Protesters against the Gaza war staged a sit-in at a congressional office building Tuesday ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s address to Congress, and Capitol Police made several arrests.
Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Monday on a visit that includes a meeting with President Joe Biden and a speech Wednesday before a joint session of Congress. Dozens of demonstrators rallied outside his hotel Monday evening, and on Tuesday afternoon hundreds of protesters staged a flash mob-style protest at the Cannon Building, where the offices of House members are located.
“Let Gaza live,” they chanted in unison in Cannon’s office building, removing their outerwear and displaying identical red T-shirts.
Tuesday’s coordinated protest, led by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), took congressional staff and law enforcement officials by surprise as it was organised within minutes.
But the crackdown began almost immediately after the protesters gathered. Capitol Police quickly declared the area a closed “zone” and arrested hundreds of demonstrators who refused to leave the building. Protester Liv Kunins-Berkowitz said:
“This is a moment in history where we have to say we stood up for Palestinian freedom. We stood up to end this genocide. For so many of us, we are the descendants who survived ethnic cleansing and genocide. Our ancestors and grandparents taught us that the worst thing to do in these moments is to be a bystander.”
Kunins-Berkowitz added that the protest is part of a tradition of peaceful civil disobedience. She also added:
“This is what we should do when our government refuses to listen to the people.”
The war goes on, US aid for Netanyahu continues
Netanyahu’s government has presided over more than nine months of death and destruction in Gaza, with experts and human rights activists warning of “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.
More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed, 89,818 Palestinians were injured in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army since the start of the military operation in October 2023.
President Joe Biden’s administration has authorised more than $14 billion in military aid to Israel, while maintaining a steady flow of weapons and bombs. In addition, Washington vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions that called for a ceasefire.
Numerous protests are also planned for Wednesday, when Netanyahu is scheduled to address the Congress. Ahead of that, police have significantly stepped up security at the Capitol building and blocked several roads for much of the week.
Biden and Netanyahu are expected to meet on Thursday, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity before the White House announcement. Vice President Kamala Harris will also meet with Netanyahu separately that day.
Harris, as Senate president, usually sits behind foreign leaders addressing Congress, but she will leave Wednesday for Indianapolis, scheduled even before Biden withdrew his re-election bid and she emerged over the weekend as the likely Democratic presidential nominee. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced on the social media platform Truthout that he would meet with Netanyahu on Friday.
