his own views on the conflict.
There can be no doubt that Netanyahu’s visit to the United States at this time has served to validate the moral legitimacy of Israel’s position to achieve ultimate victory over those committed to its destruction. And the terrorist attacks against the United States show an overlap in some areas between the interests of the United States and those of Israel. Cooperation between the two states in ways that respect the sovereignty of each can be mutually beneficial. However, Barrack Obama is no Benjamin Netanyahu. We would be fortunate to have as strong a defender of our own security interests as Israel has.
