You couldn’t ask for a better example of everything Washington stands for: Both houses of Congress rising to feverishly applaud one of history’s worst genocidal monsters dozens of times as he lies over and over again, writes Caitlin Johnstone.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib protesting Netanyahu’s speech. (C-Span screenshot)
By Caitlin Johnstone
CaitlinJohnstone.com.au
Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before Congress was everything you’d expect: packed full of lies and propaganda spin, yet simultaneously very illuminating and revealing.
The Israeli prime minister received no fewer than 58 standing ovations while speaking before both houses of Congress and spewing the most despicable lies you could possibly imagine in his conspicuously American accent. Depending on how politically aware you are, this spectacle could be perceived as either deeply un-American, or as American as it gets.
Netanyahu repeated evidence-free atrocity propaganda about what happened on Oct. 7, falsely asserting that Hamas “burned babies alive” and killed two babies in an attic. He falsely claimed that Hamas “butchered 1,200 people”, pretending it’s not a well-established fact that many of the 1,139 Israeli deaths that day came from both indiscriminate IDF fire and deliberate targeting in implementation of the Hannibal Directive.
The rapturous reception of each and every outrageous claim by the war criminal Netanyahu makes starkly plain that the USA has abandoned not just international law, but common humanity.
Europeans must realise that NATO is a force for the projection of evil. https://t.co/aP1XmjEovB— Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) July 24, 2024
He made the completely baseless claim that Iran may be paying the anti-genocide demonstrators outside the Capitol Building during his speech, saying, “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.”
Netanyahu spent minutes ranting and raving about protests in America against his government’s atrocities in Gaza, during which he received a standing ovation from Congress that went on for nearly a minute.
Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley):
He accused the International Criminal Court of “antisemitism” and “blood libel” for saying that Israel deliberately targets civilians, as though this hasn’t been conclusively established by mountains of evidence like the IDF’s Lavender AI system and statements from doctors describing what can only be deliberate sniper executions of children in Gaza.
He repeated Israel’s evidence-free claim that the only reason people are starving in Gaza is because Hamas is “stealing” all of the aid Israel allows in for itself.
Netanyahu went out of his way to frame Israel’s plight as civilized people against uncivilized barbarians, which only works if you harbor a supremely racist worldview. He kept repeating the word “civilization”, contrasting this with the “barbarism” of Hamas and its supporters, calling Israel’s U.S.-backed military violence “a clash between barbarism and civilization” and saying “Israel fights on the frontline of civilization.”
He made these appeals to the racism that westerners harbor toward middle easterners in the same speech wherein he decried the “outrageous slanders that paint Israel as racist and genocidal.”
Netanyahu said Israel “must retain overriding security control” over Gaza “for the foreseeable future”, an open admission of plans for indefinite military occupation.
This deluge of lies and racist invective received dozens and dozens of standing ovations. The same political class that’s spent the last eight years shrieking about the threat of misinformation, disinformation and foreign propaganda just normalized and applauded a foreign genocidal war criminal as he stood before Congress telling lie after lie after lie.
You couldn’t ask for a better example of everything Washington stands for than this. Both houses of Congress rising to feverishly applaud one of history’s worst genocidal monsters dozens of times as he lies over and over again is a much better representation of what the U.S. government is about than anything you’ll see during the presidential race from now until November.
This is everything Israel is, and this is everything the U.S. empire is. They’re showing you who they are. Believe them.
Caitlin Johnstone’s work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, following her on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, YouTube, or throwing some money into her tip jar on Ko-fi, Patreon or Paypal. If you want to read more you can buy her books. The best way to make sure you see the stuff she publishes is to subscribe to the mailing list at her website or on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything she publishes. For more info on who she is, where she stands and what she’s trying to do with her platform, click here. All works are co-authored with her American husband Tim Foley.
This article is from CaitlinJohnstone.com.au and re-published with permission.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.
I would remind people that “standing ovations” have changed dramatically in my lifetime. When I was young (I say that too much!), you gave a standing ovation for an outstanding performance, and it usually stopped at one. The last time I was in the theater everyone stood for a so-so performance and gave multiple standing ovations. It was ridiculous and laughable.
Okeydokey:
Bibi Netanyahu, who has devoted himself to winning over the electorates of both Israel and the United States, still finds the time to run the foreign policy portfolio of the United States in the Middle East. A majority of both houses of Congress applaud him for this hands-off, “Leave it to Bibi” approach to American foreign policy. Amazing! And, I agree, “Absolutely revolting!”
As Mr. Chavez accurately stated at the UN years ago after W spoke the day before: “it smells like sulfur here”. Dito for yesterday at the US Capitol, arguably the lowest moment in our nations history.
Did you know that Dubya had a nasty, schoolboy habit of farting in public?
In the top photo from c-span, GA D-Rep. Sanford Bishop, is sitting directly below Tlaib, wearing gold rimmed glasses. Rep. Bishop is 77 yrs. old and has been in Congress 31 years; he’s from Albany, Ga. He went to Morehouse and Emory JD; he’s not an AIPAC darling @ 70k. What’s stunning is that Bishop was one of 42 Democrats that joined Republicans in backing legislation that would impose sanctions on the ICC over its decision to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. The vote was 247 to 155.
US Congress prioritizes Israels Genocidal crimes over US interests all for war criminal Netanyahu and his cartoon characters: smotrich and ben-givr—->>>they have no depth and are one dimensional.
They are so caught up in their sick delusions that they cannot understand how the rest of the world perceives this behaviour. They are oblivious to all criticism.
My fear is that since genocide is acceptable to them – then they aren’t too afraid of the effects of a nuclear war. We’ve seen how the escalation against Russia is going, getting us closer and closer to a nuclear exchange. They clearly don’t believe Russia will strike back and use nukes, despite repeated warnings that it will, if it has to.
Such deluded thinking as they have now leads them to believe that they can win a nuclear war with Russia, China, or even both.
Israel may well use nukes against Iran, if it thinks it can get away with doing so, not understanding or caring about the global implications. A global war could easily be sparked by such a reckless action, and it seems Netanyahu is insane enough to do so.
It just amplifies own own lies for wars and the western desire for full spectrum dominance by world military alliance is an age where male dominance military power is a threat to human civilization and not a protection. The protection racket is too profitable to give up
requiring strategic lies of all kinds.
I wish I had the skills to make and post a video of the 58 times the US politicians gave a standing ovation and after each individual ovation a photo or video of the genocidal murderous bloody horror Israel and the US are committing in Gaza. Genocide is what they were cheering.
We can hear the very loud ultra conservative dog whistles:
Not real protesters, but same as those “crisis actors” paid by…well, can’t say Soros since he’s Jewish, so how about Iran?
Deflection over and over–accuse the Other of what your group does. If caught, claim it’s necessary so good can win.
“a clash between barbarism and civilization” Ah, there’s a classic! Anyone whose traditional lands have been invaded by colonists has heard a version of that one.
An attitude justified by the allegedly scholarly work of Samuel P. Huntington in his 1996 book //The Clash of Civilizations (and the Remaking of the World Order)// Think neocon and PNAC here. Western Euro and descendants = “civilized.” Never mind the two World Wars and colonialism. Everyone else = non-civilized, barbarian. Obviously that includes the entire Islamic world. But it also explicitly includes the Eastern Orthodox world as well and therefore Russia.
According to Huntington, these inferiors are anti-democratic, aggressive, and prone to violent acts without provocation or careful assessment of consequences. Therefore quite often the best defense against them is to strike first.
Got it?
They are showing you who they are. Believe them. What a great thought. Yes I do believe them. The usa leadership is soaked in hate and blood and high school understanding of the world. This helps confirm so much of what I think of the usa empire. The usa empire is truly the destroyer of the world and proud of it. Beware!
Netanyahu claims that it is Iran who is paying the DC demonstrators marching against him and Zionism and the FBI and CIA claim that they think it was Iran that was involved in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Spreading the lies of another Middle East
country that they, the deep state, want to take out.
The Deep State, thats another name for these Zionist-oligarch monsters. This wretched evil and racist sect owns everything and everyone who’s in power in the western world.
How can such a power be destroyed without destroying ourselves in the process?
Always remember that people who are only motivated by money and power cannot believe that anyone else is motivated by ethics, decency, humanity. This is our payback for allowing psychopaths to take over our society.
Netanyahu is the Israeli version of Donald Trump.
Thats ridiculous, John. Trump Derangement Syndrome much?
The problems are several. The lies were there for all to hear. The Congress is elected to do the will of the people. What has been demonstrated is that they cannot differentiate between right or wrong. Most, if not all, are threatened with removal from office if they don’t toe the Israeli line. And they all, with few exceptions, toe that line. Why? They will not lose their lives. Their positions are nothing compared to the lives that were lost in this on-going debacle. Kamala Harris stayed away. She was panned for doing so, as if her presence was mandatory. I could go on but thinking people should know where.
Good for Kamala. Staying away from mass murderer Netanyabu’s tissue of lies was a good move. I wholly support it. She was taking a stand against genocide.
She was doing no such thing, she is a supporter of the genocide and will continue to fund it if she gets voted in.
A duplicitous vacuous non-entity that has succeeded through failure.
Kamala Harris’s day after comments focusing on the protests to the speech, rather than the head genocider’s actual genocidal speech:
“I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation.”
Yes, yes, antisemitism is very bad … but apparently, actual racial and ethnic genocide of a people is not to be commented on.
Judging from the applause Netanyahu could be the de facto president of the United States while Harris remains vice president.
This country has truly reached a new low. These Congressional lapdogs, jumping up and down to Sig Heil this despicable monster, are the real Useful Idiots, and Netanyahou knows it full well.
But always keep in mind (I’ve watched it in my own life) that people will applaud a monster one day and scream for his murder the next.
“Civilisation” – for a war criminal and chief genocidal executioner he does seem to have a sense of humour. Or perhaps he and the very rich charlatans who gave him his ovations have driven themselves way beyond the bounds of sanity and humanity by now.
The only things more vile and reprehensible than this creature are those animals applauding him and those who vote for them in election after election. Amazingly, many of these–like JD Vance–are firm opponents of abortion….as though murdering a child in the womb is more inhumane than murdering him at his mother’s breast with his entire family using a 500-pound bomb.
“‘Freedom, democracy, laws, reputation, official po-
sition, were no longer of any use to anybody, since
even the office of tribune, which had been devised
for the restraint of wrong-doers…was guilty of
such outrages and suffered such indignities.
APPIAN'”
-Mike Duncan
The Storm Before the Storm p.145
That demonstration in congress tells it all. Everyone clapping for their suitcase of shekels. If there were any doubts about where the U.S. stands, it should be clear to all.
The bellowing, the howls piercing the air- this was a truly demonic spectacle. It was as though Satan was returning to Hades with a multitude of fresh souls for the rack, to be greeted rapturously by his horde of loyal minions. For me it wasn’t the sight of them struggling to their feet with every lie. It was those joyous cries from the belly of perdition that produced the real shock. I used to think Congress was a sewer. It’s not. It’s Hell.
Methinks you give hell a bad name.
I agree with your analysis. When I was young, I never used the words evil, the devil, hell. Now that I am 70 I am fully aware that they are REAL and not just symbolic.
A pathological sadistic criminal.
America…a nation that just isn’t worth idolising…AND USrael should be shunned.
Seat-of-the-pants “lawmakers”. Up down up down. Seig heiling with their bottoms because bums are what they’ve become.
What is it with Yammerin’ Binyamin and his targeting of young people who protest his campaign of mass slaughter that uses the most sophisticated & deadly weaponry available against unarmed, undefended women & children? Would you take advice on what’s best for your children from a homicidal maniac?
Why do elected reps suck-down the raw sewage of hatred that pours forth from this man’s mouth? Hands full of gimme, mouths full of much obliged, that’s why. Pledge allegiance to a foreign flag & pocket their reward. Endorse threats to violate the civil protections of their own people who claim the right to disagree.
Congress members stand & applaud in opposition to bedrock democratic principles. Too easy to hide their complicity behind a belligerence of ignorance.
Isn’t it time there must be a wealth cap for citizens running for Senator and Representative? Doesn’t too much personal wealth distance you from realities of life that most Americans experience? Perhaps, too much wealth distances you from La Vida itself. Making you prone to gravitate to a brother whose waywardness wreaks of your own. Especially, in the Gaming of Power. Where purloining – money, power, position, soul, the commons, property, climate -has been raised to a sophisticated corporate racket, normalized and insidiously popularized by the Fraternity. Who was that famous character who sold his soul to the Devil?
Me, I say show some damn spine, America. Launder your own mess. Vote all incumbents out now. No need to ponder the “arguments”. You can ignore the big money ads, the pundits, the polls & the pols. They love to “send messages”? Well, send them a whopper. All out now! Rinse & repeat each cycle, the ones longest in office out first. No Matter What. Cleanse the Congress until those newly seated begin to get the message & act to represent the will of the people. And teach your kids not to swallow this crap from private corporate parties & the elect. It may take longer than a generation to clean house. The situation has gone way beyond rascality.
That’s exactly what I have planned in November. No votes for the golden boys Adam Schiff or Ted Lieu, or Kamala the annointed one.
You ask why? My take it is the convergence of the three Ps: Power, Profits, and Prophets. What could be worse? We overlook any one of these at our peril, and I see that happening all the time. Analysts who look through a single lens and find they are stupefied by being unable to make sense of it all.
“What to make of the fact that the Jewish state, of all places, has a Holocaust revisionist for a prime minister?” This is the very pertinent question asked by J.J. Goldberg in an article for the “Forward” website called:
“Why Benjamin Netanyahu’s Defense of Hitler Is So Wrong — and Matters So Much” (22 October 2015).
Thank you for sharing your truthful and thought provoking perspective, Caitlin – we certainly won’t hear this from our MSM because they just perpetuate the lies fed to them by our ineffective government…
It was like a State of the Union speech. I didn’t realize he was our President. Yet our politicians apparently already know that and think it’s just dandy. Absolutely revolting!