Shaheen: The most important thing in Netanyahu's speech before Congress is not only what he said, but also what he ignored
Abu Ghosh: A speech that contradicts the mood of the American street and is biased towards the Republicans, even if indirectly
Abu Al-Ezz: Netanyahu was keen to deny war crimes charges, confirm the relationship with America, and intimidate Arab allies
Nimer: A show-stopping speech that presented Israel as a victim waging an existential war to secure American support


Ramallah - Exclusive to Al-Quds
The reaction of the members of the US Congress, especially the Republicans, and the warmth with which they welcomed the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and their “astonishment at the speech of lies” that he delivered to them and before their eyes, using his voice sometimes, and the movements of his face and hands at other times, seemed like a “festival of applause”, as the number of times the members of Congress interrupted Netanyahu’s speech with applause reached 80 times, while Netanyahu was busy showing off his muscles and displaying the achievements he made in his crazy war on the Gaza Strip, without forgetting, of course, to put his country side by side with the United States, in fighting the forces of evil and defending Western values.
In turn, writers and political analysts, in conversations with Al-Quds, considered that the speech was largely theatrical, as it focused on portraying Israel as a victim to ensure American support and justify the war that his army is waging in the Gaza Strip.
Analysts said that Netanyahu relied on propaganda and lies in his speech, and they expected that Netanyahu, after his return from Washington, would work to conclude the first stage of the deal with the Palestinians in order to meet the demands of a part of the public, the army, and the families of the Israeli detainees, in an attempt to rearrange his cards to continue ruling and fighting.

Focus on the Iranian threat

Writer and political analyst Khalil Shaheen commented on Netanyahu's speech before the US Congress, saying: The most important thing in the speech is not what Netanyahu said, but also what he omitted.
Shaheen explained that Netanyahu did not address important issues such as a ceasefire, a prisoner exchange deal, settlements, or any political process to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Instead, Netanyahu confirmed, in one way or another, Israel’s continuation of the war with US support, while focusing on the Iranian threat.
He added: He tried to define an important title, which is the Iranian danger, and claimed that everything that is happening in the region is due to Iranian policies. He also spoke about establishing a regional alliance in which Israel and the United States play the main role.

A middle ground between Republicans and Democrats

Shaheen believed that Netanyahu was seeking American support to continue the war without any restrictions, although he would continue in any case, while he also tried to direct his speech to serve his interests in light of the discrepancy and lack of clarity over who would win the elections, Republicans or Democrats, in the United States.
According to Shaheen, Netanyahu tried to strike a balance between supporting Republicans and addressing the sensitivity of the situation with Democrats, especially before meeting with President Joe Biden and his vice president. He realizes that Biden will remain in office, which could negatively affect Netanyahu and Israel’s policies, and he does not want to repeat the experience of President Barack Obama when he passed a UN resolution condemning settlements at the end of his term.

Mercenary MPs
Shaheen stressed that the warm applause that Netanyahu received in Congress reflects the American bias towards Israel, as Congress is an arena for adopting policies that support Israel and continuous political and military support for it, especially since there is what is known as the phenomenon of “mercenary representatives,” who are members of Congress who receive support from Zionist lobbies, which explains the warm applause for Netanyahu as he represents the policy of partnership with Israel in the war on the Gaza Strip.
Sher Shaheen pointed out that Netanyahu was received in Congress as a hero because he reflects America's policy and partnership with Israel in this war on the Gaza Strip. There is also a bias from Republicans in favor of Israel, although some Democrats are not comfortable with what was stated in Netanyahu's speech, and some of them did not applaud or stand for him, and some of them left Congress.

Biden indirectly criticized and praised Trump

The writer, political analyst and specialist in Israeli affairs, Nihad Abu Ghosh, believes that Netanyahu's speech is completely at odds with the mood of the American street, noting that Congress is controlled by American financial monopolies, but despite that, Congress was not united in its reception of Netanyahu, and Netanyahu's speech was biased towards the Republicans, as he indirectly criticized President Biden and praised Trump.
Abu Ghosh pointed out that Netanyahu tried in his speech to polish his image before the Americans and the Israelis, but he faced criticism even from the Israeli side, due to his disregard for the deal and the day after the war, and his disregard for the international community and the role of the Palestinian Authority.

A speech full of lies

Abu Ghosh explained that the impact of Netanyahu's speech was negative on the Palestinians in the short term, as it relied on propaganda and false content, and did not provide solutions to the problems he faces internally or internationally.
Abu Ghosh pointed out that Netanyahu tried to attract support for his policies, at a time when Israel is suffering from internal opposition.
He said: We, as Palestinians, are upset by the lies contained in Netanyahu's speech, but we are counting on the support of free countries and global support forces for our cause, while stressing that our battle is ongoing and will not be affected by Netanyahu's statements.
Abu Ghosh pointed out that there are broad sectors in American society that support the Palestinian people, and that global understanding of the Palestinian narrative is also growing.

primarily defensive speech

For his part, Dr. Amjad Abu Al-Ezz, professor of international relations at the Arab American University, writer and political analyst, said that Netanyahu’s speech was primarily defensive, and used three main strategies: First, he defended Israel against accusations of war crimes and criticism directed at it, and used Congress as a platform to attack his opponents.
Abu Al-Ezz added: In the second strategy of his speech, Netanyahu sought to build an alliance between the United States and Israel, promoting the idea that the conflict is led by Israel on behalf of the United States, as if he was trying to merge the fate of the two states to attract emotional support.
The third strategy, according to Abu Al-Ezz, is that Netanyahu addressed his Arab allies, stressing that their fate is linked to Israel’s fate in confronting security challenges, especially Iran.

Criminalizing the Palestinian narrative

Regarding the impact of Netanyahu's speech on the Palestinians, Abu Al-Ezz explained that Netanyahu tried to criminalize the Palestinian narrative and link the events of October 7 to a new Holocaust, and he seeks for the speech to be a cover to continue the war on the Gaza Strip.
He said: Netanyahu is speaking to Americans in Congress and attacking them in their own backyard, as if he were an American politician, interfering in American internal affairs in a historically unprecedented manner.
Abu Al-Ezz pointed out that Netanyahu gained the support of the Republicans but lost the Democrats, despite everyone agreeing on the necessity of Israel's survival, stressing at the same time that American support for Israel is still in place, with continued bias towards it.


Israel Protects America's Interests and Defends Western Values

In turn, Dr. Saad Nimr, a professor of political science at Birzeit University, considered Netanyahu’s speech to be a show-off par excellence, as it focused on presenting Israel as a victim to ensure American support, and justifying the war as an existential war for Israel.
Nimr stressed that Netanyahu sought to portray Israel as a protector of American interests in the region by fighting Iran and its proxies, stressing the sacrifices of Israeli soldiers for Western values.
Nimr pointed out that Netanyahu focused in his speech on building an alliance with countries that have normalized relations with Israel to confront Iran, as if he was indicating that America needs Israel to defend it.
He said: Netanyahu's speech did not provide anything new regarding the war on the Gaza Strip or stopping it, and his positions are not different from his known positions.

Special applause and celebration from the Republicans

Regarding the applause Netanyahu received in Congress, Nimer added that most of those who applauded Netanyahu were Republicans, while about 80 Democrats were absent. Netanyahu tried to achieve a balance between the Democratic and Republican parties.
Nimr expected that Netanyahu, upon his return from Washington, would seek to conclude the first stage of the deal to meet the demands of part of the public, the army, and the families of the Israeli detainees, but it is unlikely that he will advance in the next steps of the deal.
He pointed out that Netanyahu will continue to disrupt the talks in order to maintain the status quo, continue the war, and maintain security control over Gaza.
Nimr pointed out that these steps by Netanyahu, whether his speech or the conclusion of the first phase of the deal, come in the context of Netanyahu's attempt to arrange his papers to remain in power for the longest possible period, satisfy the Israeli public, ensure that he escapes his trial for a longer period, and in order to achieve a political victory after the failures faced by the Israeli army.