Hundreds of demonstrators were arrested inside a U.S. House building on Tuesday while protesting the American government's continued support for Israel's assault on Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's forthcoming speech to Congress.
The protest was led by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and joined by members of several other organizations, including IfNotNow, Democratic Socialists of America, and Shoresh, a group of anti-Zionist Israelis based in the U.S.
JVP said 400 protesters—including more than a dozen rabbis—were arrested at the peaceful sit-in at the Cannon House Office Building rotunda. Protesters wore shirts that read "Not in Our Name" and "Jews Say Stop Arming Israel."
"For nine months, we've watched in horror as the Israeli government has carried out a genocide, armed and funded by the U.S.," said
Stefanie Fox, JVP's executive director. "Congress and the Biden administration have the power to end this horror today. Instead, our president is preparing to meet with Netanyahu and congressional leadership has honored him with an invitation to address Congress. Enough is enough."
President Joe Biden and Congress "must listen to the people," Fox added. "We need an arms embargo now to save lives."
Jane Hirschmann, a daughter of Holocaust survivors and member of JVP, said that "the Israeli government is using U.S. funding and weapons to slaughter and starve Palestinians in Gaza."
"Americans—including Jewish Americans—are disgusted by our own government's complicity in this genocide," said Hirschmann. "The only way to reach a cease-fire and build a just future is for the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Israel now."
"Instead of platforming a war criminal, Congress should be imposing an arms embargo and using its leverage to force Netanyahu to end the bombing and bloodshed."
Netanyahu's visit to Washington, D.C. comes as the death toll from Israel's large-scale assault on Gaza nears 40,000 after almost 10 months of relentless bombing that has decimated much of the enclave's infrastructure and
displaced 90% of its population. Earlier this week, Israel's military ordered the evacuation of another area previously designated as a safe zone and killed dozens of Palestinians in a fresh round of attacks.
Netanyahu has addressed Congress more than any other world leader. As The Washington Post's Ishaan Tharoor noted Wednesday, "The first time Netanyahu addressed Congress was nearly three decades ago in 1996, when he and his right-wing allies had just come to power in the wake of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, whose efforts toward forging peace with the Palestinians that Netanyahu had opposed."
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) formally invited Netanyahu to speak to a joint meeting of Congress in late May, just days after it became clear that Israeli forces used U.S.-made bombs in a devastating attack on a camp of displaced Palestinians.
"It is utterly shameful that U.S. lawmakers would invite war criminal Netanyahu to address Congress," JVP communications director Sonya Meyerson-Knox said in a statement after Tuesday's protest. "We are hundreds of American Jews calling on our elected leaders to stop funding and fueling this genocide."
In addition to grassroots protests against Netanyahu's visit—which are set to continue ahead of and during his speech—dozens of Democratic lawmakers are planning to boycott the prime minister's address, which is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm ET. Following his speech to Congress, Netanyahu is planning to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday before traveling to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is expected to become the Democratic presidential nominee following Biden's exit from the 2024 race, has opted to attend a previously scheduled event in Indianapolis instead of presiding over Netanyahu's remarks.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), one of the progressive lawmakers boycotting Netanyahu's speech, said in a statement Tuesday that "by bestowing Prime Minister Netanyahu with a joint address, Congress is not only continuing to green-light genocide; it is actively celebrating the man at the forefront of that genocide."
"Instead of platforming a war criminal, Congress should be imposing an arms embargo and using its leverage to force Netanyahu to end the bombing and bloodshed that has already killed over 39,000 Palestinians and failed to ensure the safe release of the vast majority of hostages, all while decimating schools, hospitals, homes, and humanitarian convoys," Bush added.
In remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also called Netanyahu a war criminal and said it is a "disgrace" that he was invited to speak to Congress.
"Netanyahu is a right-wing extremist and a war criminal who has devoted his career to killing the prospects of a two-state solution and lasting peace in the region," said Sanders. "He should not be welcomed to the United States Congress. On the contrary, his policies in Gaza and the West Bank should be roundly condemned and his right-wing extremist government should not receive another nickel from U.S. taxpayers."
