Israeli PM calls for global alliance against Iranian ‘axis of terror’ as thousands protest outside US Capitol

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Gaza ceasefire demonstrators on Wednesday and called for a global alliance against the Iranian regime he accuses of funding them, as he addressed a US Congress divided by the deadly conflict.

Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators angry over Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza marched on the US Capitol as Netanyahu asked lawmakers for steady support as his forces fight Hamas.

Washington has become increasingly alarmed by the humanitarian toll of Israel’s nine-month military offensive in the narrow coastal territory, and protests in Israel and the United States have been ratcheting up pressure on Netanyahu.

The prime minister hit back at his critics in a speech at the US Capitol, accusing Tehran of funding and promoting US-based anti-Israel protest — and called Gaza peace activists “Iran’s useful idiots”.

“America and Israel today can forge a security alliance in the Middle East to counter the growing Iranian threat,” he told lawmakers as demonstrators burned his effigy in the streets beyond the historic Capitol complex.

“All countries that are in peace with Israel, and all those countries who will make peace with Israel, should be invited to join this alliance.”

Iran, he said, was the “axis of terror” behind almost all sectarian killing in the Middle East. He argued that the United States and Israel “must stand together” against Tehran and its proxies.

“Our enemies are your enemies. Our fight is your fight. And our victory will be your victory,” Netanyahu said to a standing ovation in the House chamber.

The Israeli PM called on Washington to fast-track military aid to his country to “dramatically expedite an end to the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader war in the Middle East”.

But his call for support sparked a backlash from Democrats angry that there was little of substance in his speech about securing peace.

Influential former House speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “by far the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary” invited to speak before Congress.

Thousands protest outside US Capitol

Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators marched on the US Capitol. Inside the House of Representatives — one-half of the main Capitol building — six protesters were arrested before Netanyahu began.

A group of protesters burned Netanyahu in effigy, along with American flags — a raucous end to a mostly peaceful march that also drew families, children and the elderly, as well as concerned citizens from thousands of miles away.

Crowds carrying Palestinian flags and signs ranging from left-wing slogans to Bible verses gathered near the Capitol calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the arrest of Netanyahu, as prosecutors seek a warrant for him at the International Criminal Court.

“Seek peace and pursue it,” read one sign, quoting the Bible, while others were styled as criminal “wanted” signs, with photos of Netanyahu in place of a mugshot.

At a rally before the march, Palestinian and Jewish organisers stood on a stage and denounced both the US and the Israeli government for “genocide”, calling for a “citizen’s arrest” of Netanyahu.

Karameh Kuemmerle, of the organisation Doctors Against Genocide, told AFP that she and her medical colleagues were “horrified by the destruction of the health system in Gaza”.

“We are here to show our opposition to having the criminal Netanyahu come to our capital and being greeted by the politicians who sent him weapons to kill children in Gaza,” said the doctor, who travelled to Washington from Boston.

Ahead of Netanyahu’s speech, security was reportedly increased at the Capitol, much of which was closed to the public on Wednesday, according to political news outlet The Hill.

Scuffles with police broke out as officers, who at times deployed pepper spray, kept protesters away from the seat of the US Congress.

Elsewhere, occasional shoving matches erupted between protesters and police, who made a series of arrests, mostly toward the end of the march, outside Union Station, blocks away from the Capitol.

It was there that a group of demonstrators took down three American flags flying outside the train station and set them on fire, drawing loud cheers. Netanyahu was burned in effigy, and red, black and green Palestinian flags were raised in place of the Stars and Stripes.

Protesters vented about the offensive and Washington’s support for it. “The hypocrisy of our politicians today has gone beyond any limits,” Mo, a 58-year-old protester, told AFP.

Elsewhere, a group of congressional staffers staged a walkout, calling for a ceasefire in the name of their constituents.

Israel has recently intensified its attacks on Gaza and Netanyahu has insisted that only piling on military pressure can free the hostages and defeat Hamas.

More than 39,100 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since fighting broke out, according to data provided by the enclave’s health ministry.

The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 resulted in the death of 1,197 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Out of 251 people taken hostage that day, 114 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 42 who the military says are dead.

Deep divisions

Americans are deeply divided over Israel’s actions in Gaza as the death toll climbs, and the demonstration outside the Capitol swelled to thousands ahead of Netanyahu’s appearance.

Wednesday’s address made Israel’s longest-serving premier the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times — pulling ahead of Britain’s Winston Churchill.

But he has lost backing among dozens of liberal lawmakers, and some 68 Democrats — including some of the most senior figures in Congress — said they would not attend.

Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American lawmaker, waved signs from the floor calling Netanyahu a “war criminal” and accusing him of genocide.

The Israeli leader’s visit came in the wake of a gunman targeting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and President Joe Biden bowing out of the election and endorsing his deputy, Kamala Harris.

Netanyahu singled out both Biden and Trump for praise for their efforts towards Middle East peace.

Biden and Harris are both set to meet Netanyahu separately on Thursday, but Republicans nevertheless criticised Harris for skipping Wednesday’s address.

Vice presidents typically preside over such occasions, and Senate leadership hopeful John Cornyn was one of a number of Republicans who called her no-show “disgraceful”. J.D. Vance, the Republican senator who wants to replace her as vice president, was not there either.

Netanyahu will also meet Trump — with whose administration he had a much less fraught relationship than Biden’s — in Florida on Friday.