“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has returned to Washington once again, and in his fourth speech on Wednesday evening before a joint session of Congress, he broke the record previously held by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. For years, he has been a constant presence in American and Israeli politics, but this seems to be changing,” commented Fox News on this visit.
The site added in a report by its correspondent Joshua Keating: “Things seemed different today, not only because Netanyahu is a controversial figure who attracted thousands of anti-war protesters to the streets of Washington, but also because he has increasingly become marginalized.”
He continued: “Even a few weeks ago, when Netanyahu’s speech was announced, it had the potential to be a major political event, but it was overshadowed by President Joe Biden’s long-awaited speech addressing his decision to withdraw from the presidential race. Additionally, about half of the Democratic legislators were absent from the speech.”
Fox News confirmed that Netanyahu’s speech before Congress did not provide any minimal indication of a plan to end the war in Gaza, and it is likely that it undermined ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve this. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi described Netanyahu’s speech as “the worst performance by any foreign figure before Congress.”
According to the site, Netanyahu’s speech was notably defensive, focusing more on refuting criticisms of Israel than on outlining a path forward to resolve the quagmire Israel found itself in. He recounted the horrors of Hamas attacks on October 7 and pledged that Israel would fight until it destroys the movement’s military capabilities and its rule in Gaza, “and return all the hostages to their families.” However, contrary to this, these families are not inclined to believe him and are calling for him to accept a ceasefire agreement to secure the release of their loved ones.
Fox News emphasized that the Biden administration is not inclined to respond directly to Netanyahu’s public statements about a ceasefire agreement. When asked whether Netanyahu’s remarks made this agreement less likely, a senior administration official told reporters, “We were in the operations room doing other things, so I didn’t watch the speech.”
Fox News was puzzled by Netanyahu’s attack on anti-Israel protesters in the United States, accusing them of being “useful idiots for Iran” and criticizing university presidents, and sarcastically commented, “This is likely the first speech on Middle Eastern policy that includes a shout-out to the brothers at the University of North Carolina.”
The report concluded: “Perhaps Netanyahu got what he wanted today: warm applause, even if mostly from Republicans. But more than 70% of Israelis now say Netanyahu should resign.”
He continued: “In the past, Washington was a safety valve for Netanyahu, a place where he could rely on strong support. But today, the magic has vanished, and the era of the man who mastered verbal acrobatics is over,” as noted by Nimrod Novik, a member of the “Israeli Policy Forum” and a senior foreign policy advisor to former Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
Fox News’ correspondent concluded: “Netanyahu has been a controversial figure for over 40 years since his arrival in Washington. He may need to get used to being a figure of little importance.”
