Police removed at least three people from the House chamber for wearing bright shirts urging a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday, according to multiple reports, as Netanyahu spent part of his speech criticizing the heated protests that flared earlier this year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the chamber of ... [+]
Capitol Police arrested three people wearing yellow “Seal the Deal NOW” shirts, after removing them from the chamber early into Netanyahu’s speech, an NBC reporter posted on X.
The protesters opened their jackets to reveal the shirts during a standing ovation, according to an Axios reporter.
Capitol Police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, they removed and arrested five people in the House Gallery who disrupted the address, adding: “Disrupting the Congress and demonstrating in the Congressional Buildings is against the law.”
Shortly after the protesters were removed, Netanyahu said protesters who have railed against Israel “should be ashamed of themselves” and implied the protests could be funded by Iran, saying protesters have “officially become Iran’s useful idiots.”
Outside of the address, Capitol Police pepper sprayed protesters after the agency said part of the crowd became violent and “failed to obey our order to move back from our police line.”
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Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.—the only Palestinian American in Congress—attended Netanyahu’s speech, remained seated and held a sign that read “war criminal” on one side and “guilty of genocide” on the other as he spoke, according to multiple reports.
US Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, protests during Israeli Prime Minister ... [+]
Netanyahu was invited to speak to Congress by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who extended the invitation with other House and Senate leaders in late May. Johnson said he would invite Netanyahu whether or not his Democratic counterpart in the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., or Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., agreed to sign on to the invitation, though they both eventually did despite Schumer’s criticisms of Netanyahu throughout the war. Netanyahu has had the support of the U.S. since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, but Democrats—including President Joe Biden—have been increasingly critical of his war tactics, arguing Israel hasn’t done enough to prevent civilian casualties or get aid to Palestinians in Gaza. The U.S. has been assisting in negotiating a cease-fire agreement, though negotiations have repeatedly stalled.