Here is the full transcript of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Joint Session of Congress. This event took place on July 25, 2024.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
Benjamin Netanyahu – Prime Minister of Israel
Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, Senator Ben Cardin, Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, Senators, Members of Congress, Distinguished Guests.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you for giving me the profound honor of addressing this great citadel of democracy for the fourth time. We meet today at a crossroads of history. Our world is in upheaval. In the Middle East, Iran’s axis of terror confronts America, Israel, and our Arab friends.
This is not a clash of civilizations. It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization. It’s a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life. For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together.
Because when we stand together, something very simple happens. We win, they lose. And my friends, I came to assure you today of one thing. We will win.
October 7th: A Day of Infamy
Ladies and gentlemen, like December 7th, 1941, and September 11th, 2001, October 7th is a day that will forever live in infamy. It was the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. It began as a perfect day, not a cloud in the sky. Thousands of young Israelis were celebrating at an outdoor music festival.
And suddenly, at 6:29 a.m., as children were still sleeping soundly in their beds in the towns in Kibbutzim next to Gaza, suddenly heaven turned into hell. 3,000 Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel. They butchered 1,200 people from 41 countries, including 39 Americans.
Proportionately, compared to our population size, that’s like 29 elevens in one day. And these monsters, they raped women, they beheaded men, they burned babies alive, they killed parents in front of their children and children in front of their parents. They dragged 255 people, both living and dead, into the dark dungeons of Gaza.
Hostages and Rescue Operations
Israel has already brought home 135 of these hostages, including seven who were freed in daring rescue operations. One of those freed hostages, Noa Agramani, is here in the gallery sitting near my wife Sarah. On the morning of October 7th, the entire world saw Noa’s look of desperation as she was violently abducted to Gaza on the back of a motorcycle.
I met Noa’s mother, Liora, a few months ago. She was dying of cancer. She said to me, “Prime Minister, I have one final wish. I wish to hug my daughter Noa one last time before I die.”
Two months ago, I authorized a breathtaking commando rescue operation. Our special forces, including a heroic officer named Arnon Zamora, who fell in this battle, rescued Noa and three other hostages. I think it’s one of the most moving things. When Noa was reunited with her mother, Liora, and her mother’s last wish came true. Noa, we’re so thrilled to have you with us today. Thank you.
Many hostage families are also here with us today, including Eliyahu Bibas. Eliyahu Bibas is the grandfather of those two beautiful red-headed boys, the Bibas boys, toddlers. And they were taken hostage with their mother and Noa’s, sorry, and Eliyahu’s son. The entire family was taken hostage. Two beautiful red-haired children taken hostage. What monsters!
And with us also is Iris Haim, whose son, Yotam, bravely escaped Hamas captivity with two other Israelis. And tragically, they were killed, making their way back to our lines. We have with us also the families of American hostages. They’re here. The pain these families have endured is beyond words. I met with them again yesterday, and I promised them this: I will not rest until all their loved ones are home. All of them.
As we speak, we’re actively engaged in intensive efforts to secure their release. And I’m confident that these efforts can succeed. Some of them are taking place right now. I want to thank President Biden for his tireless efforts on behalf of the hostages and for his efforts to the hostage families as well.
Gratitude to President Biden
I thank President Biden for his heartfelt support for Israel. After the savage attack on October 7th, he rightly called Hamas ‘sheer evil’. He dispatched two aircraft carriers to the Middle East to deter a wider war. And he came to Israel, to stand with us during our darkest hour, a visit that will never be forgotten.
President Biden and I have known each other for over forty years. I want to thank him for half a century of friendship to Israel and for being, as he says, a proud Zionist. Actually, he says a proud Irish American Zionist. My friends, for more than nine months, Israel’s soldiers have shown boundless courage. With us today is Lieutenant Avichail Reuven.
Heroes of Israel
Avichail is an officer in the Israeli paratroopers. His family immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia. In the early hours of October 7th, Avichail heard the news of Hamas’s bloody rampage. He put on his uniform, grabbed his rifle, but he didn’t have a car. So he ran eight miles to the front lines of Gaza to defend his people.
You heard that right. He ran eight miles, came to the front lines, killed many terrorists, and saved many, many lives. Avichail, we all honor your remarkable heroism.
Another Israeli is with us here today, and he’s standing, stand up, right next to Avichail. This is Master Sergeant Master Sergeant Ashraf al Bahiri. Ashraf is a veteran soldier from the Israeli Muslim community of Rahat. On October 7th, Ashraf too killed many terrorists.
First, he defended his comrades in the military base, and he then rushed to defend the neighboring communities, including the devastated community of Kibbutz Be’eri. Like Ashraf, the Muslim soldiers of the IDF fought alongside their Jewish, Jews, Christian, and other comrades in arms with tremendous bravery.
A third hero, Lieutenant Asa Sofer, is also here with us. Asa fought as an officer in the tank corps, and he was wounded in battle. He was wounded in battle while protecting his fellow soldiers from a grenade. He lost his right arm and the vision in his left eye. He’s recovering, and incredibly, within a short time, Asa will soon return to active duty as a commander of a tank company.
I just learned there is a fourth hero here, Lieutenant Jonathan Ben-Hamel, who lost a leg in Gaza and continued to fight. My friends, these are the soldiers of Israel, unbowed, undaunted, unafraid. As the Bible says, “They shall rise like lions.” They have risen like lions, the lions of Judah, the lions of Israel.
The Spirit of the IDF
Ladies and gentlemen, the men and women of the IDF come from every corner of Israeli society. Every ethnicity, every color, every creed, left and right, religious and secular. All are imbued with the indomitable spirit of the Maccabees, the legendary Jewish warriors of antiquity. With us today is Yechiel Leiter, the father of one of those Maccabees.
Yechiel’s father escaped the Holocaust and found refuge in America. As a young man, Yechiel moved to Israel and raised a family of eight children. He named his eldest son, Moshe, after his late father. Moshe became an exemplary officer in one of our elite commando units. He served with distinction for two decades, while raising six beautiful children of his own.
On October 7th, Moshe volunteered to return to combat. Four weeks later, he was killed when a booby-trapped mine exploded in a tunnel shaft right next to a mosque. At his son’s funeral, Yechiel said this, “If the state of Israel had not been established after the Holocaust, the image engraved in our collective memory would have been the photograph of that helpless Jewish boy in the Warsaw Ghetto holding his hands up in the air with Nazi rifles pointed at him.”
“But because of the birth of Israel,” Yechiel continued, “because of the courage of soldiers like my son Moshe, the Jewish people are no longer helpless in the face of our enemies.”
Yechiel, please rise so we can honor your son’s sacrifice. And I pledge to you, and to all the bereaved families of Israel, some of whom are in this hall today, the sacrifice of your loved ones will not be in vain. It will not be in vain, because for Israel, never again must never be an empty promise. It must always remain a sacred vow. And after October 7th, never again is now.
My friends, defeating our brutal enemies requires both courage and clarity. Clarity begins by knowing the difference between good and evil. Yet incredibly, many anti-Israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil.
Confronting Anti-Israel Sentiment
They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers. They stand with people who came into the kibbutzim, into a home. The parents hid the children, the two babies, in the attic, in a secret attic. They murdered the families, the parents. They found the secret latch to the hidden attic. And then they murdered the babies. These protesters stand with them. They should be ashamed of themselves.
They refuse to make the simple distinction between those who target terrorists and those who target civilians, between the democratic state of Israel and the terrorist thugs of Hamas. We recently learned from the national security director, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, that Iran is funding and promoting anti-Israel protests in America. They want to disrupt America.
So these protesters burned American flags even on the 4th of July. And I wish to salute the fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina, who protected the American flag against these anti-Israel protesters.
For all we know, Iran is funding the anti-Israel protests that are going on right now outside this building. Not that many, but they’re there. And throughout the city.
Well, I have a message for these protesters. 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. Some of these protesters, and it’s amazing, absolutely amazing, some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming, “Gays for Gaza.” They might as well hold up signs saying, “Chickens for KFC.”
These protesters chant, “From the river to the sea,” but many don’t have a clue what river and what sea they’re talking about. They not only get an F in geography, they get an F in history. They call Israel, they call Israel a colonialist state. Don’t they know, that the land of Israel is where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob prayed, where Isaiah and Jeremiah preached, and where David and Solomon ruled?
For nearly 4,000 years, the land of Israel has been the homeland of the Jewish people. It’s always been our home, it will always be our home. It’s not only the campus protesters who get it wrong, it’s also the people who run those campuses. 80 years after the Holocaust, 80 years after the Holocaust, the presidents of Harvard, Penn, and I’m ashamed to say, my alma mater, MIT, couldn’t bring themselves to condemn the calls for the genocide of Jews.
You remember what they said? They said, “It depends on the context.” Well let me give these befuddled academics a little context. Anti-Semitism is the world’s oldest hatred. For centuries, the massacre of Jews was always preceded by wild accusations.
We were accused of everything from poisoning wells, to spreading plagues, to using the blood of slaughtered children, to bake Passover matzos. These preposterous anti-Semitic lies led to persecution, mass murder, and ultimately, to history’s worst genocide, the Holocaust. Now just as malicious lies were leveled for centuries at the Jewish people, malicious lies are now being leveled at the Jewish state. No, no, don’t applaud.
Addressing Anti-Semitism
Listen. The outrageous slanders that paint Israel as racist and genocidal are meant to delegitimize Israel, to demonize the Jewish state, and to demonize Jews everywhere. And no wonder, no wonder we’ve witnessed an appalling rise of anti-Semitism in America and around the world.
My friends, whenever and wherever we see the scourge of anti-Semitism, we must unequivocally condemn it and resolutely fight it, without exception. And don’t be fooled when the blood libels against the Jewish state come from people who wear fancy silk robes and speak in lofty tones about law and justice.
Here’s a case in point. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has shamefully accused Israel of deliberately starving the people of Gaza. This is utter, complete nonsense. It’s a complete fabrication.
Israel has enabled more than 40,000 A-trucks to enter Gaza. That’s half a million tons of food. And that’s more than 3,000 calories for every man, woman, and child in Gaza. If there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren’t getting enough food, it’s not because Israel is blocking it, it’s because Hamas is stealing it.
Addressing False Accusations
So much for that lie, but here’s another. The ICC prosecutor accuses Israel of deliberately targeting civilians. What in God’s green earth is he talking about? The IDF has dropped millions of flyers, sent millions of text messages, made hundreds of thousands of phone calls to get Palestinian civilians out of harm’s way.
But at the same time, Hamas, Hamas does everything in its power to put Palestinian civilians in harm’s way. They fire rockets from schools, from hospitals, from mosques. They even shoot their own people when they try to leave the war zone.
A senior Hamas official, Fathi Hamad, boasted, listen to this, he boasted, that Palestinian women and children excel at being human shields. His words, “excel at being human shields.” What monstrous evil. For Israel, every civilian death is a tragedy. For Hamas, it’s a strategy. They actually want Palestinian civilians to die so that Israel will be smeared in the international media and be pressured to end the war before it’s won. This would enable Hamas to survive another day and, as they vowed, to carry out October 7th again and again and again.
Well, I want to assure you, no matter what pressure is brought to bear, I will never allow that to happen. Thank you. The vast majority of Americans have not fallen for this Hamas propaganda. They continue to support Israel. And I want to say thank you, America, and thank you, senators and House members who continue to support us, continue to support Israel, continue to support the truth and see through the lies. But as for the minority that may have fallen for Hamas’ con job, I suggest you listen to Colonel John Spencer.
Israel’s Precautions in Urban Warfare
John Spencer is head of urban warfare studies at West Point. He studied every major urban conflict, I was going to say in modern history, he corrected me, no, in history. Israel, he said, has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history and beyond what international law requires.
That’s why, despite all the lies you’ve heard, the war in Gaza has one of the lowest ratios of combatants to noncombatants casualties in the history of urban warfare. And you want to know where it’s lowest in Gaza? It’s lowest in Rafah. In Rafah!
Remember what so many people said? If Israel goes into Rafah, there will be thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of civilians killed. Well, last week, I went into Rafah. I visited our troops as they finished fighting Hamas’ remaining terrorist battalions.
I asked the commander there, how many terrorists did you take out in Rafah? He gave me an exact number, 1,203. I asked him, how many civilians were killed? He said, “Prime Minister, practically none, with the exception of a single incident where shrapnel from a bomb hit a Hamas weapons depot and unintentionally killed two dozen people.” The answer is, practically none. You want to know why? Because Israel got the civilians out of harm’s way, something people said we could never do, but we did it. Thank you.
These heroes here today, the heroic soldiers of Israel, should not be condemned for how they’re conducting the war in Gaza. They should be commended for it. Thank you. I want to thank all of you here today who forcefully opposed the false accusations of the ICC and stood up for the truth.
The Dangers of False Accusations
These lies are not only libelous, they’re downright dangerous. The ICC is trying to shackle Israel’s hands and prevent us from defending ourselves. And if Israel’s hands are tied, America is next. And I’ll tell you what else is next.
The ability of all democracies to fight terrorism will be imperiled. That’s what’s on the line. So let me assure you, the hands of the Jewish state will never be shackled. Israel will always defend itself. Thank you.
My friends, in the Middle East, Iran is virtually beyond… behind all the terrorism, all the turmoil, all the chaos, all the killing. And that should come as no surprise. When he founded the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini pledged, “We will export our revolution to the entire world.”
Iran’s Threat to America and Israel
“We will export the Islamic revolution to the entire world.” Now ask yourself, which country ultimately stands in the way of Iran’s maniacal plans to impose radical Islam on the world? And the answer is clear. It’s America, the guardian of Western civilization and the world’s greatest power. Thank you.
That’s why Iran sees America as its greatest enemy. Last month, we heard a revealing comment, ostensibly about the war in Gaza, but about something else. It came from the foreign minister of Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, and he said this, “This is not a war with Israel.”
“Israel,” he said, “is merely a tool. The main war, the real war, is with America.” Iran’s regime has been fighting America from the moment it came to power. In 1979, it stormed the American embassy. It held scores of Americans hostage for 444 days. Since then, Iran’s terrorist proxies have targeted America in the Middle East and beyond. In Beirut, they killed 241 U.S. servicemen.
In Africa, they bombed American embassies. In Iraq, they supplied explosives to maim and kill thousands of American soldiers. In America, they actually sent death squads. They sent death squads here to murder a former secretary of state and a former national security advisor.
And as we recently learned, they even brazenly threatened to assassinate President Trump. But Iran understands that to truly challenge America, it must first conquer the Middle East. And for this, it uses its many proxies, including the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas.
Yet in the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran’s way is one proud pro-American democracy, my country, the State of Israel. That’s why… that’s why the mobs in Tehran chant “Death to Israel” before they chant “Death to America.” For Iran, Israel is first, America is next.
Israel’s Fight Against Iran’s Proxies
So when Israel fights Hamas, we’re fighting Iran. When we fight Hezbollah, we’re fighting Iran. When we fight the Houthis, we’re fighting Iran. And when we fight Iran, we’re fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America.
And one more thing. When Israel acts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons that could destroy Israel and threaten every American city, every city that you come from, we’re not only protecting ourselves, we’re protecting you.
My friends, if you remember one thing, one thing from this speech, remember this. Our enemies are your enemies. Our fight is your fight. And our victory will be your victory.
Ladies and gentlemen, that victory is in sight. Israel’s defeat of Hamas will be a powerful blow to Iran’s axis of terror. Another part of that axis, Hezbollah, attacked Israel on October 8th, a day after the Hamas attack. It has launched thousands of missiles and drones against us.
80,000 of our citizens in northern Israel evacuated their homes, becoming effectively refugees in their own land. We are committed to returning them home. We prefer to achieve this diplomatically. But let me be clear.
Israel’s Commitment to Security
Israel will do whatever it must do to restore security to our northern border and return our people safely to their homes. Last Friday, a third Iranian proxy, the Houthis, attacked Tel Aviv with a deadly drone. It exploded a few hundred feet from the American consulate, killing one person and injuring nine.
On Saturday, I authorized a swift response to that attack. All our enemies should know this: those who attack Israel will pay a very heavy price. And as we defend ourselves… And as we defend ourselves on all fronts, I know that America has our back. And I thank you for it. All sides of the aisle. Thank you.
My friends, for decades, America has provided Israel with generous military assistance. And a grateful Israel has provided America with critical intelligence that saved many lives. We’ve jointly developed some of the most sophisticated weapons on Earth. I choose my words carefully. We’ve jointly developed some of the most sophisticated weapons on Earth that help protect both our countries.
US-Israel Cooperation
And we also help… We also help keep American boots… keep American boots off the ground while protecting our shared interests in the Middle East. I deeply appreciate America’s support, including in this current war. But this is an exceptional moment.
Fast-tracking U.S. military aid can dramatically expedite an end to the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader war in the Middle East. In World War II, as Britain fought on the front lines of civilization, Winston Churchill appealed to Americans with these famous words, “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job.” Today, as Israel fights on the front line of civilization, I, too, appeal to America: Give us the tools faster and we’ll finish the job faster.
My dear friends, the war in Gaza could end tomorrow if Hamas surrenders, disarms, and returns all the hostages. But if they don’t, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’s military capabilities, end its rule in Gaza, and bring all our hostages home.
That’s what total victory means, and we will settle for nothing less. The day after we defeat Hamas, a new Gaza could emerge. My vision for that day is of a demilitarized and deradicalized Gaza.
Vision for a New Gaza
Israel does not seek to resettle Gaza, but for the foreseeable future, we must retain overriding security control there to prevent the resurgence of terror, to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel. Gaza should have a civilian administration run by Palestinians who do not seek to destroy Israel. That’s not too much to ask.
It’s a fundamental thing that we have a right to demand and to receive. A new generation of Palestinians must no longer be taught to hate Jews, but rather to live in peace with us. Those twin words, demilitarization and deradicalization, those two concepts were applied to Germany and Japan after World War II, and that led to decades of peace, prosperity, and security.
Following our victory, following our victory, with the help of regional partners, the demilitarization and deradicalization of Gaza can also lead to a future of security, prosperity, and peace. That’s my vision for Gaza. Now here’s my vision for the broader Middle East.
Vision for the Middle East
It’s also shaped in part by what we saw in the aftermath of World War II. After that war, America forged a security alliance in Europe to counter the growing Soviet threat. Likewise, America and Israel today can forge a security alliance in the Middle East to counter the growing Iranian threat.
All countries that are at peace with Israel, and all those countries who will make peace with Israel, should be invited to join this alliance. We saw a glimpse, we saw a glimpse of that potential alliance on April 14th. Led by the United States, more than half a dozen nations worked alongside Israel to help neutralize hundreds of missiles and drones launched by Iran against us.
Thank you, President Biden, for bringing that coalition together. Thank you. The new alliance I envision would be a natural extension of the groundbreaking Abraham Accords. Those Accords saw peace forged between Israel and four Arab countries, and they were supported by Republicans and Democrats alike.
The Abraham Alliance
We could call — I have a name for this new alliance. I think we should call it the Abraham Alliance. I want to thank President Trump for his leadership in brokering the historic Abraham Accords. Like Americans, Israelis were relieved that President Trump emerged safe and sound from that dastardly attack on him, dastardly attack on American democracy.
There is no room for political violence in democracies. I also want to thank President Trump for all the things he did for Israel, from recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, to confronting Iran’s aggression, to recognizing Jerusalem as our capital, and moving the American embassy there. That’s Jerusalem, our eternal capital, never to be divided again.
My dear friends, Democrats and Republicans, despite these times of upheaval, I’m hopeful about the future.
Hope for the Future
I’m hopeful about Israel because my people, the Jewish people, emerged from the depths of hell from dispossession and genocide. And against all odds, we restored our sovereignty in our ancient homeland. We built a powerful and vibrant democracy, a democracy that pushes the boundaries of innovation for the betterment of all humanity.
I’m hopeful about America because I’m hopeful about Americans. I know how much the people of this country have sacrificed to defend freedom. America will continue to be a force for light and good in a dark and dangerous world.
For free peoples everywhere, America remains the beacon of liberty its extraordinary founders envisioned back in 1776. Working together, I’m confident that our two nations will vanquish the tyrants and terrorists who threaten us both. As Israel’s Prime Minister, I promise you this.
Israel’s Commitment
No matter how long it takes, no matter how difficult the road ahead, Israel will not relent. Israel will not bend. We will defend our land. We will defend our people. We will fight until we achieve victory. Victory over liberty. Rather, victory of liberty over tyranny. Victory of life over death. Victory of good over evil. That’s our solemn commitment.
And we will continue to work with the United States and our Arab partners to transform a troubled region from a backwater of repression, poverty and war into a thriving oasis of dignity, prosperity and peace.
Conclusion
In this noble mission, as in many others, Israel will always remain America’s indispensable ally. Through thick and thin… Through thick and thin, in good times and in bad, Israel will always be your loyal friend and your steadfast partner.
On behalf of the people of Israel, I came here today to say thank you, America. Thank you for your support and solidarity. Thank you for standing in Israel, with Israel, in our hour of need. Together… Together we shall defend our common civilization.
Together we shall secure a brilliant future for both our nations. May God bless Israel. May God bless America. And may God bless the great alliance between Israel and America, forever.
