VIDEO: Under Movement Pressure, Over 100 Lawmakers Skipped Netanyahu’s Shameful Speech to Congress

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress on July 24. Netanyahu was invited despite an International Court of Justice ruling that his government is carrying on a “plausible” genocide in Gaza — and despite the fact that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking a warrant for him.

During his remarks, Netanyahu dismissed his responsibility for civilian deaths in Gaza, belittled Americans who’ve protested the war, and called on U.S. lawmakers to send him more weapons. He was met with numerous standing ovations.

But as IPS expert Phyllis Bennis explained on Democracy Now!, the response to Netanyahu’s speech also showed how much U.S. public opinion had turned against the right-wing leader.

“There’s two sets of things that we need to notice,” Phyllis said. “Inside, what this showed is that support for Israel has become a thoroughly partisan issue, despite the fact that some Democrats supported and signed off on the invitation. The fact that more than 100 Democratic lawmakers decided to skip the speech — refused to participate — is a real statement of how supporting [Netanyahu] has become a political liability in a very public way for public figures across the U.S.”

Phyllis also noted the much broader movement for a ceasefire — and an end to U.S. arms transfers to Israel — happening outside the halls of Congress. “62 percent of all adults in this country — of all parties — say they oppose sending weapons and material support to Israel,” she pointed out. 

Reflecting on how the conflict end, Phyllis concluded: 

“Our movement has redefined the demand for a ceasefire. It now means three things: The first is to stop killing people. Second is the need for massive humanitarian escalation, at the scale of what’s required. And the third thing is to stop sending the weapons that enable the genocide. Until all three are met, this will not be the ceasefire that people are demanding.”

IPS board member Noura Erakat also spoke with Democracy Now!, where she called the war “essentially a war on children.” You can watch that appearance here.

And you can watch Phyllis below: