We Have No Other Land;  We Have No Other Prime Minister

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Some people try to mask their identities when they engage in offensive behavior. Witness the face coverings at pro-Hamas demonstrations and the tentifada.  But sometimes people simply can’t prevent themselves from proclaiming their identities and proclivities through their actions.  Nature will out.

Thus Rashida Tlaib, in all her hatred and ugliness, sat stone-faced throughout Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech, clasping small but legible signs.  The defender of Hamas lets everyone know with whom she stands.  But to dispel any doubt, she carried a small round identifier:  “War Criminal” on one side, “Guilty of Genocide” on the other.  She wore a keffiyeh to show whose values she was endorsing–the proponents of genocide and the war criminals.  All her Hamas and Squad colleagues should do the same.  We know who they are, but the garb and sign would be like a uniform to identify members of the terrorist team.

She may have thought she was referring to Netanyahu, but the truth was obvious.

Similarly, it has become commonplace at events such as destination weddings and events dedicated to peace to release doves, as symbols of hope and harmony.  The Palestine Youth Movement released maggots and cockroaches.  Just saying.

To their credit, they were willing to surrender beloved soulmates, pets and companions for the cause.  They may be stupid and ignorant, but they are passionately committed.

Netanyahu’s speech was a triumph.  Whatever his deficiencies, he has always been able to speak directly and effectively to the American heart.  His reception in Congress and the adulatory responses to his address, interrupted by over 50 standing ovations from both sides of the aisle, gave the lie to those who suggested that his visit would be counterproductive.  Those who thought that his appearance before Congress would harm Israel’s cause were proven wrong.  Since they all also believed that capitulation would advance the timeline for hostage release, one can only hope that they were wrong on that front also.

He was clearly nervous, but he was masterful, eloquent, and in control.  He has been here before.  The Prime Minister’s attack on the “chickens for KFC” demonstrators was highly effective.  His scornful dismissal of Chuck Schumer as he strode past him was pitch perfect. The knowledge that protestors were outside defacing American monuments and burning the American flag provided a useful contrast.  Ironically, even the impudent absence of those who might have booed or sat on their hands enhanced the effectiveness of the occasion.

But more compelling, Netanyahu’s public description of the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 was necessary and salutary.  His introduction of proud Israeli fighters of all ethnicities was uplifting, valuable and praiseworthy.  The recitation of the enduring bond between Israel and the US in the face of a common enemy was timely and imperative.  The steadfast commitment to endurance and victory was bracing and inspiring.

The image of a powerful leader of Israel not retreating or apologizing, but proclaiming its basic strength, goodness, perseverance, determination, bravery, tenacity, and resolution, will not soon fade from memory.

Chazak baruch.

The journalists, politicians, and retired security functionaries who said he should not have come should have the good grace to apologize, but since they probably lack the character for that, they should at least have the political awareness to remain silent.  They have embarrassed themselves enough.  I would and could never criticize the members of the hostage families; what they are going through defies comprehension and one must identify with their agony.  But the others who find themselves on the same side of the fence as the Hamas supporters should be ashamed, and those who tried to undercut the prime minister in public when he was representing the country abroad in such a prominent forum should abandon politics. They lack the talent for it.

I am not unaware of the many criticisms of Netanyahu.  If I were, the ignorance wouldn’t last long, for each time I write about him I am deluged with sputtering indictments of his character (or lack thereof), his insensitivity, his bad wife, his blind ambition, his criminality, and his general unfitness for office.  Some of the indictments are quite persuasive.

And then I consider the job he has done over the decades and the demands and challenges of his current job. I see him at the podium in the Capitol.  I look around, surveying the Israeli political scene, imagining the alternatives, and I am grateful that he is the one on the job.  Until someone better appears, may God guide his way.

Yishar Koach, Mr. Prime Minister.