Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel's best English speaker since Abba Eban. He knows how to talk to the American public effectively; his speeches before the U.S. Congress are his crowning achievements. For him, a speech in Congress is a celebration. A guaranteed political success. A rise in the polls is all but assured.
And indeed, that was the atmosphere in the hall, the Israeli delegation and their supporters in the gallery saw it as a celebration. From shared photos before the speech to the cheers when Netanyahu entered the hall, the festive feeling was palpable. This was bolstered by a crowd of enthusiastic Republican lawmakers, for whom Netanyahu is almost as popular as Donald Trump — perhaps even more so.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech
(Photo: Kent Nishimura / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
His speech was smooth, catchy, and successful in every media aspect. The segments where he mentioned Noa Argamani, the hostages, the brave IDF soldiers, his thanks to U.S. President Joe Biden, and the endless standing ovations were particularly memorable. As a rhetorical master, Netanyahu delivered blow after blow: the climax was when he attacked and mocked pro-Palestinian protesters, comparing LGBTQ Hamas supporters to "chickens for KFC."
It was a display of personal power; however, something was missing from it. A detail that Americans might fail to notice, but Israelis would understand immediately. They hear about hostages being killed or murdered almost daily, receive reports and recordings of the endless horrors of October 7, and feel the heavy burden of a country plunged into war due to a surprise enemy attack. One thing was missing from Netanyahu’s otherwise very successful speech: the heavy load of a leader who had failed.
Netanyahu referenced Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor: "a day that will forever live in infamy." Roosevelt’s sad gravity in that speech, as a leader who was surprised and had taken a hit, was absent in the celebration of support Netanyahu orchestrated in Congress.
Netanyahu’s Israel was strong, heroic, and invincible. Not only defending itself but also protecting the U.S. It hadn’t failed in anything and was at most only caught by surprise. Netanyahu didn’t even mention the word "deal" in the context of returning the hostages; an empire as he described it doesn’t need deals.
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Netanyahu during his speech
(Photo: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Where was this speech in relation to the abandoned northern border, a drone exploding in Tel Aviv, or the hostages’ families being violently arrested during their protests?
I watched the Democrats closely. Almost half of them boycotted the event — according to Axios's congressional reporter, 100 out of 212 House members didn’t attend, and 27 out of 51 Democratic senators were absent.
Those who did attend were deeply deliberating about it. In this sense, Benjamin Netanyahu's speech was a stained mirror reflecting a tribal political system. One side, the Republicans, was enthusiastic, rushing to give generous standing ovations. The other side, the Democrats, responded to Netanyahu with sour skepticism (those who consented to sit in the same room as him).
Yes, almost everyone stood up to applaud for the hostages, or when Netanyahu — wisely —gave due credit to U.S. President Joe Biden for all he has done for Israel's security. Apart from the obvious, each Democratic senator and representative carefully considered when to applaud while seated, when not to, and when to stand.
Some engaged in signaling to their voters: Jerry Nadler, for instance, didn’t boycott the event but entered the hall with Ben Caspit's critical biography of Netanyahu. Rashida Tlaib arrived, of course, draped in a black-and-white scarf and carrying a sign accusing Netanyahu of being a war criminal.
The generational gap was clear: the future of the Democratic Party, apart from isolated individuals like Ritchie Torres, was absent or appeared reserved, distant, as if reluctantly present.
I spoke with Prof. Jonathan Dekel-Chen from Kibbutz Nir Oz. He’s a historian and father of Sagui Dekel-Chen, who has been held captive by Hamas since October 7. His words are worth listening to even now.
"Bibi's speech was a low-grade political theater, meant solely to bolster his position within the Israeli coalition," Dekel-Chen told me. "The speech didn’t improve Israel's national security nor its standing in global public opinion.
Nadav EyalPhoto: Avigail Uzi"The speech did nothing to bring our hostages closer to being released. As an Israeli, watching the speech was embarrassing and painful." Shortly after the speech, Kibbutz Nir Oz released a statement: the IDF had recovered the body of Maya Goren, an abducted kindergarten teacher of the kibbutz.
That’s real life versus speeches in Congress.