Netanyahu calls on U.S. to create new NATO-like military alliance in Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to a joint-session of Congress Wednesday, vowing “total victory” against Hamas while calling for the creation of a new multi-national military alliance that would deal with Israel’s primary Middle East nemesis, Iran.

Netanyahu’s speech did not seem in any way designed to lead to progress in months of U.S.-led pressure for Israel to stop its offensive and agree to a cease-fire.

The AP reported that Netanyahu’s speech was interrupted by frequent applause from mostly GOP lawmakers, while it met with stony silence from many leading Democrats in the chamber.

Netanyahu said the U.S. has a shared interest in his country’s fight against Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Netanyahu said:

“America and Israel must stand together. When we stand together something really simple happens: We win, they lose.”

The Israeli leader called on the United States to create a new military alliance similar to NATO in the Middle East, the purpose of which would be to confront the “Iranian threat.”

It’s interesting that Netanhayu brought that up, because NATO just announced earlier this month it will soon open its first Middle East liaison office in Jordan, a fact that has many Muslims riled up as they see this as a further extension of Western power into the region.

According to a report by Financial World:

“The opening of the NATO liaison office in Amman is a natural progression of the long-standing relationship between NATO and Jordan,” NATO said in a press release, also calling Jordan “a beacon of stability in the regional and global context.” Numerous negative comments have emerged on social media, and many conspiracy theories have begun circulating.

Some believe NATO now intends to actively engage in conflicts in Gaza or Lebanon on behalf of Israel. This is not the first time in recent months that Jordan has faced such criticism. In April, after Iran targeted Israel with drones, Jordan played a significant role in defense against the attacks.

Jordan stated it was only protecting its airspace, but many Jordanians find this problematic. About 20 percent of the population is of Palestinian origin, including the queen, so many people support a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu, in his speech to Congress, blasted those protesting against Israel on college campuses and elsewhere in the U.S. He called protesters “useful idiots” for Israel’s adversaries.

Security removed protesters in the gallery who rose to display T-shirts with slogans demanding an end to the war and the freeing of remaining hostages.

Netanyahu got particularly adamant when he started talking about the U.S. protesters.

NETANYAHU: “I have a message for these [anti-Israeli] protestors.”

“When the tyrants of Tehran who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair are praising, promoting, and funding you, you have officially become Iran’s USEFUL IDIOTS!” pic.twitter.com/xjRYnACSlt

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 24, 2024

One Democrat member, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, held up a sign that said “WAR CRIMINAL” on one side and “GUILTY OF GENOCIDE” on the other. She remained seated during the entire speech.

Tlaib, a Muslim of Palestinian descent, has relatives in the West Bank and represents a district in Michigan with many Palestinians, many of whose grandparents immigrated to America in the 1930s and 40s to work in Henry Ford’s automobile factories.

Netanyahu accused the U.S. protesters of the Israel-Hamas war of standing with the terrorists, those who raped women, beheaded men, and burned babies alive in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu:

“Proportionally, compared to our population size, [Oct. 7 was] like twenty 9/11s in one day.” pic.twitter.com/Mzdi6sN08i

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 24, 2024