‘We Do Have People Behind Us’: Reactions to Netanyahu’s ‘Pitch Perfect’ Address to Congress

The tensions between Israel and Palestine remain strong, as evidenced by Wednesday’s protests in Washington, D.C. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the time amid the roughly nine-month-long war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas to come to America’s capitol and give an address before a joint session of Congress. His presence, it would seem, served as the motivation for thousands of angry pro-Palestinian protestors to engage in disruptive and violent acts, such as burning of the U.S. flag, assaulting police officers, and vandalizing government property.

As The Washington Stand’s Dan Hart reported, in his speech, Netanyahu “forcefully defended his nation’s battle against Hamas terrorists in Gaza and called for a strengthened alliance between the Jewish State and the United States.” The war, the prime minister asserted, is “a clash between barbarism and civilization. It’s a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life.” But as experts have pointed out, both Netanyahu’s speech and the chaos that ensued throughout the city prove this war goes beyond just Israel.

As Family Research Council President Tony Perkins stated on Wednesday’s episode of “Washington Watch,” Netanyahu was able to explain how “what happened on October 7th … is an issue for America, as well as the people and state of Israel.” But first, to look at the larger picture, Perkins was joined by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.). “What were the key takeaways?” Perkins asked.

In response, Smith noted that what stood out to him was the “call to action.” He also emphasized the speech was “an expression of gratitude to the American people and to those in Congress … who have stood by Israel.” But above many other aspects, Smith added, Netanyahu “reminded everybody that Iran hates America.” Perkins highlighted the specific warning that Netanyahu made clear, which is that these terrorists “are not only threats to Israel, but the ultimate goal is America.”

Historically, Smith explained, “There’s been a long, long hostility and a threat” in that “‘death to Israel’ is always followed immediately by ‘death to America.’” He urged, “It’s a poisoned, cruel perspective that these radical Islamists have towards America.” When examining the Hamas charter, Smith pointed out how “they talk about murdering Jews. They train their children in these UN relief work camps … to hate. And when these four and five and six and seven-year-olds are old enough, they’re carrying AK-47’s and delighting in the violence they can inflict upon Israelis.”

This reality, as Perkins pointed out, has “been funded by the United States in years past.” Smith agreed, concluding that the speech, for all its relevancy, “was a grand slam.” He added that “it was a very passionate speech, but very deliberate. … He chose his words carefully, because … Hamas wants to eviscerate Israel from the face of the earth.” But Netanyahu “knows the American people do want Israel to survive.”

In a separate interview during Wednesday’s episode, Caroline Glick, Israeli-American journalist and author, beamed as she discussed her thoughts on her prime minister’s address. “[H]e delivered the message beautifully,” she said. “[A]s an Israeli, he spoke really for over 90% of Israelis. … The message that he gave is something that … unifies the Israeli people. The way that he spoke about the atrocities that Hamas committed against the Israeli people on October 7th, and the incredible heroism of our soldiers and of our … fighters who have been fighting this war really on the ground since October 7th” resulted in a “pitch perfect” speech.

And according to Glick, part of what made it resonate so well is because Netanyahu “spoke in the voice of his people.” Additionally, he “reminded the American people why it is that 80% of Americans have been consistently supporting Israel and tracking polls since October 7th, and why it is that Israel is the indispensable ally for the United States and the Middle East, both from a moral perspective and also from a strategic one.”

Perkins noted his tone “was forceful, it was strong, [and] it was confident.” And yet, it was also calm. “I find kind of interesting,” he stated, “when the world is rallying against him, against the Israeli people, … there’s [still] great confidence in the fact that the Israelis are going to stick together. The Jewish state is going to survive no matter what it takes.”

“I agree,” Glick added, “and I think that there is a calmness to Netanyahu because he understands who it is that he’s representing.” Ultimately, “he knows just how heroic the people of Israel are. … And so, even if he were going into a lion’s den, you can rest assured that … you’ll be doing the right thing when you’re representing this people loyally.” But Glick emphasized her thankfulness that “the halls of Congress was not the lion’s den.” On the contrary, Netanyahu “was greeted in his remarks by profound friendship on the part of the lawmakers who gave him, by some counts, 53 standing ovations.”

From Glick’s point of view, these warm reactions within Congress were “a testament to the depth of the friendship between the American and Israeli people.” And when people applauded, Glick felt “it wasn’t that they were only applauding” Netanyahu, but that “they were applauding … the people of Israel.”

In times of crisis, “it’s really wonderful to see the outpouring of support that Israel receives from the American people through their elected representatives in Congress,” Glick concluded. “[I]t’s not easy to stand alone. I mean, Israelis have proven for the last nine months that they’re willing to do so, but it’s very heartening to know that we don’t stand alone when we stand, that we do have people behind us.”