Israeli Prime Minister proposes forming a 'Middle East NATO' with the US.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed the formation of a new military bloc modeled after NATO, dubbed the "Abraham Alliance," to counter Iran.
Netanyahu delivered a speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on July 24. This was his fourth address to U.S. lawmakers, breaking the previous record held by Winston Churchill, although around 70 members of the House and Senate declined to attend for one reason or another.
Netanyahu stated: “The United States formed a security alliance in Europe to counter the growing threat of the Soviet Union. Similarly, the United States and Israel today can form a security alliance in the Middle East to counter the growing threat of Iran.”
He said a glimpse of that alliance could be seen on April 14, when Iran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel, and the US and UK helped shoot down some of them.
Netanyahu thanked U.S. President Joe Biden “for bringing that alliance together” as well as his predecessor Donald Trump for brokering the “Abraham Accords” between Israel and several Arab countries during his term.
"I think we should call it the Abraham Alliance," he said, referring to the proposal for a bloc similar to NATO.
According to the Israeli Prime Minister, countries that are friendly to West Jerusalem or intend to be should join the bloc, as Iran is a threat to all of them.
Netanyahu argued that as Israel fights and attempts to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, "we are not only protecting ourselves but also protecting you."
“Our enemy is your enemy, our fight is your fight, our victory will be your victory,” Netanyahu told American lawmakers. “I know that America supports us.”
The U.S. provided military aid to Israel throughout the nine-month war with Hamas that Netanyahu launched after the Palestinian militant group's raid outside Gaza. Pressed by Palestinian and Arab Americans in Biden's party, his administration proposed a three-phase ceasefire plan for the territory, but West Jerusalem has been reluctant to accept it.
According to Netanyahu, Israel will not stop until it destroys Hamas's military capabilities, ends its control of Gaza, and repatriates all those captured in the October 7 attack. The leader added: "Complete victory means that. And we will accept nothing less than that."