Members of U.S. Congress cheer Netanyahu despite fact-check revelations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to U.S. congressional representatives on July 24 was an odd spectacle.
Walking among the protestors outside the event, two of the most esteemed Jewish journalists in North America, Max Blumenthal and Aaron Maté of The Grayzone, a U.S. far-left news site, noted that there was an impenetrable barrier around government buildings and innumerable police officers from as far away as New York City in full riot gear. Police also showered copious amounts of pepper spray and tear gas upon U.S. citizens practicing their constitutional right to peaceful protest.
Why was there such security for the Israeli Prime Minister yet almost no security when the Capital Building was stormed on January 6, 2021? Why was there so little protection for Donald Trump when he was shot on July 13, 2024?
To the objective observer, it appeared strange to see members of the U.S. Congress continually stand up and applaud everything Netanyahu said, seemingly without considering the validity of his comments. The U.S. network ABC fact-checked his discourse only to find many gaps in their accuracy. They point out that while Netanyahu claimed that Israel is allowing trucks to enter Gaza and it is Hamas that is hijacking aid to ordinary citizens, international organizations have stated that when aid does enter, it is difficult to distribute primarily due to the chaos caused by Israel’s military operations.
 Benjamin Netanyahu |
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What was almost comically ironic was that Netanyahu insisted that the people who are calling for an end to what the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has called a “plausible case of genocide” are only doing so because they are the “useful idiots” of the regime in Iran who is paying them to protest. In response, ABC stated, “Israel has plenty of critics without Iran’s meddling.”
Interestingly, many U.S. members of Congress could rightfully be referred to as the “useful idiots” of a foreign state. In an interview with right-wing media pundit Tucker Carlson, Republican U.S. Congressman Thomas Massie pointed out that every other member of his party receives perks from AIPAC (the U.S. Israel Public Affairs Committee) and has an “AIPAC guy” who tells them what to do. This may explain why Netanyahu was given an almost continual standing ovation from AIPAC-supported members of Congress.
In addition to the death and horror the U.S.-funded Netanyahu government is imposing on Palestinians, one should note the consequences for Israel, the U.S. and their closest allies. On a diplomatic level, they are suffering humiliation after humiliation, with the ICJ not only ruling that Israel is plausibly committing genocide but, more recently, that it must completely withdraw from all occupied Palestinian territories. This is where roughly 750,000 Israelis have taken up residence, even though it has always been in violation of international law.
Economically, Netanyahu’s aggressions are having a devastating and possibly irreparable impact on Israel, with its Gross Domestic Product plummeting and up to 60,000 businesses expected to close in 2024. This is certainly nothing to cheer about.
While AIPAC-supported members of the U.S. Congress seem to have no problem humiliating themselves in front of a foreign leader, the rest of the world is begging for an end to the daily horror in Gaza.
Canadians should also be aware that Netanyahu was unable to visit Ottawa because our country is a signatory to the agreement that created the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant against him. It would be naïve to assume that Canadian parliamentarians would have behaved differently than their U.S. counterparts. Many have also accepted perks from the Israel lobby, and it is quite conspicuous that every Conservative MP voted against a proposal calling for a ceasefire and an end to arms exports to Israel.
Eventually, the killing will cease, but those who stand behind this “plausible case of genocide” need to understand that they are unlikely to ever recover from this self-imposed humiliation on the international stage.
Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages and genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He received an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.
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