(WASHINGTON) — Hundreds of protesters gathered Wednesday near the Capitol building, condemning Israel’s military operation in Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of his speech to Congress.
Demonstrators carrying signs that read “arrest Netanyahu” and “end all US aid to Israel” chanted “Free, free Palestine,” following a sit-in at a congressional office building on Tuesday that resulted in multiple arrests.
Several protesters constructed a large effigy of Netanyahu with devil horns and blood dripping from its mouth. Police stationed along Pennsylvania Avenue escorted several protesters who were sitting in the street.
Protest leaders declared that six intersections leading to the Capitol were “claimed by the Palestinian people.” Organizers had previously announced their intention to obstruct Netanyahu’s route to the building.
Zeina Hutchinson, director of development for the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, read the names of several Palestinian journalists who were killed by the Israeli military.
“We protest this homicidal maniac, his supporters and his enablers,” she declared from the stage. “And we demand his arrest.”
Some demonstrations have condemned Israel, while others have expressed support while urging Netanyahu to negotiate a cease-fire agreement in the conflict with Hamas and secure the release of hostages still held by the militant group.
The Capitol Police reported the arrest of approximately 200 individuals on Tuesday, facing charges related to the sit-in at the Cannon House Office Building. Jewish Voice for Peace asserted that the number of arrests was significantly higher, including rabbis.
Police have substantially increased security measures around the Capitol and closed multiple roads for most of the week. Workers erected a black metal fence around the White House on Wednesday morning.
Dozens of protesters rallied outside Netanyahu’s hotel on Monday evening following his arrival in Washington, and on Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators staged a flashmob-style protest in the Cannon building, which houses House members’ offices.
Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, protesters wearing red T-shirts that read “Not In Our Name” occupied the building’s rotunda, sat on the floor, displayed signs, and chanted “Let Gaza Live!”
After approximately 30 minutes of clapping and chanting by the protesters, Capitol Police officers issued several warnings before beginning to arrest demonstrators, binding their hands with zip ties and escorting them away one by one.
“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 traveled to the protest with her two daughters, both of whom were arrested. “When we say ‘Never Again,’ we mean never for anybody.”
The demonstrators directed much of their anger towards the Biden administration, demanding that the president immediately halt all arms shipments to Israel.
“We’re not focusing on Netanyahu. He’s just a symptom,” Hirschmann stated. “But how can (Biden) be calling for a cease-fire when he’s sending them bombs and planes?”
Mitchell Rivard, chief of staff for Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., stated that his office requested Capitol Police intervention after the demonstrators “became disruptive, violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly and attempting to force entry into the office.”
Kildee subsequently told The Associated Press that he was puzzled as to why his office was targeted, given his vote against a substantial supplemental military aid package for Israel earlier this year.
Families of some of the remaining hostages held a protest vigil on Tuesday evening on the National Mall, demanding that Netanyahu negotiate with Hamas and secure the release of the approximately 120 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza.
About 150 individuals wearing yellow shirts that read “Seal the Deal NOW!” chanted “Bring them home” and listened to testimonials from relatives and former hostages. The demonstrators applauded when Biden’s name was mentioned, but several criticized Netanyahu, known by his nickname “Bibi,” for allegedly delaying or employing a hardline approach in a proposed cease-fire deal that would result in the return of all hostages.
“I’m begging Bibi — there’s a deal on the table and you have to take it,” said Aviva Siegel, 63, who spent 51 days in captivity and whose husband, Keith, remains a hostage. “I want Bibi to look in my eyes and tell me one thing: that Keith is coming home.”
Biden and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet on Thursday, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity before a White House announcement. Vice President Kamala Harris will also meet Netanyahu separately that day.
Harris, as Senate president, would typically be seated behind foreign leaders addressing Congress, but she will be absent Wednesday, due to an Indianapolis trip planned before Biden withdrew his reelection bid, making her the likely Democratic presidential candidate.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he would meet with Netanyahu on Friday.
___
Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Farnoush Amiri and Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report.