Netanyahu’s Capitol Showdown: Applause Inside, Protests Outside

A report by Ahmad Abdallah, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine 

The Capitol area was boiling with protests rejecting Netanyahu’s visit, his speech, and the war on Gaza. 

Inside the Capitol walls, however, there was a warm reception.

With applause every 40 seconds on average, Benjamin Netanyahu broke the record for the most applause any state leader has received during a speech in Congress. The members of Congress applauded 81 times during the 52-minute speech.

Most of those applauding were Republicans who attended the session, while 81 Democratic members boycotted it. Even those who broke their decision to boycott, like Representative Rashida Tlaib, attended.

Regarding the speech itself, Netanyahu described his army’s war on Gaza as a "struggle between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life." “Who sanctifies life” insisted on continuing the war and spoke about his vision for the aftermath.

For the US audience, he thanked Biden for what he provided to Israel during the war and praised Trump’s efforts in normalizing relations between Tel Aviv and some Arab capitals.

In reaction to the speech, the opinions of Republicans did not differ much from those of the Israeli right wing. Both parties welcomed the Israeli Prime Minister’s harsh speech, while several Democratic representatives continued to attack Netanyahu.

As for the Israeli opposition and the families of the hostages held by Hamas, they were disappointed by his disregard for the hostage exchange deal. Palestinian factions, meanwhile, felt that the speech further stalled the negotiation process.