More than a dozen Democrats skip Israeli PM’s speech
Jul 24. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday applauded a divided US Congress for President Joe Biden’s efforts to free hostages held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip.
“President Biden and I have known each other for more than 40 years. I want to thank him for his half-century of friendship with Israel and for being, as he says, a proud Zionist,” he stressed, adding that his government remains “committed” to bringing all the hostages home.
The Israeli prime minister said Hamas members, whom he called “monsters”, “raped women, beheaded men, burned babies alive.” “They dragged 255 people, both alive and dead, into the dark dungeons of Gaza,” he said.
During his speech, the Israeli prime minister referred to Noa Argamani, who was present at the Congress and received an ovation from the congressmen for her bravery. The young woman was kidnapped on October 7 by the Palestinian militia during the celebration of the Supernova electronic music festival.
More than a dozen Democrats have decided not to attend Netanyahu’s fourth address to Congress, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who met with the hostages’ families earlier in the day.
Among those who did attend his remarks was Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “Even though I disagree with many of Bibi’s policies, I will attend the speech because the U.S. relationship with Israel remains strong,” he added.
The backlash against Netanyahu’s speech also materialized outside the Capitol. Hundreds of people protested against the Israeli prime minister to demand an end to the war in Gaza and the release of the hostages.
Police have tried to disperse the protesters with pepper spray. “The crowd did not obey our order to move away from the police barrier,” the Capitol Police said on social media.
Add Comment