In joint session of Congress, Israel's Netanyahu warns of Iran-sponsored global terrorism

July 24 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of Iran's support for global terrorism and its hatred of the United States while addressing a joint session of Congress Wednesday afternoon.

Netanyahu entered the chamber to cheers and applause from many of those in attendance and referred to the Capitol Building as the "citadel of democracy."

"We meet today at a crossroads of history. Our world is in upheaval," Netanyahu said.

"This is not a clash of civilizations. It is a clash of barbarism and civilization," he told the audience. "It's a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life."

"America and Israel must stand together because when we stand together, something very simple happens: We win; they lose!" Netanyahu said.

Referring to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, Netanyahu said, "At 6:29 a.m. suddenly, heaven turned into hell" as 3,000 Hamas militants attacked Israeli settlers.

"These monsters, they raped women. They beheaded men. They burned babies alive. They killed parents in front of their children and children in front of their parents," Netanyahu said.

Hamas also "dragged 250 living and dead" into Gaza to hold as hostages, he added.

Netanyahu introduced several families of current and former hostages who attended, including some who were hostages.

The families of up to eight American hostages in Gaza also attended the joint session.

"The pain these families endured is beyond words," Netanyahu said. "I will not rest until all of their loved ones are home -- all of them!"

The prime minister thanked President Joe Biden for his heartfelt support for Israel.

"He came to Israel to stand with us during out darkest hour," Netanyahu said and referred to Biden as a self-proclaimed "'proud Irish-American Zionist.'"

Netanyahu also said Israel Defense Forces are diverse.

"Muslim soldiers of IDF fought alongside Christians and Jews with tremendous bravery," Netanyahu said. "These are the soldiers of Israel. Unbowed, undaunted, unafraid!"

"The men and women of the IDF come from every corner of Israeli society," he said, as he lamented what he said were many anti-Israel protesters in the United States and elsewhere choosing "to stand with murderers" and "rapists."

"These protesters stand with them. They should be ashamed of themselves!" Netanyahu said. "They refuse to make the simple distinction between those who target terrorists and those who target civilians."

He said Iran is funding protests in the United States and those who protest on behalf of Hamas "have officially become Iran's useful idiots."

"Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming 'Gays for Gaza,'" Netanyahu said. "They might as well hold up signs [that say] 'Chickens for KFC.'"

He also said many who "chant 'from the river to the sea' don't know the river or the sea."

"They call Israel a colonialist state but don't know history," Netanyahu said. "For nearly 4,000 years, the land of Israel has been the homeland of the Jewish people.

"It always has been our home. It always will be our home."

Netanyahu said many lies are being told about Israel despite enabling more than 40,000 aid trucks to enter Gaza.

"Hamas is stealing it," he said of the aid intended for Gazan civilians.

He said an International Criminal Court prosecutor falsely accuses Israel of deliberately targeting civilians.

The IDF drops millions of fliers and sends millions of texts to get civilians out of harm's way, the prime minister said, but Hamas won't let them leave.

"They even shoot their own people when they try to get out of the way," Netanyahu said.

And, he said, Hamas leaders have said Gazan civilians "excel at being human shields."

"They want Palestinian civilians to die" to generate bad publicity for Israel, Netanyahu said.

"Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history and beyond what international law requires," he said.

Netanyahu said the war in Gaza has the lowest combatant to non-combatant casualty ratio in military history and Rafah has the lowest count in all of Gaza.

In Rafah, he said, 1,203 terrorists were killed and practically no civilians other than when a Hamas weapons depot was hit by accident and killed dozens of civilians due to its proximity to a civilian encampment

The IDF "should be commended" for its efforts to protect civilians in Gaza, but the ICC is "trying to shackle Israel's hands," Netanyahu said. "The hands of the Jewish state will never be shackled."

"Iran is behind all of the terrorism, all of the turmoil, all of the chaos, all of the killing," the Netanyahu continued.

"Which country stands in the way of Iran's maniacal plan to export Islamic terrorism throughout the world?" he asked. "It's the United States."

"That's why Iran sees America as its greatest enemy," he said.

"Iran's regime has been fighting America since it came to power" in 1979, Netanyahu said. "They even threatened to assassinate former President Donald Trump ."

He said Iran first must conquer the Middle East before it can target the United States and the rest of the world with Islamic jihad, but Israel stands in the way.

"That's why the mobs in Iran chant 'Death to Israel' before they chant 'Death to America,'" Netanyahu said.

His said his address to the joint session of Congress was meant to affirm that Israel and the United States are standing firmly against global terrorism and genuine threats to the people of both nations and many others.

Netanyahu is visiting the nation's capital to build bipartisan support for Israel in its 10-month war with Hamas in Gaza.

"In this time of war and uncertainty, it's important that Israel's enemies know that America and Israel stand together today, tomorrow and always," Netanyahu said in a statement prior to his arrival Monday.

The congressional session Wednesday was the fourth time Netanyahu has addressed a joint session of Congress.

About 80 House Democrats and several senators boycotted Netanyahu's event, but Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris scheduled a Thursday meeting with Netanyahu.

"The leaders will discuss developments in Gaza and progress towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal and the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday.

After their private meeting, Biden and Netanyahu will meet with families of eight U.S. citizens being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said she wouldn't attend the joint session but will meet with other members who have planned to meet with Israeli citizens whose family members were kidnapped, injured or killed by Hamas on Oct. 7 and in the subsequent war.

Earlier in the day, Rep. Ilhan Omar , D-Minn., said it's "utterly immoral and cruel" to allow Netanyahu to address Congress due to an estimated 38,000 Gazans killed during the war between Israel and Hamas and didn't attend the joint session.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between Hamas militants killed and civilians in the casualty reports.

Hamas also does not allow civilians to use the network of tunnels built throughout Gaza to enable underground movement of Hamas militants.

Hamas continues holding about 120 hostages among the 250 its militants captured during the Oct. 7 surprise attack that brutally killed more than 1,200 civilians in Israel.

Israel estimates more than a third of hostages being held in Gaza have died in captivity.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier said he would attend the joint session but disagrees with many of Netanyahu's policies.

"The United States' relationship with Israel remains ironclad and transcends any prime minister or president," Schumer said on the Senate floor. "We must do all we can to get our hostages home."