Over a thousand protesters clogged the streets Wednesday in front of the U.S. Capitol demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
The protest was organized by leftwing activist groups Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow. The Anti-Defamation League described Jewish Voice for Peace as a “radical anti-Israel and anti-Zionist” group.
The mass gathering — where people chanted “free Palestine,” “not in our name” and “ceasefire now” — came as President Biden reaffirmed his support of the Jewish state during a visit to Israel.
U.S. Capitol Police estimated there were at least 1,200 protesters, with about 400 inside of the Cannon House Office Building.
Organizers said up to 300 people were arrested. Capitol Police said officers warned the protesters to stop demonstrating inside the building and “when they did not comply we began arresting them.”
A Capitol Police spokesperson told The Washington Times that three of the demonstrators were arrested and charged with assault on a police officer.
Far-left “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib spoke during the protest. She broke into tears when describing videos taken of children outside of a Gaza hospital that was bombed on Tuesday.
“I’m telling you right now, President Biden, not all of America is with you on this one, and you need to wake up and understand that,” she said to a crowd of protesters.
Ms. Tlaib, Michigan Democrat, received a flood of criticism from lawmakers after posting on social media that Israel was responsible for the hospital bombing. President Biden said that U.S. intelligence corroborated the Jewish state’s claim that it was not responsible for the attack, which killed 500 people.
Ms. Tlaib had not removed the post on Wednesday.
Conservative lawmakers called the protesters insurrectionists for interrupting official government proceedings, similar to charges pressed against pro-Trump protesters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who coined the nickname “Hamas Caucus” for Ms. Tlaib’s left-leaning group of lawmakers, said on X that the lawmaker was “leading the current insurrection on Capitol Hill.”
Mr. Biden has promised $100 million in aid for the nearly 1 million people in Gaza and the West Bank who have been displaced because of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. That money is expected to be separate from Mr. Biden’s proposed $100 billion aid package that would include money for Ukraine and Israel.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.