Israeli PM Netanyahu’s Lies in US Congress met with standing ovation: Discredits the Gaza genocide, Turns down Biden’s Request for a Ceasefire

By Legal Wires 12 Minutes Read

July 24, 2024 shall be marked as the darkest moment in the history of United States when the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (popularly acclaimed as ‘The Butcher of Gaza’) was met with a standing ovation over his war-mongering speech in the US Congress. Netanyahu’s speech loaded with misleading and false statements, has met with widespread backlash and outrage across the world. Commentators have strongly criticized the Israeli Prime Minister’s address in Washington for its belligerent and misleading tone, calling it as a tactic to undermine peace talks and rally support for Tel Aviv’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Mocking the genocide he is committing in Palestinian territories, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shamelessly howled lies that Israel is doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties, ensuring plenty of food reaches the enclave, and claiming almost no innocents have been killed in Rafah.

NOTE: Meanwhile, the study conducted by the Lancet estimates the civilian casualties of 1,86,000 and above (comprising of mostly women and children) as of June 19, 2024 in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Netanyahu accused the whole world of spreading “lies” about Israel while leveling multiple outrageous allegations. The Israeli PM dismissed US President Joe Biden’s long-standing push for a ceasefire, delivering a significant rebuke. Stripping himself of any civility Netanyahu openly cursed the thousands of anti-war protesters outside the US Capitol as puppets of Iran who had chosen to “stand with evil.”

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued multiple false statements regarding Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Here’s a detailed analysis of his major claims:

Claim: The Gaza war has one of the lowest ratios of combatants to non-combatant casualties in urban warfare history.

Fact: Gaza’s confirmed death toll is around 40,000 (according to UN) and atleast 1,86,000 according to the Lancet Report with the majority being women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The UN has found the ministry’s data reliable in past conflicts. The actual death toll is likely higher, as many bodies remain buried under rubble. The Biden administration has acknowledged this, and Israel has been criticized for the high number of civilian casualties.

Claim: Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history, as stated by Col. John Spencer.

Fact: Col. John Spencer, a pro-Israeli analyst and chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, stands largely alone in this view. The Biden administration and the UN have both called for Israel to do more to avoid civilian casualties and improve humanitarian conditions. UNICEF has criticized the so-called “safe zones” in Gaza for lacking basic necessities and being subjected to bombings.

Claim: If Palestinians in Gaza aren’t getting enough food, it’s because Hamas is stealing it.

Fact: The UN and international relief groups have repeatedly reported that Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid have caused severe shortages of food and clean water in Gaza. Attacks on aid convoys and warehouses have disrupted aid delivery. The UN has declared famine across Gaza, attributing it to Israel’s blockade and intentional starvation campaign. Multiple videos of the Zionist crowds blocking and picketing relief aid trucks are wide-spread on the internet.

Claim: Practically no civilian casualties in Israeli operations.

Fact: Israeli strikes in Rafah have resulted in significant civilian casualties. A tent camp fire in May, caused by an Israeli strike, killed at least 46 people. Earlier strikes killed at least 95 civilians, including many children. The Lancet Report has estimated around 1,86,000 or more casualties at the hands of Israel since October 7. Amnesty International condemned these attacks as unlawful and indicative of Israel’s disregard for international humanitarian law. The United Nations and the International Criminal Court have called the present situation in Gaza as a mass genocide at the hands of Israel.

Claim: The vast majority of Americans support Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Facts: Netanyahu’s assertion that the “vast majority of Americans” support Israel in the Gaza conflict is untrue. Multiple polls reveal that a significant number of Americans either disapprove of or have serious reservations about Israel’s actions in Gaza. Gallup’s semi-monthly survey indicates that although disapproval has moderately declined by seven points since March, reaching 48% in June, there are still widespread reservations among the American public. The protesting crowds on streets and universities are heavily crushed at the hands of the US governments, the videos of which are widely available on the social media.

Claim: The International Criminal Court prosecutor accuses Israel of deliberately targeting civilians.

Facts: Israeli strikes on homes frequently result in multiple family members being killed. Footage has shown soldiers shooting Palestinians waving white flags or posing no apparent threat. For the more than 37,000 airstrikes and heavy shelling Israel has conducted, it is often impossible to verify claims that Hamas targets were present. Even when Hamas members are identified, Israel has accepted inflicting dozens of civilian casualties. Israeli evacuation orders have displaced over 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians, often multiple times. Deliberate airstrikes and raids in the “humanitarian zone” designated for displaced Palestinians to take refuge has caused major civilian casualties.

Key Points of the Development:

Redefining the Narrative

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed to reshape the narrative of the Gaza war during his address to the US Congress and gather the US mandate to expand the scope of the war.
• He described the Gaza war as a “clash between barbarism and civilization” and called for Israel to maintain overriding security control in Gaza post-war.
• The speech sparked significant controversy.

Commitment to ‘Total Victory’

• Netanyahu declared Israel’s intent to continue its war against Gaza until achieving “total victory” thereby openly signalling his plan for no peace talks and total annihilation of Palestine and its people.
• This stance is viewed as an effort to shift the discourse and pre-empt criticism of Israel’s actions.
• Netanyahu faced anti-war protesters outside the Capitol, whom he derided as “Iran’s useful idiots.”

Controlling the Narrative

• Professor Nizar Farsakh from George Washington University noted that Netanyahu’s rhetoric is part of a strategy to control the narrative.
• Netanyahu also criticized efforts at the International Criminal Court to seek his arrest for war crimes and called for expanding the Abraham Accords.
• Netanyahu depicted pro-Palestinian protesters as naive tools of Iran to position himself as the decisive leader.

Prolonging the Occupation

• Dr. Samuel Greenfield, an international relations analyst, indicated that Netanyahu’s insistence on maintaining a military presence in Gaza suggests a continued occupation.
• This stance is unacceptable to Palestinians and is seen as an attempt to prolong the conflict.

Criticism from Within Israel and Internationally

• Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called the speech “disgraceful.”
• US Senator Bernie Sanders labelled Netanyahu a “war criminal” and a “liar,” accusing his government of exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He said, “Netanyahu is not only a war criminal. He is a liar. All humanitarian organizations agree: Tens of thousands of children face starvation because his extremist government continues to block aid. Israelis want him out of office. So he came to Congress to campaign.”
• Several high-profile Democrats, including presumptive presidential nominee Kamala Harris, boycotted the speech in protest of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Harris cited scheduling conflicts, having given a speech in Indianapolis earlier that day.
• Hamas officials criticized Netanyahu’s remarks as lies and propaganda to cover up war crimes. The statement issued:
  “Netanyahu should have been arrested as a war criminal and handed over to the ICC instead of being given the opportunity to polish his image before the world and cover up the mass killings and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza strip…..[He] tried to play on emotional strings, reverse facts, and promote false narratives about October 7, while Israeli and international investigations confirmed these allegations were false and that the Israeli army committed mass murders of Israeli civilians in the Gaza envelope.”
• Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives: “Benjamin Netanyahu’s presentation in the House Chamber today was by far the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honoured with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States.”
• Palestinian American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib condemned Netanyahu’s speech, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians.
• Roughly half of Democratic members of Congress attended Netanyahu’s speech, highlighting party divisions over support for Israel.

Legal Wires

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