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CNN Live Event/Special
Prime Minister Netanyahu Addresses Congress. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired July 24, 2024 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BEJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: So these protesters burn American flags even on the Fourth of July. And I wish to salute fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina who protected the American flag -- protected the American flag against these anti- Israel protesters.
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AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
NETANYAHU: For all we know, Iran is funding the anti-Israel protest that are going on right now outside this building -- not that many, but they're there -- and throughout this city. Well, I have a message for these protesters. When the tyrants of Tehran who had hang gays from cranes and murdered women for not covering their hair are praising promoting and funding you, you have officially become Iran's useful idiots.
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NETANYAHU: Some of these protesters -- it's amazing, absolutely amazing. Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming "gays for Gaza." They might as well hold up signs saying "chickens for KFC."
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NETANYAHU: These protesters chant "from the river to the sea," but many don't have a clue what river and what sea they're talking about.
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NETANYAHU: They not only get an F in Geography, they get an F in History.
They call Israel -- they call Israel a colonialist state? Don't they know that the land of Israel is where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob prayed, where Isaiah and Jeremiah preached and where David and Solomon ruled?
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NETANYAHU: For nearly 4,000 years, the land of Israel has been the homeland of the Jewish people. It's always been our home. It will always be our home.
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NETANYAHU: It's not only the campus protesters who get it wrong; it's also the people who run those campuses.
NETANYAHU: Eighty years after the Holocaust -- 80 years after the Holocaust, the presidents of Harvard, Penn, and I'm ashamed to say my alma mater, MIT, couldn't bring themselves to condemn the calls for the genocide of Jews. You remember what they said? They said, "It depends on the context." Well, let me give these befuddled academics a little context.
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NETANYAHU: Antisemitism is the world's oldest hatred. For centuries, the massacre of Jews was always preceded by wild accusations. We were accused of everything from poisoning wells, to spreading plagues, to using the blood of slaughtered children to bake Passover matzohs. These preposterous antisemitic lies led to persecution, mass murder and ultimately, to history's worst genocide, the Holocaust.
Now, just as malicious lines were leveled for centuries at the Jewish people, malicious lies are now being leveled at the Jewish state.
No, no, don't applaud. Listen. The outrageous slanders that paint Israel as racist and genocidal are meant to delegitimize Israel, to demonize the Jewish state and to demonize Jews everywhere. And no wonder, no wonder we've witnessed an appalling rise of antisemitism in America and around the world.
My friends, whenever and wherever we see the scourge of antisemitism, we must unequivocally condemn it and resolutely fight it without exception.
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NETANYAHU: And don't be fooled when the blood libels against the Jewish state come from people who wear fancy silk robes and speak in lofty tones about law and justice.
Here's a case in point: The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has shamefully accused Israel of deliberately starving the people of Gaza. This is utter, complete nonsense. It's a complete fabrication.
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NETANYAHU: Israel has enabled more than 40,000 aid trucks to enter Gaza. That's half a million tons of food, and that's more than 3,000 calories for every man, women, and child in Gaza. If there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren't getting enough food, it's not because Israel is blocking it, it's because Hamas is stealing it.
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NETANYAHU: So much for that lie. But here's another -- the ICC prosecutor accuses Israel of deliberately targeting civilians. What in God's green Earth is he talking about? The IDF has dropped millions of flyers, sent millions of text messages, made hundreds of thousands of phone calls to get Palestinian civilians out of harm's way. But at the same time, Hamas -- Hamas does everything in its power to put Palestinian civilians in harm's way. They fire rockets from schools, from hospitals, from mosques. They even shoot their own people when they try to leave the war zone.
A senior Hamas official, Fathi Hamad, boasted -- listen to this -- he boasted that Palestinian women and children "excel at being human shields." His words, "excel at being human shields." What monstrous evil.
For Israel, every civilian death is a tragedy. For Hamas, it's a strategy. They actually want Palestinian civilians to die, so that Israel will be smeared in the international media and be pressured to end the war before it's won. This would enable Hamas to survive another day and, as they vowed, to carry out October 7th again and again and again.
Well, I want to assure you, no matter what pressure is brought to bear, I will never allow that to happen.
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NETANYAHU: The vast majority of Americans have not fallen for this Hamas propaganda. They continue to support Israel. And I want to say thank you, America, and thank you, senators and House members, who continue to support us, continue to support Israel, continue to support the truth and see through the lies.
But as for the minority that may have fallen for Hamas' con job, I suggest you listen to Colonel John Spencer. John Spencer is head of urban warfare studies at West Point. He studied every major urban conflict -- I was going to say in -- in modern history. He corrected me. No, in history. Israel, he said, has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history and beyond what international law requires.
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NETANYAHU: That's why despite all the lies you've heard, the war in Gaza has one of the lowest ratios of combatants to non-combatants casualties in the history of urban warfare. And you want to know where it's lowest in Gaza? It's lowest in Rafah. In Rafah. Remember what so many people said? If Israel goes into Rafah, there will be thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of civilians killed.
Well, last week, I went into Rafah. I visited our troops as they finished fighting Hamas' remaining terrorist battalions. I asked the commander there, how many terrorist did you take out in Rafah? He gave me an exact number, 1,203. I asked him, how many civilians were killed? He said, Prime Minister, practically none, with the exception of a single incident where shrapnel from a bomb hit a Hamas weapons depot and unintentionally killed two dozen people. The answer is, practically none.
You want to know why? Because Israel got the civilians out of harm's way, something people said we could never do. But we did it.
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NETANYAHU: These heroes here today, the heroic soldiers of Israel, should not be condemned for how they're conducting the war in Gaza, they should be commended for it.
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NETANYAHU: I want to thank all of you here today who forcefully opposed the false accusations of the ICC and stood up for the truth. These lies are not only libelous, they're downright dangerous. The ICC is trying to shackle Israel's hands and prevent us from defending ourselves. And if Israel's hands are tied, America is next.
And I'll tell you what else is next, the ability of all democracies to fight terrorism will be imperiled. That's what's on the line. So let me assure you, the hands of the Jewish state will never be shackled. Israel will always defend itself.
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NETANYAHU: My friends, in the Middle East, Iran is virtually beyond -- behind all the terrorism, all the turmoil, all the chaos, all the killing. And that should come as no surprise. When he founded the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini pledged, we will export our revolution to the entire world -- we will export the Islamic revolution to the entire world.
Now ask yourself, which country ultimately stands in the way of Iran's maniacal plans to impose radical Islam on the world? And the answer is clear, it's America, the guardian of Western civilization and the world's greatest power.
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NETANYAHU: Last month we heard a revealing comment, ostensibly about the war in Gaza, but about something else. It came from the foreign minister of Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, and he said this. "This is not a war with Israel. Israel," he said, "is merely a tool. The main war, the real war, is with America."
Iran's regime has been fighting America from the moment it came to power. It 1979, it stormed the American embassy, and held scores of Americans hostage for 444 days. Since then, Iran's terrorist proxies have targeted America in the Middle East and beyond.
In Beirut, they killed 241 U.S. servicemen. In Africa, they bombed American embassies. In Iraq, they supplied explosives to maim and kill thousands of American soldiers. In America -- in America, they actually sent death squads. They sent death squads here to murder a former secretary of state and a former national security advisor. And as we recently learned, they even brazenly threatened to assassinate President Trump.
But Iran understands that to truly challenge America, it must first conquer the Middle East. And for this, it uses its many proxies, including the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Yet in the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran's way is one proud, pro-American democracy, my country, the state of Israel.
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NETANYAHU: For Iran, Israel is first. America is next. So when Israel fights Hamas, we're fighting Iran. When we fight Hezbollah, we're fighting Iran. When we fight the Houthis, we're fighting Iran. And when we fight Iran, we're fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America.
And one more thing. When Israel acts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons that could destroy Israel and threaten every American city, every city that you come from, we're not only protecting ourselves. We're protecting you.
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NETANYAHU: My friends, if you'd remember one thing -- one thing from this speech, remember this: Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory.
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NETANYAHU: Ladies and gentlemen, that victory is in sight. Israel's defeat of Hamas will be a powerful blow to Iran's axis of terror. Another part of that axis, Hezbollah, attacked Israel on October 8th, the day after the Hamas attack. It has launched thousands of missiles and drones against us.
Eighty-thousand of our citizens in Northern Israel evacuated their homes, becoming effectively refugees in their own land.
We're committed to returning them home. We prefer to achieve this diplomatically, but let me be clear, Israel will do whatever it must do to restore security to our northern border and return our people safely to their homes.
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NETANYAHU: Last Friday, a third Iranian proxy, the Houthis, attacked Tel Aviv with a deadly drone. It exploded a few hundred feet from the American consulate, killing one person and injuring nine.
On Saturday I authorized a swift response to that attack. All our enemies should know this, those who attack Israel will pay a very heavy price. And as we defend ourselves...
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NETANYAHU: And as we defend ourselves on all fronts, I know that America has our back and I thank you for it. All sides of the aisle, thank you.
(APPLAUSE) NETANYAHU: My friends, for decades America has provided Israel with generous military assistance, and a grateful Israel has provided America with critical intelligence that saved many lives. We've jointly developed some of the most sophisticated weapons on earth.
I choose my words carefully. We've jointly developed some of the most sophisticated weapons on earth that help protect both our countries. And we also help...
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NETANYAHU: We also help keep American boots -- we help keep Americans boots off the ground, while protecting our shared interest in the Middle East.
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NETANYAHU: I deeply appreciate America's support, including in this current war. But this is an exceptional moment. Fast tracking U.S. military aid can dramatically expedite an end to the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader war in the Middle East.
In World War II, as Britain on the front lines 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 front line of civilization, I too appeal to America -- give us the tools faster and we'll finish the job faster.
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NETANYAHU: My dear friends, the war in Gaza could end tomorrow if Hamas surrenders, disarms and returns all the hostages.
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NETANYAHU: But if they don't, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas' military capabilities, end its rule in Gaza, and bring all our hostages home.
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NETANYAHU: That's what total victory means, and we will settle for nothing less.
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NETANYAHU: The day -- the day after we defeat Hamas, a new Gaza can emerge. My vision for that day is of a demilitarized and de- radicalized Gaza. Israel does not seek to re-settle Gaza, but for the foreseeable future, we must retain overriding security control there to prevent the resurgence of terror, to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.
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NETANYAHU: Gaza should have a civilian administration run by Palestinians who do not seek to destroy Israel. That's not too much to ask.
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NETANYAHU: It's a fundamental thing, that we have a right to demand and to receive.
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NETANYAHU: A new generation of Palestinians must no longer be taught to hate Jews but rather to live in peace with us.
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NETANYAHU: Those twin words, "demilitarization" and "de- radicalization," those two concepts were applied to Germany and Japan after World War II, and that led to decades of peace, prosperity, and security.
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NETANYAHU: Following our victory -- following our victory, with the help of regional partners, the demilitarization and de-radicalization of Gaza can also lead to a future of security, prosperity, and peace. That's my vision for Gaza.
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NETANYAHU: Now, here's my vision for the broader Middle East. It's also shaped in part by what we saw in the aftermath of World War II. After that war, America forged a security alliance in Europe to counter the growing Soviet threat.
Likewise, America and Israel today can forge a security alliance in the Middle East to counter the growing Iranian threat. All countries that are at peace with Israel and all those countries who will make peace with Israel should be invited to join this alliance.
We saw a glimpse -- we saw a glimpse of that potential alliance on April 14th. Led by the United States, more than half a dozen nations worked alongside Israel to help neutralize hundreds of missiles and drones launched by Iran against us.
Thank you, President Biden, for bringing that coalition together.
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NETANYAHU: The new alliance I envision would be a natural extension of the groundbreaking Abraham Accords. Those accords saw peace forged between Israel and four Arab countries, and they were supported by Republicans and Democrats alike. We could call...
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NETANYAHU: I have a name for this new alliance. I think we should call it the Abraham Alliance.
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NETANYAHU: I want to thank President Trump for his leadership in brokering the historic Abraham Accords.
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NETANYAHU: Like Americans, Israelis were relieved that President Trump emerged safe and sound from that dastardly attack on him, dastardly attack on American democracy. There is no room for political violence in democracies.
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NETANYAHU: I also want to thank President Trump for all the things he did for Israel, from recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights to confronting Iran's aggression to recognizing Jerusalem as our capital and moving the American embassy there.
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NETANYAHU: That's Jerusalem, our eternal capital, never to be divided again.
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NETANYAHU: My dear friends, Democrats and Republicans, despite these times of upheaval, I am hopeful about the future. I'm hopeful about Israel because my people, the Jewish people, emerged from the depths of hell from dispossession and genocide. And against all odds, we restored our sovereignty in our ancient homeland, we built a powerful and vibrant democracy, a democracy that pushes the boundaries of innovation for the betterment of all humanity.
I'm hopeful about America because I'm hopeful about Americans. I know how much the people of this country have sacrificed to defend freedom. America will be -- continue to be a force for light and good in a dark and dangerous world. For free peoples everywhere, America remains the beacon of liberty its extraordinary founders envisioned back in 1776.
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NETANYAHU: Working together, I'm confident that our two nations will vanquish the tyrants and terrorists who threaten us both. As Israel's prime minister, I promise you this -- no matter how long it takes, no -- how -- no matter how difficult the road ahead, Israel will not relent, Israel will not bend. We will defend our land, we will defend our people, we will fight until we achieve victory, victory over liberty -- rather, victory of liberty over tyranny, victory of life over death, victory of good over evil. That's our solemn commitment.
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NETANYAHU: And we will continue to work with the United States and our Arab partners to transform a troubled region from a backwater of repression, poverty, and war into a thriving oasis of dignity, prosperity, and peace.
