Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked for unity from lawmakers as he addressed a US Congress divided by his military campaign in Gaza, with a rift between the nations deepening over the conflict’s humanitarian toll.
Washington has become increasingly critical of Israel’s nine-month war in the narrow coastal territory, while protests in Israel by families of hostages taken by Hamas are also causing headaches for Netanyahu at home.
Empty seats
Amid empty seats as some US lawmakers skipped the speech in protest, the Israeli leader got a rousing welcome from Republicans as he entered the historic chamber.
“For the forces of civilisation to triumph, America and Israel must stand together,” Netanyahu said in his address.
He also took aim at Hamas’s sponsor Iran. “Our world is in upheaval. In the Middle East, Iran’s axis of terror confronts America, Israel and our Arab friends,” Netanyahu said. “This is not a clash of civilizations. It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization,” he added.
Pro-Palestine protest
Outside the US Capitol, thousands of protesters tried to march on the seat of US government but were kept at least a block away by police who fired pepper spray and the rally ultimately dispersed.
Netanyahu drew boos when he criticised protesters as “Iran’s useful idiots.”
His visit came at a time of political upheaval in the United States.
