Benjamin Netanyahu wanted Israelis to come away with a distinct impression: In his nation’s hour of peril, he is the only Prime Minister who can lead it on the world stage. In a joint address to Congress on Wednesday, the Israeli premier fought for his political life and proclaimed Israel’s war in Gaza as a struggle for its own survival. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] In a stirring speech, Netanyahu defended Israel’s offensive against Hamas, the terrorist group that stormed southern Israel and massacred roughly 1,200 people; he excoriated the millions of protestors who have accused Israel of war crimes and called for an end to its military campaign; he asked lawmakers to supply more military aid to the Jewish state; and he laid out a vision, however vaguely, for a post-war Gaza.