"Mr. Speaker I want to thank you for the honor of addressing this great citadel of Democracy for the fourth time. We meet today at a crossroads of history, our world is in upheaval. In the Middle East, Iran's axis of terror confronts America, Israel, and our Arab friends. This is not a clash of civilizations, it's a clash between barbarism and civilization. It's a clash between those who glorify death against those who sanctify life. For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together!" Netanyahu opened.
"When we stand together, something very simple happens: we win - they lose. My friends I came to assure you today, we will win!" he declared.
He related: "Ladies and Gentlemen, Like December 7th, 1941 and September 11th, 2001, October 7th is a day that will live in infamy. It was the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, it began as a perfect day, not a cloud in the sky. Thousands of young Israelis were celebrating at an outdoor music festival. And suddenly at 6:29 a.m., as children were still sleeping soundly in their beds in the towns next to Gaza, suddenly Heaven turned into Hell. 3,000 Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel. They butchered 1,200 people from 41 countries, including 39 Americans. Proportionately, that's like 20 9/11s in one day.
"These monsters, they raped women, beheaded men, burned babies alive, they killed parents in front of their children and children in front of their parents. They dragged 255 people, both living and dead, into the dark dungeons of Gaza. Israel has already brought home 135 of these hostages, including seven who were freed in daring rescue operations. One of those freed hostages, Noa Argamani, is here in the gallery sitting near my wife, Sara.
"On the morning of October 7th, the entire world saw Noa's look of desperation, as she was abducted to Gaza on the back of a motorcycle. I met Noa's mother, Liora, a few months ago, she was dying of cancer. She said to me: 'Prime Minister, I have one final wish: I wish to hug my daughter Noa one last time before I die. Two months ago, I authorized a breathtaking commando rescue operation. Our special forces, including a heroic officer named Arnon Zmora, who fell in this battle, rescued Noa and three other hostages. It was one of the most moving things, when Noa was reunited with her mother Lior, and her mother's last wish came true. Noa, we're so thrilled to have us with you today!
"Many other hostage families are here today, including Eliyahu Bibas, the grandfather of those two beautiful red-headed boys, the Bibas boys, toddlers, and they were taken hostage. With their mother and Eliyahu's son, the entire family was taken hostage. Two beautiful, red-haired children, were taken hostage. What monsters!
"With us also is Iris Haim, whose son Yotam bravely escaped Hamas captivity with two other Israeli hostages and were tragically killed making their way back to our lines."
Netanyahu also acknowledged the families of American hostages and declared: "I will not rest until their loved ones are home, all of them!"
He continued: "I want to thank President Biden, for his tireless efforts on behalf of the hostages and for his efforts for the hostage families as well. I thank President Biden for his heartfelt support of Israel after the savage attack on Israel on October 7th."
Netanyahu noted: "For the past nine months, Israel's soldiers have shown boundless courage. With us today is Lt. Avichail Reuven, an officer in the Israeli Paratroopers Brigade. His family immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia. In the early hours of Oct. 7th, Avichail heard the news of Hamas' bloody rampage. He put on his uniform and grabbed his rifle, but he didn't have a car, so he ran eight miles to the front lines of Gaza to defend his country. We all honor your remarkable heroism."
The Prime Minister also acknowledged Ashraf al-Bakhiri, a Bedouin soldier from Rahat who on October 7th, killed many terrorists, defending his base and nearby communities. "Like Ashraf, the Muslim soldiers of the IDF fought alongside their Jewish, Druze, Christian, and other comrades in arms with tremendous bravery," he stated.
Netanyahu also pointed out Lt. Asa Sofer, a tank officer who lost a hand and vision in his eye while protecting his soldiers from a grenade, and will soon return to duty as a commander of a tank company, as well as Lt. Jonathan Ben-Hamo who lost a leg and continued to fight. "My friends, these are the soldiers of Israel: unbound, undaunted, unafraid! They will rise like lions, they have risen like lions, the lions of Judah, the lions of Israel!" he proclaimed.
The Prime Minister acknowledged Yecheil Leiter, whose son, Moshe, fell in battle in Gaza. He addressed the bereaved families and promised: "The sacrifice of your loved ones will not be in vain!"
He added: "It will not be in vain, because for Israel 'Never again' must not be an empty promise, it must always remain a sacred vow. And after October 7th, never again is now!"
Netanyahu continued: "Defeating our enemies requires both courage and clarity. Clarity begins by knowing the difference between good and evil. Yet incredibly, many anti-Israel protesters choose to stand with Hamas, they stand with rapists and murderers. They stand with people who came into the Kibbutzim, went into a home, murdered the parent, found the babies who were hidden, and murdered the babies. These protesters stand with them, they should be ashamed of themselves.
"They refuse to make the simple distinction between those who target terrorists and those who target civilians. Between the democratic State of Israel and the terrorist thugs of Hamas.
"We recently learned that Iran is funding and promoting anti-Israel protests in America. They want to disrupt America. These protesters burn American flags, even on the fourth of July, and wish to salute the fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina who protected the American flag against these anti-Israel protesters."
Netanyahu voiced a message for the anti-Israel protesters outside the building: "When the tyrants of Tehran who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair praise, promote, and fund you, you become Iran's useful idiots."
He quipped: "Some of these protesters hold up signs that say 'Gays for Gaza,' they might as well hold signs that say 'Chickens for KFC.'" He said that the protesters do not know history and added: "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!"
The Prime Minister also attacked the heads of the Ivy League Universities: "80 years after the Holocaust, the presidents of Harvard, Penn, and sadly, my alma mater, MIT couldn't bring themselves to condemn the calls for the genocide of Jews. They said it depends on the context, well let me give these befuddled academics a little context: 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 children to bake Passover matzas. These preposterous antisemitic lies led to persecution, mass murder, and ultimately to history's worst genocide, the Holocaust.
"Just as malicious lies were leveled at the Jewish people, malicious lies are being leveled at the Jewish state. The outrageous slanders that paint Israel as racist and genocidal are meant to delegitimize Israel and demonize Jews everywhere. No wonder we saw an appalling rise of antisemitism in America and around the world. Whenever and wherever we see the rise of antisemitism we must unequivocally condemn it and resolutely fight it, without exception!"
Netanyahu also attacked the prosecutor of the ICC for "shamefully" accusing Israel of starving children in Gaza, "This is utter complete nonsense, its complete fabrication."
The Israeli-American Council stated ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech before Congress on Wednesday, "Today, the State of Israel will become the only country in the world whose leaders have addressed joint meetings of the United States Congress 10 times, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will become the first foreign leader to address that forum four times, exceeding Winston Churchill’s record of three such speeches. This remarkable history reflects the unique and exceptional bond between the United States and Israel. The powerful alliance between these two great countries was forged by the Judeo-Christian values on which they were built, strengthened through a deep spiritual resonance between each nation’s sense of purpose, and further reinforced by mutual interests and common threats that drove the two societies ever closer. America has no better friend than Israel, and Israel has no better friend than America."
"The Israeli-American Council (IAC) proudly celebrates this special occasion and extends our welcome to Prime Minister Netanyahu and his delegation from Israel, which includes families of hostages held in Gaza and a hostage rescued from Gaza. We applaud Congress’ strong bi-partisan support for Israel, especially in this time of peril, and express our deepest gratitude to Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for inviting the Prime Minister and for their strong support of the Jewish People. Most of all, we thank God that both countries continue to be beacons of light and decency in our troubled world," the IAC stated.