Benjamin Netanyahu Gave a Master Class
By Alan Stein
I had been preparing to write about the context of the Gaza war in the global conflict between Western democracies and today's expanded version of what President George W. Bush had dubbed the Axis of Evil in 2002. That task became easier when on July 24 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to a joint session of Congress included a master class in geopolitics within what was arguably the most pro-American speech ever given by a foreign leader.
Say what you will about the prime minister of Israel, he has an unmatched grasp of international relations and the nature of the strategic threats facing America and our democratic - and some not so democratic - friends and allies.
Netanyahu began his speech by describing the global conflict not as one between civilizations but as "clash between barbarism and civilization," saying "it’s a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life."
(If you didn't see his speech live, I recommend viewing it now. Videos may be streamed from C-Span's YouTube channel as well as those of the major networks. The text is also available from many sources, including https://www.timesofisrael.com/were-protecting-you-full-text-of-netanyahus-address-to-congress/. I particularly recommend it to Vice President Kamala Harris, who along with some members of Congress irresponsibly boycotted Netanyahu's speech.)
Hamas certainly glorifies death, both of Jews and of Palestinian Arabs. Article 7 of its charter contains the exhortation "The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: 'O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.'"
On October 7, Hamas (and other terrorists, including some from Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah) didn't just murder Israeli Jews. As Netanyahu noted, "they butchered 1,200 people from 41 countries, including 39 Americans" and "they raped women, they beheaded men, they burnt babies alive, they killed parents in front of their children and children in front of their parents." They certainly earned the description of being barbarians.
Netanyahu also noted the recent boast of a senior Hamas official that Palestinian Arab women and children "excel at being human shields!" He was referring to Hamas' infamous "dead baby strategy" of using civilians to shield their terrorists, knowing how much Israelis try to avoid harming civilians.
As Netanyahu said, "For Israel, every civilian death is a tragedy. For Hamas, it’s a strategy."
The way Israelis value life rather than death is exemplified by the Gilad Shalit deal, in retrospect probably the worst decision Netanyahu made during his term as prime minister. In order to save the life of a single Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, then held hostage by Hamas, he agreed to release no fewer than 1,027 Palestinian terrorists, including Yahya Sinwar. That Hamas leader took advantage of his undeserved freedom by masterminding October 7. The fact that Israeli doctors had saved his life after discovering he had an aggressive brain tumor mattered not one whit to that psychopath who is a hero to so many Palestinian Arabs.
Hamas is just one of many Iranian proxies spreading terror in the Middle East. As Netanyahu observed, "in the Middle East, Iran is virtually behind all the terrorism, all the turmoil, all the chaos, all the killing." Lest we feel complacent in America, as Netanyahu noted, "When he founded the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini pledged, 'We will export our revolution to the entire world.'" For Iran, America is the greatest enemy, the "Great Satan," because America is the world's greatest power and the guardian of western civilization.
No wonder the foreign minister of Iran's Hezbollah terror proxy last month said "This [the Gaza war] is not a war with Israel. Israel is merely a tool. The main war, the real war, is with America."
Netanyahu emphasized this:
"But Iran understands that to truly challenge America, it must first conquer the Middle East. And for this it uses its many proxies, including the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas. Yet in the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran’s way, is one proud pro-American democracy—my country, the State of Israel."
"For Iran Israel is first, America is next. So, when Israel fights Hamas, we’re fighting Iran. When we fight Hezbollah, we’re fighting Iran. When we fight the Houthis, we’re fighting Iran. And when we fight Iran, we’re fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America."
Iran began attacking America even before it started financing and arming terror proxies to attack Israel. Shortly after President Carter helped them bring about the downfall of the Shah of Iran, in some ways a brutal dictator but a strong American ally and Mother Theresa in comparison to the ayatollahs, the Iranian revolutionaries "stormed the American embassy" and "held scores of Americans hostage for 444 days." As Netanyahu further noted, "Iran’s terrorist proxies have targeted America in the Middle East and beyond. In Beirut, they killed 241 U.S. servicemen. In Africa, they bombed American embassies. In Iraq, they supplied explosives to maim and kill thousands of American soldiers. In America, they actually sent death squads. They sent death squads here to murder a former secretary of state and a former national security adviser."
Iran's tentacles extend even beyond what Netanyahu had time to mention.
The ayatollahs have armed the Houthis, who recently just narrowly miss succeeding with a drone attack on the American consulate in Tel Aviv. The Houthis have succeeded in bringing shipping through he vital Red Sea corridor to a standstill. A few years ago, they hit the Saudi oil fields and incapacitate about half of them, causing a worldwide oil shortage and a spike in oil prices.
The ayatollahs are helping arm Russia as it keeps attacking Ukraine and they cooperate militarily with North Korea, not just endangering South Korea but increasing the threat from both countries to Europe and even, eventually, to America.
Netanyahu understands these dynamics as well as any world leader and clearly better than our own policymakers in America, which apparently creates jealousy and resentment and was a factor leading some to boycott his speech, which was delivered very diplomatically and with great appreciation for the partnership between America and Israel. The pro-American aspect was exemplified by the way he ended:
On behalf of the people of Israel, I came here today to say: Thank you, America. Thank you for your support and 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.
An abridged version was published in the August 4, 2024 Waterbury Sunday Republican with the headline "Netanyahu's master class before Congress."
