In an address to Congress, Netanyahu defended his country’s war in Gaza

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Benjamin Netanyahu, the longtime prime minister of Israel, has addressed Congress as often as some American presidents do. Yesterday was Netanyahu's fourth. He did as presidents sometimes do, acknowledging guests in the audience, including an Israeli soldier with a prosthetic limb. He'd lost his hand in combat.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: And incredibly, within a short time, Asa (ph) will soon return to active duty as a commander of a tank company.

(CHEERING)

INSKEEP: In that way, he illustrates Netanyahu's resolve to continue the war. So how did this look and sound from Netanyahu's own country? Mairav Zonszein is on the line from Tel Aviv. She is a senior analyst on Israel with the International Crisis Group, which is a think tank that has called for a cease-fire in Gaza. Welcome.

MAIRAV ZONSZEIN: Thanks for having me.

INSKEEP: I just want to mention this is part of politics in the United States. Vice President Harris wasn't there, saying she had a schedule clash, and that was widely noted. Republicans and some Democrats have differing views on the war in Gaza. How is it part of politics in Israel when Netanyahu speaks here?

ZONSZEIN: Well, I think for most Israelis, who now there's about 72% that would like to see him resign, that would like to see early elections. For them, this speech either mattered not at all. Or for the families of the hostages and much of the country, it was kind of a spit in their face. There was no mention of the need for a cease-fire and a hostage deal. He didn't mention the fact that most of the hostages that have been returned have been returned in a deal and not in any kind of rescue operation. And he really was speaking mostly to his own settler, right-wing base.

And it's also important to note that Netanyahu, even though he is the leader who has spoken the most to Congress, he comes at a time in which he has led Israel into the worst situation of national security that it's ever been in, in a multifront war that it's not winning, I would say, and also after coming last time to speak about the threat of Iran, when Iran is the closest it's ever been to nuclear breakout. So he really comes on the heels of total failure, and Israelis do understand that.

INSKEEP: When you say not winning, we'll just note that reporting from elsewhere suggests that Israel is being drawn into a long fight against Hamas in Gaza, and this may be what Hamas, in fact, wants. Let me follow up on something you said, though. You said that he was speaking to his right-wing base. This is a right-wing government. Are the right-wing parts of the government still behind Netanyahu?

ZONSZEIN: I mean, yes, they are, and they also are what are keeping him in power. I mean, essentially, he talked about a total victory. He talked about going all the way. But his own defense minister, his own security establishment, pretty much anyone who understands the inner workings of how the military functions, have gotten behind a cease-fire deal for their own reasons - because the army is tired, because there's a multifront war that, you know, could spiral out of control at any moment and because they understand that the trust and confidence in both the military and the government by the public have been lost. And the way to get it back, at least to start, is to get the hostages back.

INSKEEP: How worried are Israelis about their relationship with their most important ally, which was on display yesterday, for better or worse?

ZONSZEIN: Yeah. I mean, that's another thing. That's the reason I think why so much of the defense security establishment has come basically out against Netanyahu, against his war approach, against his whole strategy or lack thereof - because they understand that Israel is dependent on the U.S., and they understand that, at this point in time specifically, it's not a good time to continue. You know, Israel needs weapons from the U.S. And, essentially, I think that was really the only headline out of Netanyahu's speech - which he asked for more tools to finish the job. But unfortunately, for some of us here, and certainly for Palestinians, when you hear him say finish the job, all that I can hear is a lot more killing and a lot more death.

INSKEEP: In a few seconds, would you expect a change in administration - a new election, definitely now a new president - to change the war in some way?

ZONSZEIN: You mean in the U.S.?

INSKEEP: Yes, yes.

ZONSZEIN: I definitely think that it can't get a lot worse. And I'm hoping that Kamala Harris, if she does win, understands that the rule of law has long ago been lost when it comes to Israel's behavior. And so if she's committed to that, then she should try and at least de-exceptionalize the way Israel has been treated in U.S. foreign policy for decades now. If Trump wins, then I, you know, expect things to probably get a lot worse.

INSKEEP: That's one of many perspectives we're hearing on the war, and it comes from Mairav Zonszein with the International Crisis Group in Tel Aviv. Thanks so much.

ZONSZEIN: Thanks. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.