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[Global Times Special Correspondent in the United States Xiao Da, Chen Kang, Liu Yupeng] Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress on the 24th local time, becoming the first foreign politician to deliver a speech to the U.S. Congress for the fourth time, breaking the record of three speeches by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In the speech, the most eye-catching thing was Netanyahu's claim that he would build an alliance with the United States in the Middle East modeled on NATO "to deal with the threat of Iran." He tried his best to "tie" the United States and Israel together, claiming that "we are also protecting you, and our enemies are your enemies." However, when he was speaking, more than 50 U.S. congressmen were absent. Many Democratic congressmen at the scene sat in their seats and refused to applaud, protesting silently. Some even held up signs that read "war criminals." Outside the Capitol, thousands of demonstrators held a protest, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Building a new military alliance modeled after NATO?

According to the Associated Press, Netanyahu delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress on the afternoon of the 24th. He hopes to seek more support from the United States. "Accelerating U.S. military aid can greatly accelerate the end of the war in Gaza," Netanyahu called on Churchill when he sought aid from the U.S. Congress during World War II, "Give us the tools and we will get the job done."

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered a speech to the US Congress on the 24th local time. (Visual China)

Netanyahu tried to use the "Iranian threat" to "tie" the United States and Israel together. "In the Middle East, the Iranian axis of terror poses the greatest threat to the United States, Israel and our Arab allies," he said. "When we fight Iran (forces), we are fighting America's most radical and brutal enemies... We are not only protecting ourselves, we are also protecting you. Our enemies are your enemies, our fights are your fights, and our victories are your victories."

In his speech, Netanyahu also mentioned a "broader vision for the Middle East," claiming that the United States and Israel should build a new military alliance based on NATO to "deal with the Iranian threat." According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu said: "Just as the United States established a security alliance in Europe to counter the Soviet threat, today the United States and Israel can establish a security alliance in the Middle East to counter the increasingly severe security threat from Iran." He said that this new alliance would be a natural extension of the Abraham Accords signed by the United States and Israel when Trump was in office, "We should call it (the new alliance) the Abraham Alliance." Russia Today TV said that Netanyahu wanted to pull the United States to build a "Middle East version of NATO."

Russia: Details are being learned

In response to Netanyahu's speech at the U.S. Congress, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Kanani posted on social media on the 25th: "Palestinian children are slaughtered by Israeli butchers every day. In the face of these crimes, the U.S. government and Congress welcomed the executioner with applause."

Russian presidential press secretary Peskov said on the 25th that Russia is learning the details of the Israeli Prime Minister's proposal to establish a NATO-like alliance in the Middle East. "Which countries are this alliance? However, NATO is a military group with a clear and systematic tendency to confrontation. NATO was originally established to contain the Soviet Union, and has continued to contain Russia." He said that Russia does not want to see a new confrontation mechanism in the Middle East.

Russian News Agency said on the 25th that the Israeli Prime Minister's proposal is aimed at dividing Arab countries. If a new confrontational military group is established in the Middle East, it will be regarded as a serious threat and challenge by Arab countries. The report quoted Iranian political scientist Ruhollah Modabel as saying that the Israeli Prime Minister's attempt will exacerbate the already tense situation in the Middle East and drag the United States into a possible war quagmire, but this plan is doomed to fail. Modabel warned that any attempt by Israel to create tension, threaten or provoke Iranian interests will be met with a severe and direct response from Iran.

The website of the U.S. magazine "Conservative" stated that although the Biden administration has been trying to find a way to exit the Middle East quagmire in recent days, Netanyahu is trying to use this to keep the United States there.

As of press time, US officials and NATO have not responded to Netanyahu's plan for a so-called "Middle East version of NATO."

Protests on and around Capitol Hill

Sky News of the United Kingdom said that this was Netanyahu's first trip abroad since the outbreak of a new round of large-scale conflict between Palestine and Israel in October last year. Although he advocated "unity" in his speech and hoped to win the hearts and minds of both parties in the United States, his appearance in Washington still caused a storm and exposed the deep rifts within the United States.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the U.S. Congress tried to create an atmosphere of support for Israel. Netanyahu's speech was applauded by many Republican lawmakers, but he also encountered "dead silence" from Democratic lawmakers. Many Democratic lawmakers remained silent throughout the speech and did not applaud. Palestinian Democratic Congressman Tlaib from Michigan deliberately wore a traditional Palestinian headscarf and silently held a sign with words on both sides, one side saying "war criminal" and the other side saying "genocide". In addition, more than 50 lawmakers did not attend at all, most of whom were Democratic lawmakers, including former House Speaker Pelosi. She previously said that this was "the worst speech of foreign dignitaries invited by the U.S. Congress." Vice President Harris, who had just been designated by Biden to take over the election, was absent from Netanyahu's speech on the grounds of going out of town to attend a campaign rally. According to Reuters, Republican Vice Presidential candidate Vance also did not attend the speech on the grounds of campaigning.

Outside the Capitol, thousands of demonstrators held large-scale protests with slogans such as "Arrest Netanyahu," "Immediate ceasefire," and "Stop sending arms to Israel," and clashed with police. Several demonstrators were arrested. The day before, more than 200 anti-Netanyahu protesters were arrested for protesting outside the Capitol.

Biden will meet with Netanyahu on the 25th. Netanyahu will also go to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump on Friday. CNN said that despite the US government's military and diplomatic support for Israel, as the conflict in Gaza continues and the death toll continues to rise, Biden's relationship with Netanyahu has become increasingly cold. Biden has previously criticized Israel's actions in Gaza for "going too far."