MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Netanyahu calls for NATO-style alliance against Iran

“Israel first, America next” was Netannyahu's motto to explain his country's war against ”the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States”

Wednesday's speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the US Congress seemed to herald the foundations around which Western civilization will revolve soon. As he described the world for when victory over the pro-Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has been achieved, supporters of the other faction in the ongoing Middle East conflict vandalized adjacent areas in Washington DC, particularly Union Station.

Demonstrators were pepper-sprayed and numerous arrests were made while Netanyahu suggested the US and Israel should create some sort of “Middle East NATO” to be named the “Abraham Alliance” and serve as a line of defense against Iran.

Netanyahu spoke before the joint session of the US Congress for the fourth time in his life, thus surpassing former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's record. However, numerous lawmakers failed to attend the gathering or walked away from it. “In World War II, as Britain fought on the frontlines 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 frontline of civilization, I too appeal to America: ‘Give us the tools faster, and we’ll finish the job faster.'”

“America forged a security alliance in Europe to counter the growing Soviet threat,” Netanyahu argued. “Likewise, America and Israel today can forge a security alliance in the Middle East to counter the growing Iranian threat.” He also recalled that when Iran launched a missile and drone attack against Israel on April 14, the US and the UK helped shoot some of them down. The Prime Minister then thanked US President Joseph Biden “for bringing that alliance together,” as well as his predecessor Donald Trump for brokering the ‘Abraham Accords’ between Israel and several Arab countries.

“When we fight Iran, we are fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States,” Netanyahu also noted. He added that when Israel fights a nuclear Iran, “we are not only protecting ourselves, we are protecting you.” Netanyahu insisted that “our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, our victories will be your victories.”

Netanyahu also made it clear that his country's military offensive against Hamas will not stop until its military capabilities have been destroyed and it ends its rule in Gaza. “That’s what total victory means. And we will settle for nothing less,” elaborated Netanyahu, who also pledged to bring back the hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7 onslaught. Israeli forces Wednesday announced they had retrieved four more bodies of their people killed by the terrorist group.

“Israel first, America next” was Netannyahu's motto to explain his country's war. “Iran sees America as its greatest enemy,” Netanyahu also pointed out while recalling that the Islamic Republic has been fighting Washington since it came to power in 1979. “For Iran, Israel is first, America is next,” he stated.

“Iran is virtually behind all the terrorism, all the turmoil, all the chaos, all the killing,” Netanyahu said. America, “the guardian of Western civilization,” stands in the way of Iran’s maniacal plans to impose radical Islam on the world. Israel “is merely a tool” for Iran, added Netanyahu, quoting a Hezbollah official. “The main war, the real war, is with America.”

“For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together,” Netanyahu stressed. “When we stand together, something important happens; we win, they lose.” And “we will win.” The “Jewish people are no longer helpless in the face of our enemies,” he underlined. “Never again must never be an empty promise; it must always remain a sacred vow, and after October 7, never again is now,” he stated. “Whenever we see the scourge of antisemitismÖ we must fight it,” Netanyahu also noted, particularly regarding the case against Israel brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. “The ICC is trying to shackle Israel’s hands and prevent it from defending itself,” Netanyahu said, warning that if this happens, the ICC would do the same to the US and other democracies. “The hands of the Jewish state will never be shackled, Israel will always defend itself,” he added.

Of the several lawmakers who missed Netamyahu's speech, 70 belonged to Biden's Democratic Party. Although technically not a legislator, the most notorious absence was that of Kamala Harris, who as Vice President remains Speaker of the Upper House and is likely to pick up the baton from Biden to face Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Nov. 5 elections. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found Harris two percentage points ahead of Trump, although her nomination is yet to be confirmed.

Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio was the other big no-show. As Trump's running mate, he cited campaign needs for skipping the meeting.