[[link removed]]

GENOCIDAIRE NETANHAYU DOES NOT DESERVE TO ADDRESS CONGRESS A RECORD
4TH TIME  
[[link removed]]


 

Ralph Nader
July 23, 2024
Common Dreams
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ The invitation has outraged many Israelis—majorities of whom
despise Netanyahu, who is under indictment by Israeli prosecutors for
corruption. _

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting
of the United States Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol
March 3, 2015 in Washington, D.C. , Win McNamee/Getty Images

 

Unless the GOP in Congress has a last-minute rethinking, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel
[[link removed]] will enjoy his
record-setting fourth address to a Joint Session of Congress on July
24, 2024. Scores of Democrats are boycotting the event. Meanwhile, in
Gaza [[link removed]], Netanyahu is committing
mass murders and war crimes and killing hundreds of thousands of
Palestinian civilians, most of them children and women, blowing up
their crucial life-saving facilities, and wounding the survivors
rendered homeless and defenseless against Biden-provided deadly
weapons.

Netanyahu’s first address to Congress was on July 10, 1996, when a
younger Netanyahu promised to end U.S. aid to a prosperous Israel and
received a standing ovation. He obviously has broken this promise, as
his U.S. lobbies have demanded tens of billions of more U.S. taxpayer
dollars.

Netanyahu’s third address to Congress on March 3, 2015 bypassed
then-President Barack Obama in an arrogant breach of protocol. The
supine Congress gave him many standing ovations.

The push for Netanyahu’s forthcoming address was spearheaded by the
fanatic GOP House Speaker Michael Johnson (R-La.) who easily
politically intimidated House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries
(D-N.Y.) and Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
into going along.

Johnson’s invitation has outraged many Israelis—majorities of whom
despise Netanyahu, who is under indictment by Israeli prosecutors for
corruption and because of his attacks on the judiciary and destruction
of their protest rights.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told _CNN_ regarding the
invitation to Netanyahu, “I think this is wrong.” Hundreds of
House and Senate staffers are signing petitions urging Democratic
lawmakers to protest or boycott it. The staffers pointed to
“bombings of schools, hospitals, and mosques” and a “campaign of
mass starvation against Palestinian children” in addition to
censoring media coverage of the devastation.

Noting that world opinion is overwhelmingly against Netanyahu’s
genocidal war on Gaza, the staffers’ letter emphasized that
“Israelis have been protesting in the streets for months, decrying
his failure to negotiate a cease-fire and release of hostages.”

An outstanding affirmation of these sentiments by congressional staff
came on June 26, 2024 in an op-ed in _The New York Times_ by six very
prominent Israelis, including a former prime minister, titled “We
Are Israelis Calling on Congress to Disinvite Netanyahu.” It is
pertinent to present an excerpt from this urgent dispatch, as follows:

WE ARE ISRAELIS CALLING ON CONGRESS TO DISINVITE NETANYAHU

By David Harel, Tamir Pardo, Talia Sasson, Ehud Barak, Aaron
Ciechanover, and David Grossman

The leaders of the U.S. Congress have invited Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu of Israel to address a joint meeting of the Senate and the
House of Representatives on July 24. Normally, we Israelis would
consider the invitation recognition of our two nations’ shared
values and a welcome gesture from our closest friend and ally, to whom
we are deeply and morally indebted.

But Congress has made a terrible mistake. Mr. Netanyahu’s appearance
in Washington will not represent the State of Israel and its citizens,
and it will reward his scandalous and destructive conduct toward our
country.

We come from a variety of areas of Israeli society: science,
technology, politics, defense, law, and culture. We are thus in a good
position to assess the overall effect of Mr. Netanyahu’s government,
and like many, we believe that he is driving Israel downhill at an
alarming speed, to the extent that we may eventually lose the country
we love.

To date, Mr. Netanyahu has failed to come up with a plan to end the
war in Gaza and has been unable to gain the freedom of scores of
hostages. At the very least, an invitation to address Congress should
have been contingent upon resolving these two issues and, in addition,
calling for new elections in Israel.

Inviting Mr. Netanyahu will reward his contempt for U.S. efforts to
establish a peace plan, allow more aid to the beleaguered people of
Gaza, and do a better job of sparing civilians. Time and again, he has
rejected President Joe Biden’s plan to remove Hamas from power in
Gaza through the establishment of a peacekeeping force. Such a move
would very likely bring in its wake a far broader regional alliance,
including a vision to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is
not only in Israel’s interest but also in the interest of both
political parties in the United States. Mr. Netanyahu constitutes the
main obstacle to these outcomes.

The man who will address Congress next month has failed to assume
responsibility for the blunders that allowed the Hamas assault,
initially blaming security chiefs (then quickly backtracking
[[link removed]]),
and has yet to announce
[[link removed]]
the establishment of a direly needed state commission of inquiry
headed by a Supreme Court judge to look into the fiasco.
…..
Above all, many Israelis are convinced
[[link removed]] that
[[link removed]]
Mr. Netanyahu has obstructed proposed deals
[[link removed]]
with Hamas that would have
[[link removed]] led to the
release of the hostages in order to keep the war going and thus avoid
the inevitable political reckoning he will face when it ends.
…..
For months now, many of us have participated in nationwide
demonstrations demanding an immediate release of the hostages, an end
to the war, and immediate elections. Polls
[[link removed]]
of Israelis show that a majority
[[link removed]] want immediate elections, or
elections right at the end of the war.

A large portion of Israelis have lost faith in Mr. Netanyahu’s
government
[[link removed]].
…..
That’s where Mr. Netanyahu’s speech to Congress fits in with his
political needs. No doubt it will be carefully stage-managed to prop
up his shaky hold on power and allow him to boast to his constituents
about America’s so-called support for his failed policies.

His supporters in Israel will be emboldened by his appearance in
Congress to insist that the war continue, which will further distance
any deal to secure the release of the hostages, including several U.S.
citizens.

Giving Mr. Netanyahu the stage in Washington will all but dismiss the
rage and pain of his people, as expressed in the demonstrations
throughout the country. American lawmakers should not let that happen.
They should ask Mr. Netanyahu to stay home.

This full communication to the American people can be seen either
in_The New York Times_
[[link removed]]
or the Congressional Record
[[link removed]]
of July 11, 2024.

There will be mass protests outside Congress on July 24 by Jewish
Voice for Peace, CodePink, Veterans for Peace, and other civic groups.
But there would be a great benefit for boycotters like Sen. Bernie
Sanders [[link removed]] (I-Vt.),
Progressive House Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal
[[link removed]] (D-Wash.), and Rep.
Mark Pocan [[link removed]] (D-Wis.) to
secure a House Committee Room and invite, via Zoom, these six leading
Israelis to testify before the media on the same day. These messages
could reach the grisly, complicit architects of this disgraceful
defamation of the Peoples’ Legislature more than the bullhorns of
the upstanding peaceful protesters kept far away by the security
police.

===

Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate and the author of "The Seventeen
Solutions: Bold Ideas for Our American Future" (2012). His new book
is, "Wrecking America: How Trump's Lies and Lawbreaking Betray All"
(2020, co-authored with Mark Green).

* Netanyahu
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]