“This is not a clash of civilizations,” he said to applause at the opening, describing a world in upheaval. “It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization.”
This meeting follows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint Congress session on Wednesday, in which many of the hostage relatives were also in attendance.
The speech itself broke little ground: It was long on crowd-pleasing rhetoric but offered few new plans or positions.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s decision to skip Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress for a convention raised questions about her stance on Israel amidst growing political tensions.
It is estimated that more than 80 Democratic politicians in Congress will not come to watch the speech.
In response to a reporter asking him what he thinks about certain members of Congress boycotting Netanyahu’s speech, he said, “I think this is not the way to behave.”
Thousands of other protesters opposed to Israel's war in Gaza, some carrying Palestinian flags, gathered near the US Capitol on Wednesday hours before the speech.
Protesters have gathered in the thousands outside of the US Capitol.
Prime Minister Netanyahu prepares to deliver a speech to Congress conveying messages of peace, the Iranian threat to Israel, and emphasizing Israeli-Us relations on his upcoming trip to the US.
JPOST Digital Library
