If only Netanyahu would say this to Congress

On July 24, 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress. Below, I offer a version of the speech that many Jews and pro-Israel supporters hope he delivers.  

Thank you for inviting me. The United States’ allyship and bipartisan support throughout Israel’s history, and especially since October 7th, has been invaluable to Israel’s existence, security, and well-being. It is a cherished relationship based on common democratic values and shared security interests.

A critical responsibility of every Israeli prime minister must be to preserve, if not strengthen, this special relationship and maintain close relations with the largest Jewish community outside of Israel. To my deep regret as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, I have not succeeded. Now, it is time to repair this error.

The need for repair is made urgent by the war that is foremost on the minds of all Israelis. October 7th was the darkest day in our history. Hamas broke the ceasefire in place on October 6th and murdered approximately 1,200 people, abducted 251 hostages to Gaza, and injured thousands. More than 100 hostages remain captive, separated from their loved ones and brutally victimized.

Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad – these are but some of the nations and entities that continue to expressly call and work for our destruction, leading to the displacement of thousands of Israelis from the north and south. Your continued bipartisan support for our ability to defend ourselves is indispensable, and we commit to always act in accordance with the constraints of international law – whether or not our enemies do the same.

It is clear Hamas’s intentional strategy of embedding its fighters among civilians has led to much of the suffering and tragic deaths of innocent Gazans. We have made significant efforts to protect innocent civilians, even as we recognize there are deep concerns in both parties about the impact of our efforts to remove Hamas as a governing body in Gaza and as a military force capable of repeating October 7th. Israel must continue to do more to prevent the loss of life and ensure that humanitarian aid gets through to innocent Gazans who so desperately need it. It must not be diverted by Hamas. We will also hold accountable extremist Israelis acting outside the law to divert aid.

I also recognize there is a time to withhold military power if our aims are achievable in other ways. The return of hostages released through negotiations and of those we rescued has been joyful. I will now heed the repeated calls by the remaining hostages’ family members and their many supporters who believe that a new, negotiated ceasefire is the most effective way for those still held to be freed.

Israel’s existence and security must never be allowed to become a partisan wedge issue within US politics. I acknowledge my words and actions have incited such divisions during the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. Today, I commit to end this. In that spirit, I express appreciation to both parties for their constant support and must acknowledge President Biden’s consistent commitment to Israel’s security and well-being, in particular. He has ensured a steady supply of military aid, deployed significant US forces to deter potential threats, led international efforts against Iran’s aggression, and secured crucial congressional support for aid packages. Even in areas where we disagree, I am committed to listening and working together to find common ground.

Additionally, I commit to steps within Israel that are long overdue. We must freeze all expansion of settlements, begin the process of dismantling settlements illegal under Israel’s law, and enforce a halt to settler violence with accountability for the perpetrators. To that end, I support President Biden’s sanctioning those who have led violent attacks on peaceful Palestinian communities, and I commit to enforcing our own laws against such perpetrators.

We must also stop inhibiting the development of peaceful civic life among the Palestinians. Joining with Jordan and Egypt, the Abraham Accord countries and, hopefully, Saudi Arabia, we can work together to build, train, and support the development of a more skilled and effective Palestinian leadership and civil service for the West Bank and Gaza. Israel will never be secure so long as we suppress Palestinian leaders committed to developing their own society without undermining or harming our own.

Finally, members of my own government, including individuals I have elevated as ministers, have engaged in provocations that ultimately threaten Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state. They have trafficked in hate and division instead of unity and peoplehood. Their actions undermine Israel’s security, relationships with other countries, and our international standing. I will do everything I can, even if it threatens our coalition, to end this.

Our tradition teaches that it is never too late to make amends. I pray you will join me in embracing a vision of a peaceful future that ensures a secure, vibrant, and democratic Israel and allows for Palestinian self-determination. I pray that the ties between US Jews and allies that have been frayed, in part, by the divisiveness of my own actions, can be healed. That which we envision will not come tomorrow or even soon, but I commit myself to steps that will lay the groundwork for such a future.