Posted on 07/25/24
| News Source: Washington Examiner
Baltimore, MD - July 25, 2024 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a powerful case for Israel in his speech before Congress on Wednesday, but his message was much more clearly delivered by the scene outside Union Station.
Netanyahu’s mission in Congress was neither to lay out specific plans for what comes after Israel’s military offensive against Hamas nor to announce the completion of a hostage deal. Rather, he came to remind America why Israel is a bipartisan issue and ultimately an American one. “If you remember one thing from this speech, remember this: Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory,” he told lawmakers.
Bibi does not do kumbaya. While he would express Israel’s gratitude for the support of President Joe Biden and both sides of the aisle in Congress, the power of the message lay in his clearly and forcefully making the case for his country and its actions, speaking proudly of Israel while articulating the values that have guided its response to the utter depravity of its enemies, and illustrating beyond reasonable doubt that “this is not a clash of civilizations (but) … a clash between barbarism and civilization … between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life.” He came to try and change the narrative about Israel’s war and help America see through the lies peddled by the many haters of the Jewish state.
It was a hard job. Aside from the visceral negativity and anger he arouses in many, the Gaza war has generated and activated masses of haters pushing their lies about Israel more often and more effectively than ever, making it that much harder for members of Congress to maintain both the clarity and the courage to stand with Israel and leading 20% of them to skip Netanyahu’s speech.
And yet, despite all that, the feeling in the packed chamber was overwhelmingly positive and the content of the message deeply resonant, generating warmth through its clarity and leading the vast majority of those present to thunderously and repeatedly applaud. Tears were streaming down our cheeks as we stood in that vaunted chamber as Jews, the people that dwells alone, feeling supported and admired by the world’s greatest superpower, and and that we were part of a shared struggle.
This message was driven home far more effectively by what we saw when we left the building.
The seat of American government in Washington is glorious, graced by stately buildings and beautiful grounds. Like so many others, I have always found the walk between the Capitol and Union Station uplifting and refreshing, even in the district’s humidity.
Not yesterday.
I knew something was amiss when the office of my senatorial host insisted that two of the men who work in the office accompany me to the station. The roads were filled with an astonishing number of heavily armed police in riot gear, helmets, and gas masks. Was this Washington or a war zone?
Thousands of anti-Israel protesters were assembled in front of Union Station, celebrating the butchers of Hamas, defacing Columbus Circle, and desecrating the American flag. Bibi called them “Iran’s useful idiots,” but that seriously understated the horrifying atmosphere created by that mass of people glorifying death and trashing America.
I hope they do not immediately clean up the monument in Columbus Circle. In our tradition, since the Temple was destroyed, we are to leave in each of our homes a prominent scar of imperfection, or zecher l’churban, such as a missing tile or an unpainted square of drywall that stares us in the face and reminds us of what we are missing.
If this cult of death continues to be glorified on America’s streets and campuses, Washington should not look perfect. Let the torn American flags and the red paint and inverted triangles welcoming Hamas speak volumes and reverberate longer, louder, and with less political static than Netanyahu’s speech. Let these images make it clear to all proud and loyal people that support for Israel is far bigger than just this war and that this war is not just against Hamas but against tyranny, death, and evil.
That short walk from the Capitol to Union Station, usually inspiring, was instead both threatening and enlightening. Its message was identical to the one we had just heard in Congress: Israel is a bipartisan issue, an American issue.
If anyone remembers one thing from that walk, they will remember this: Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory.