Benjamin Netanyahu defends Gaza war as protesters rally outside US Congress _ BBC News

Transcript

00:00Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has addressed the US Congress

00:03saying America and Israel must stand together if they're to defeat what he

00:08called the forces of barbarism. He's looking to boost support for the war

00:11against Hamas in Gaza and has vowed to, in his words, finish the job. But

00:16thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the capital to protest about the

00:19war and dozens of Democratic members of Congress refused to attend his speech.

00:24An American flag was burnt and statues outside Union Station were defaced. From

00:29Washington, Tom Bateman reports. A short walk back into the American limelight

00:36after months of fraught ties between the US leadership and the Israeli Prime

00:41Minister. Here among friends, many Republicans, but some notable absences

00:46from Joe Biden's Democrats, Benjamin Netanyahu started by thanking the

00:50President. He rightly called Hamas sheer evil. He dispatched two aircraft carriers

00:57to the Middle East to deter a wider war. And he came to Israel to stand with us

01:03during our darkest hour, a visit that will never be forgotten.

01:09He quickly turned to the issue of hostages still held by Hamas with

01:14families and one of those freed watching, trying to point to his

01:18accomplishments. Israel has already brought home 135 of these hostages

01:23including seven who were freed and during rescue operations. Outside, the

01:32protesters came in their thousands, headed to the heart of US democracy or

01:37as close as they could get. Anger has raged over the huge numbers of civilians

01:44killed in Gaza. It's shameful that he's been invited to speak before Congress.

01:50It's shameful what our government has been allowing to happen and aiding and

01:57funding. You can see how the pressure has been building on Benjamin Netanyahu

02:03and then there are his critics at home, some of whom have accused him of not

02:08gripping a ceasefire deal hard enough because of his own political problems.

02:13And so arriving here at the US Capitol for him is the big prize as he tries to

02:19face off his opponents. The Israeli leader castigated the demonstrators but

02:25there was more to come inside the chamber. A silent protest from Rashida

02:31Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman to serve here. Roughly half the

02:36elected Democrats in Congress are believed to have stayed away with the

02:40Vice President Kamala Harris also absent, her office said due to a scheduled clash.

02:45And Mr. Netanyahu addressed the move by the prosecutor of the International

02:49Criminal Court who is seeking an arrest warrant against him. The ICC is trying to

02:54shackle Israel's hands and prevent us from defending ourselves.

02:59Deafening praise in Congress but there may be less behind closed doors tomorrow

03:04as Mr. Netanyahu meets President Biden, an alliance backed by arms but blighted

03:10by the fraught politics between its leaders. Tom Bateman, BBC News, Washington.