preserving our democracy. god bless you >> friday nights, watching c-span's 2024 campaign trail. a weekly roundup of campaign coverage providing a one stop shop to cover what candidates across the country are saying to voters. along with first-hand accounts from clinical reporters, updated bham numbers, fundraising data and campaign ads. watch campaign trail friday nights at 7:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. online at c-span.org, or download as a podcast on these ban now, our free mobile app, or wherever you get your podcasts. c-span, your unfiltered view of politics. view of politics. >> thursday, administration officials testify about

industrial policy, exports and investments in relation to national security. watch the senate banking live at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span3, c-span now, or online at c-span.org. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we're funded by these television companies and more. including charter communications. >> charter is proud to be recognized as one of the best internet providers. we're just getting started. building 100 thousand miles of new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. >> charter communications supports c-span as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu addressed

lawmakers about israel's ongoing war with hamas during a joint meeting of congress. he stressed that the u.s. and israel must stand together while criticizing the demonstrators gathered outside the capital in protest of his speech. several democratic lawmakers showed opposition to hearing from the prime minister by refusing to appear in the house. [cheers and applause]

[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

the speaker: members of congress, i now have the high privilege and distinct honor of his excellency, benjamin netanyahu, prime minister of israel.

p.m. netanyahu: thank you. speaker of the house, mike johnson, senator ben cardin, minority leader hakeem jeffries, senate majority leader chuck schumer, senate minority leader mitch mcconnell, senators, members of congress, distinct issued guests, mr. speaker, i want to thank you for giving me the profound honor of addressing this great citadel of democracy for the fourth time.

we meet today at a crossroads of history. our world is in uphelve. in the middle east, iran's access of terror confronts israel and our arab friends. this is not a clash of civilizations. it's a clash between. ms. barragan: ism and civil -- barbarism and civilization. it's a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life. for the forces of civilization to triumph, america and israel must stand together.

because when we stand together, something very simple happens, when we win, they lose. and my friends, i came to assure you today of one thing, we will win.

ladies and gentlemen, like december 7, 1941 and september 11, 2001, october 7 is a day that will forever live in infamy. it was a jewish holiday. 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 and the qua budgets next to gaza, suddenly heaven turned into hell. 3,000 hamas terrorists stormed into israel and butchered 1200 people from 39 countries and 39 americans.

proportionately, compared to our population size, that's like 29 9/11's in one day. these monsters, they raped women, they beheaded babies and burned babies alive and killed parents in front of their parents and parents in front of their children. they dragged 255 people, both living and dead into the dark dugons of gaza. israel has brought home 135 of these hostages and seven who were freed during rescue operations. one of those freed hostages is

here in the gallery sitting near my wife. on the morning -- on the morning of october 7, the entire world saw as she was abducted to gaza on the back of a motorcycle. i met nora's mother 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 one last time before i die. two months ago, i authorized a breathtaking commando rescue operation. our special forces including heroic officer who fell in this battle, rescued her and three other hostages. i think this is one of the most moving things, when she was reunited with her mother and her mother's last wish came true, she was so thrilled to have you

with us today. thank you. 1:30. 1:30.

endured is beyond words. i met with them again yesterday and i promised them this. i will not rest until all their loved ones are home. all of them.

as we speak we're actively engaged in intensive efforts to secure their release and i'm confident that these efforts can succeed. some of them are taking place right now. i want to thank president biden for his tireless efforts on behalf of the hostages and for his efforts to the hostage families as well. -- hostage's families as well -- hostages' families as well. i thank president biden for his heartfelt support for israel after the savage attack on october 7. he rightly called hamas sheer evil. he dispatched two aircraft

carriers to the middle east to deter a wider war. and he came to israel to stand with us during our darkest hour, a visit that will never be forget pen -- forgotten. president biden and i have known each other for over 40 years. i want to thank him for half a century of friendship to israel and forking about, as he says, a proud -- forking about, as he says -- for being, as he said, a proud zionist, actually, as he says, a proud irish zionist. my friends, for more than nine months, israel's soldiers have shown boundless courage. with us today -- with us today

is lieutenant. he is an officer in the israeli paratroopers. his family immigrated to israel from ethiopia. in the early hours of october 7, he heard the news of hamas' bloody rampage. he put on his uniform, grabbed his rifle, but he didn't have a car. so he ran eight miles to the front lines of gaza to defend its people.

you heard that right. he ran eight miles, came to the front lines, killed many terrorists and saved many, many lives. we all honor your remarkable heroism. another israeli is with us here today and he's standing -- stand up -- right next to hip. this is master sergeant. ashraf is a veteran solder from the israeli muslim community. on october 7, ashraf too killed

many terrorists, first he defended his comrades in the military base, and he then rushed to defend the neighboring communities, including the devastated community of kibbutz. like ashraf, the muslim soldiers of the i.d.f. fought alongside their jewish, christian and other comrades in arms with tremendous bravery. a third hero, a lieutenant, is also here with us.

assaf fought as an officer in the tank war and he was wounded in battle. he was wounded in battle while protecting his fellow soldiers from a grenade. he lost his right arm and the vision in his left eye. he's recovering and incredibly within a short time he will soon return to active duty as a commander of a tank company.

i just learned there is a fourth hero here, lieutenant jonathan who lost a leg in gaza and continued to fight. my friends, these are the soldiers of israel. unbowed, undaunted, unafraid.

as the bible says, they shall rise like lions, they have risen like lions. the lions of a, the lions of israel -- of judah, the lions of israel. ladies and gentlemen, the men and women of the i.d.f. come from every corner of israeli society. every ethnicity, every color, every ceed -- creed. left and right, religious and secular. all are imbued with the indomitable spirit of the maccabees, the legendary jewish warriors of antiquity. with us today is the father of one of those maccabees.

his father escaped the holocaust and found refuge in america. as a young man, he moved to israel and raised a family of eight children. he named his eldest son after his late father. moshed became an exemplary officer in one of our elite commander units. he served with distinction for two decades. while raising six beautiful children of his own. on october 7, he volunteered to return to combat. four weeks later, he was killed when a boobie trap mine exploded in a tunnel shaft right next to a mosque. at his son's funeral, his father said this. if the state of israel had not been established after the holocaust, the image engraved in our collective memory would have been the photograph of that hopeless jewish boy in the warsaw ghetto holding his hands up in the air with nazi rifles

pointed at him. but because of the birth of israel, he continued, because of the courage of soldiers like my son, the jewish people are no longer helpless in the face of our enemies. please rise so we can honor your son's sacrifice and i pledge to you and to all the families of israel, some of whom are in this hall today, the sacrifice of your loved ones will not be in vain.

it will not be in vain because for israel, never again must never be an empty promise. it was always -- it must always replain a sacred vow and after -- remain a sacred vow and after october 7, never again is now. my friends, defeing our -- defeating our brutal enemies requires both courage and clarity. clarity begins by knowing the difference between good and evil. yet incredibly many anti-israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil. they stand with hamas.

they stand with rapists and murderers. they stand with people who came into the kibbutz, into a home, the parents and the children, the two babies in a secret attic, they murdered families, the parents, they found the secret latch to the hidden attic, and then they 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 from the national security director, director of u.s. director of national intelligence, that iran is funding and promoting anti-israel protests in america. they want to disrupt america. so these protesters burn american flags even on the fourth of july. and i wish to salute the fraternal brothers at the university of north carolina who protected the american flag, protected the american flag against these anti-israel protesters.

for all we know, iran is funding the antiisrael protests that are going on right now outside this building, not that many, but they're here and throughout the city. i have a message for these plow test tosser, when the tyrants of tehran who hang from cranes and murdering women for not hiding their hair, you are iran's useful idiots.

some of these protestors -- amazing, absolutely amazing, some of them hold up signs claiming gays for gaza and might as well hold up signs chickens for k.f.c. these protestors chant from the river to the sea, but many don't have a clue what river and what sea they are talking about. they are not only get an f in geography but f in history. they call israel a colonial state. don't they know that the land of israel is where abraham, issac

and jacob prayed and isaiah preached and david and solomon ruled? 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. it's not only the campus protestors who get it wrong, but also the people who run those campuses. 80 years after the holocaust, 80

years after the holocaust, the presidents of harvard, penn and i'm ashamed to say, my alma matter, m.i.t., couldn't bring themselves do condemn the genocide of jews. they said it depends on the context. let me give them a little context. antisemitism is the world's oldest hatred .for centuries, the massacre of jews was preceded by wild accusations and accused from poisoning wells, to spreading plagues and using the blood of slaughtered children to bake matzas. these lies led to persecution

and mass murder and to history's worst genocide, the holocaust. as these lies were leveled against the jewish people, now lies are being against the jewish state. don't applaud, listen. the outlandish slanders are meant to delegitimize israel and demeanize the jewish state and jews everywhere and we saw a rise of antisemitism in america and around the world. my friends, whenever and wherever we see the scourge of antisemitism, we must condemn and res -- resolutely fight it. without exception.

and don't be fooled, when the blood rifles against the jewish state come from people who speak in lofty tones about law and justice. the prosecutor of international criminal court has shamefully accused israel of deliberately starving the people of gaza. this is utter, complete nonsense, a complete fabrication. israel has enabled more than 40,000 aid trucks to enter gaza. that's half a million tons of food and more than 3,000 calories for every man, woman 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. so much for that lie, but here's another. the i.c.c. prosecutor accuses israel of deliberately targeting civilians. what in god's green earth is he talking about? the i.d.f. has dropped millions of flyers, sent millions of text messages and 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 war official, listen to this, boasted that palestinian women and children compel at being human shields. his words, compel at being human shields. what monstrous evil. in israel, every civilian death is a tragedy. for hamas, it's a strategy. they want palestinian civilians to die so israel will be smeared in international media and be pressured to end the war before its won. this would enable and as they vod october 7 again and again and again. i want to assure you, no what pressure is brought to bear, i will never allow that to happen.

the vast majority of americans have not fallen for this hamas propaganda and continue to support israel. and i want to say thank you america, and senators and house members who continue to support israel, continue to support the truth and see through the lies. but as for the minority, that may have fallen to hamas. i suggest you listen to colonel john spencer. he is head of urban warfare studies at west point and studied every conflict in history. israel, he said has implemented

more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history and beyond what international law requires. that's why despite all the lies you've heard, the war in gaza has one of the lowest ratios of combatants to noncam bat ant casualties in the history of urban war fare. 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 battalion. i asked the commander, how many terrorists did you take out in rafah. he said 1203. i asked him how many civilians were killed? he said, prime minister, practically none, with the exception of a single incident where snap nell from a bomb and unintentionally killed two dozen people. the answer is practically none. you want to know. israel got people out of harm's way. people said that we couldn't do. but we did it.

these heroes here today, they are soldiers of israel, should not be condemned for conducting the war in gaza, they should be commended for it. i want to thank all of you here today who forcefully oppose the accusations of the i.c.c. and stood for the truth. these lies are not only liable but dangerous and trying to prevent us from defending ourselves. if israel's hands are tied, america is next. i'll tell you what else is next, the ability of all democracies to fight terrorism will be

imperilled. the hands of the jewish state will never be shackled. israel will always defend itself. 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, ayatolla said we will export it the islamic receive neution -- revolution to the entire world.

ask yourself which stands in the way of iran to impose radical islam on the world? and the answer is clear, america, the guardian of western civilization and the world's greatest power. that's why iran sees america as its greatest enemy. last month, revealing comment about the war in gaza, but about something else. came from the foreign minister of iran's proxy of hezbollah. this is not a war with israel, israel 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. in 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 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 to murder a former secretary of state and a former national security adviser. and as we recently learned they 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 houthis, hez and hamas. -- hezbollah and hamas. standing in the way is my country, the state of israel. that's why, that's why the mobs in teheran chant death to israel before they chant death to america. 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. my friends, if you 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.

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 8, a day after the hamas attack. it has launched thousands of missiles and drones against us. 80,000 of our citizens in northern israel evacuated their homes, becoming effectively refugees in their own land. we are 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. 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 --

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. 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 keep american boots, we help keep americans' boots off the ground, whriel protecting our shared -- while protecting our shared interests

in the middle east. 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 fought 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.

my dear friends, the war in gaza could end tomorrow if hamas surrenders, disarms and returns all the hostages. but if they don't, israel will fight until we destroy hamas' military capabilities and its rule in gaza and bring all our hostages home. that's what total victory means

and we will settle for nothing less. the day after we defeat hamas, a new gaza could emerge. my vision for that day is of a demilitarized and deradicallized gaza. israel does not seek to resettle 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. gaza should have a civilian administration run by palestinians who do not seek to destroy israel. that's not too much to ask. it's a fundamental thing. that we have a right to demand and to receive.

a new generation of palestinians must no longer be taught to hate jews, but rather to live in peace with us. those twin words, demilitarization and deradicallization, those two concepts were applied to germany and japan after world war ii. and that led to decades of peace, prosperity and security. following our victory -- following our victory, with the help of regional partners, the demill tar station and -- demilitarization of gaza can also lead to a future of prosperity, security and peace. that's my vision for gaza.

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 foreign 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 14. led by the united states, more than half a dozen nations work aid longside israel -- alongside israel to help neutralize hundreds of missiles and drones launched by iran against us. thank you, president biden, for

bringing that coalition together. 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 -- i have a name for this new alliance. i think we should call it the abraham alliance. i want to thank president trump for his leadership in brokering the historic abraham accords.

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. 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.

that's jerusalem, our eternal capital, never to be divided again. my dear friends, democrats and republicans, despite these times of upheavingal, i'm hopeful about the future. i'm hopeful about israel because my people, the jewish people, emerged from the depths of hell, from disposition of genocide, and against all oddses 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 continued 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. 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 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. and we will continue to work with the united states and our arab partners to transform a troubled region from a backwater of oppression, poverty and war, into a thriving oasis of dignity, prosperity, and peace. in this noble mission, as in many others, israel will always remain america's indispensable ally. through thick and thin.

[applause] the thick and thin, in good times and in bad, israel will always be your loyal friend and your steadfast partner. on behalf of the people of israel i came here today to say, thank you, america. thank you for your support and solidarity. thank you for standing in israer hour of need. together, together we shall defend our common civilization. together we shall secure a brilliant future for both our nations. may god bless israel.

may god bless america. and may god bless the great alliance between israel and america forever.

the speaker: the purpose of the joint meeting having been

completed, the chair declares the joint meeting of the two houses now >> c-span's washington journal discussing politics and public policy. presidential historian and executive director of the washington library lindsay talks about president biden's decision to not seek reelection and parallels with other presidents. member of the freedom caucus talks about campaign 2024 and netanyahu speaks to congress. join live at 7:00 eastern on

c-span, c-span now or c-span.org. ♪ >> c-span is your view of government funded by these companies and more including comcast. >> you think this is just a community center? it is more than that. comcast is creating wi-fi enabled listing so students get tools to be ready for anything. comcast supports c-span along with these providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> next susan sarandon, jill stein and others join activists to protest against benjamin netanyahu's visit to the