UNC fraternity brothers who protected flag get a shoutout from Netanyahu in Congress

First they get a $500,000 party.

Then they get invited to the Republican National Convention.

Now they’ve collected a world leader’s praise on the floor of Congress.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday shouted out the UNC-Chapel Hill fraternity brothers who kept a U.S. flag from touching the ground during campus protests over the war in Gaza in April.

Netanyahu addressed Congress on a U.S. visit aimed at bolstering support for Israel in Gaza. The speech drew protests calling for an end to the violence there.

While on the House floor, Netanyahu said Iran was directing anti-Israel protests in the United States, and he praised the UNC fraternity for its actions on campus in Chapel Hill last spring.

“I wish to salute the fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina,” he said. “They protected the American flag, protected the American flag against these anti-Israel protesters.”

The fraternity drew praise nationwide after pro-Palestinian protesters pulled down an American flag on campus, which they retrieved and held aloft.

A fundraiser aimed at throwing the fraternity brothers a “rager” for their efforts far surpassed its goal and brought in more than $500,000. That party is planned for this fall.

At the Republican National Convention in Raleigh last week, several of the fraternity brothers ushered flags to the main stage and one of them said they were “proud to honor our flag again.”