Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during his speech before Congress on Wednesday for protecting the American flag from pro-Hamas protesters back in April during the anti-Semitic protests that rocked college campuses across the country.

Netanyahu said that the pro-Hamas protesters “refuse to make the simple distinction between those who target terrorists and those who targets civilians, between the democratic state of Israel and the terrorist thugs of Hamas.”

“We recently learned from the U.S. Director of National Intelligence that Iran is funding and promoting anti-Israel protests in America. They want to disrupt America,” he continued. “So these protesters burn American flags even on the Fourth of July, and I wish to salute the fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina who protected the American flag, protected the American flag against these anti-Israel protesters.”

The overwhelming majority of those in the attendance, with the exception of several high profile Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), stood up and cheered as he praised the fraternity brothers.

Netanyahu later called the pro-Hamas protesters “Iran’s useful idiots” for accepting the funding of “the tyrants of Tehran.”

WATCH:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin @Netanyahu: “They refuse to make the simple distinction between those who target terrorists and those who targets civilians, between the democratic state of visual and the terrorist thugs of hamas we recently learned from the national security… pic.twitter.com/eYH02IEWQo

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 24, 2024

In what became an instantly iconic photo that was viewed across social media tens of millions of times in just a matter of hours, the fraternity brothers were seen holding up the American flag, preventing it from touching the ground.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP

Student Guillermo Estrada wrote that he was walking to class when he noticed a Palestinian flag had been “raised on our quad flag pole,” causing him to become “immediately upset.” He said school officials and police officers “were met with profanity, middle fingers,” and “thrown bottles” when they arrived to re-hoist the American flag. But the protesters persisted, he said.

Estrada said his Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers and others protected the American flag when protesters tried to remove it again and were “preparing to destroy it.”

“People began throwing water bottles at us, rocks, sticks, calling us profane names,” he said. “We stood for an hour defending the flag so many fight to protect.”

One of the best photos of 2024 so far:

Fraternity brothers are pelted by anti-Israel protesters at UNC Chapel Hill while protecting the United States flag as it is re-hoisted following its removal by protesters.

Well done, gentleman. 🫡🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0DiBQcVLBu

— Max Meyer (@mualphaxi) May 1, 2024