LUKE:
"They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
FROM:
"Israel's prosecution of the Gaza war and Netanyahu's failure to secure the release of the 120 remaining hostages has forced many U.S. lawmakers to deal with a truth that was somehow previously controversial: One can criticize Netanyahu and still support the State of Israel.
This realization was already taking hold in the months preceding October 7, thanks to the outrage surrounding Netanyahu's judicial overhaul and support for Israel's pro-democracy protest movement.
Since Netanyahu landed in Washington on Monday, the vast majority of attention from U.S. lawmakers and the American-Jewish community has been afforded to the hostage families. The families, in turn, have given U.S. lawmakers an unprecedented window into the utter contempt with which so many Israelis view Netanyahu.
The hostage families, especially those of the eight American hostages still in Hamas captivity, have shown acute awareness that Netanyahu's appearance is nothing short of a cynical demonstration of his own self-interest and that he is failing to secure what could be the last chance to release their loved ones.
This has been relayed to senior Biden administration officials, who know all too well about Netanyahu's various bad-faith efforts in recent months, as well as lawmakers from across the aisle – some of whom are Republicans hearing this unvarnished truth for the first time.
The Republican lawmakers, in turn, have vowed to relay their messages about Netanyahu putting political self-interest ahead of the hostages to the prime minister, who only met with the American hostage families this week for the first time since October 7…
The prime minister effectively spent the first 36 hours of his time in Washington waiting for someone to meet him, all while hostage families went around Washington acutely detailing his failure of leadership.
The only other people that are actively awaiting Netanyahu's appearance are the tens of thousands of demonstrators from across the political spectrum. Pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protesters alike are taking to the streets fervently insisting that Netanyahu is not welcome in Washington.
And despite the shift in national priorities and attention, Netanyahu will still face an undeniably hostile and politicized reception inside Congress, as well. Anywhere from 60 to 100 Democratic lawmakers are expected to boycott the speech, including Jewish Democrats, party leadership and former favorites of the pro-Israel establishment. This estimated figure would exceed the number of Democrats who boycotted his 2015 speech.
Two particularly notable absences are that of Vice President Kamala Harris, who would normally preside over the session, and Trump's running mate J.D. Vance. Although both are missing the speech to hit the campaign trail, Republicans have already tried to capitalize on Harris' absence as evidence of her anti-Israel beliefs.
Even those attending have no love lost for Netanyahu. Rep. Jerry Nadler, the dean of the unofficial Jewish caucus, called him "the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years ago."
Others, meanwhile, will demonstrate their pro-Israel bona fides by elevating the hostages. At least seven leading Democrats will participate in an event alongside the families several hours before the address, while Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal will headline an event with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists concurrent with Netanyahu's speech.
This will occur as official events, all while tens of thousands of protesters make their voices heard throughout the streets of Washington. Netanyahu's remarks will quickly be placed on the backburner hours after his speech, with Biden set to give his prime-time address explaining his decision to stand down.
Netanyahu's 48 hours following the Congress speech, meanwhile, will not provide any safe harbor. He will meet with Biden at the White House, only to be joined by the eight families who will be at the ready to call Netanyahu on his bluffs, misdirection and outright lies.
He is also expected to meet Vice President Kamala Harris, who is widely expected to hold a more critical eye than Biden toward Israel's conduct given her harsher public and private statements over the past several months.
The Trump visit's best-case scenario is that he and the Republican nominee decide to put water under the bridge and he unabashedly aligns with the Republican Party at a time when Israel needs as much bipartisan support as possible.
If it bombs, he will have alienated both potential future presidents and found two more people who simply want him to leave America.
At the very least, he should have a nice extended weekend in Miami celebrating his son Yair's birthday on the Israeli taxpayer's shekel. No word on how the former hostages he flew to Israel as a political prop will get home."
FROM:
HAARETZ
Set to Address Congress, Netanyahu Faces His Worst Nightmare: Irrelevancy - U.S. News - haaretz.com
Jul 24, 2024 5:47 pm IDT
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When Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentions Iran during his Congress speech, the world should see it as a signal to do the exact opposite, given his dire, even calamitous, decades-long record on the issue
Jul 24, 2024 11:50 am IDT
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