WASHINGTON — Protesters against Israel’s conduct in the war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza staged a sit-in at a congressional office building Tuesday ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, with Capitol Police making multiple arrests.
Nearby on the National Mall, families of hostages held in Gaza since being abducted from Israel on October 7 rallied in favor of a deal aimed at freeing their loved ones, and more demonstrations seeking to put pressure on Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden were planned for the coming days.
Netanyahu arrived in Washington Monday for a several-day visit that includes meetings with Biden and a Wednesday speech before a joint session of Congress. Dozens of protesters rallied outside his hotel Monday evening, and on Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators took over the rotunda of the Cannon Building, which houses offices of House of Representatives members.
Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, protesters wearing identical red T-shirts that read “Not In Our Name” massed in the Cannon Building chanting “Let Gaza Live!”
After about a half-hour of clapping and chanting, officers from the US Capitol Police issued several warnings, then began arresting protesters — binding their hands with zip ties and leading them away one by one.
“Demonstrations are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings,” police said in a statement. “We told the people, who legally entered, to stop or they would be arrested. They did not stop, so we are arresting them.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how many protesters had been arrested. Jewish Voice for Peace claimed in a tweet that over 300 had been detained.
“I am the daughter of Holocaust survivors and I know what a Holocaust looks like,” said Jane Hirschmann, a native of Saugerties, New York, who drove down for the protest along with her two daughters — both of whom were arrested. “When we say ‘Never Again,’ we mean never for anybody.”
The demonstrators focused much of their ire on the Biden administration, demanding that the president immediately cease all arms shipments to Israel.
“We’re not focusing on Netanyahu. He’s just a symptom,” Hirschmann said. “But how can [Biden] be calling for a ceasefire when he’s sending them bombs and planes?”
Mitchell Rivard, chief of staff for Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., said in a statement that his office called for Capitol Police intervention after the demonstrators “became disruptive, violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly, and attempting to force entry into the office.”
Netanyahu’s visit to the US has touched off a wave of protest activity, with some demonstrations condemning Israel and others expressing support but pressuring Netanyahu to strike a ceasefire deal and bring home the hostages still being held by Hamas.
Israel invaded Gaza after Hamas-led terrorists carried out a ruthless massacre across southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and abducting 251, mostly civilians. It is believed that 116 hostages abducted on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 44 confirmed dead by the IDF. Another four Israelis have been held in Gaza for about a decade, including the remains of two soldiers killed in 2014.
Netanyahu has vowed to press the offensive until Hamas is defeated and all hostages are recovered, but has come under increasing pressure to agree to a deal freeing the hostages even if it means ending the war without fully disarming Hamas.
On the National Mall, families of hostages and others rallied in favor of an agreement, chanting “bring them home now” and holding large signs calling on Netanyahu to “seal the deal now” and “give us hope,” above pictures of those reunited during a week-long truce in November that saw 105 civilians freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
“I am here to hold Prime Minister Netanyahu accountable to do his job and free the hostages,” freed US-Israeli hostage Aviva Seigel, whose husband Keith remains captive, said in a statement. “The only thing I expect to hear from him in his speech is that a deal has been made and Keith is coming home.”
Further putting pressure on the Biden administration to push for a deal, several unions representing millions of workers sent a letter to the White House Tuesday demanding an end to the war and to military aid for Israel, the New York Times reported.
Multiple overlapping protests are planned for Wednesday when Netanyahu is slated to address Congress.
In anticipation, police have significantly boosted security around the Capitol building and closed multiple roads for the entire week.
Biden and Netanyahu are expected to meet Thursday, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the White House announcement. Vice President Kamala Harris will also meet with Netanyahu separately that day.
Harris, as Senate president, would normally sit behind foreign leaders addressing Congress, but she’ll be away Wednesday, on an Indianapolis trip scheduled before Biden withdrew his reelection bid and she became the likely Democratic presidential candidate over the weekend.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he would meet with Netanyahu on Friday.