Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to both chambers of Congress Thursday for being "fundamentally dishonest."
"I thought it was fundamentally dishonest," Nadler said on MSNBC. "He says he wants peace, but his political interest is to keep the war going as long as possible because he knows that as soon as the war over he’ll have to face a commission of inquiry [over] why he was telling Qatar to arm Hamas before the election, and why he ignored warnings from the military about the attack on October 7th, which they had warnings about a few hours earlier."
He also said Netanyahu still needs to answer questions, including about his immediate response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas that killed about 1,200 people in Israel.
When asked if there could be a negotiated peace deal to end the months-long hostilities in the Gaza Strip — where tens of thousands of people have died — while Netanyahu is still prime minister, Nadler responded, "probably not".
He added that Netanyahu keeps "putting new conditions" on negotiations to release the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.
"When he talks about the hostages, I don’t believe he has any interest in releasing the hostages because that would hasten the end of the war. And that’s why you see hostage negotiations and he keeps putting new conditions. He keeps putting new objections to the hostage deal and that’s why you see hundreds of thousands of people in Israel protesting against him," he said.
Nadler said he would not have gone to the address if it wasn't in honor of the state of Israel, but added he "certainly" did not go in support of its prime minister or his policies.
Nadler, in a statement before the speech, had called Netanyahu "the worst leader in Jewish history."
He added that “Prime Minister Netanyahu also ignored the warning signs that pointed to Hamas’ October 7th horrific attack, and championed the policies that led to Hamas’ increase in funds, power, and military capability."
The lawmaker added that he is a "lifelong Zionist" but has not given up "on the dream of an Israel that can live in peace with its neighbors, including with Palestinians, through a negotiated two-state solution, and with additional Arab and Muslim-majority countries normalizing relations with Israel."
