WASHINGTON, D.C.—Tens of thousands of activists, organizers and every day citizens came from around the country to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of Congress.
Human chains blocked intersections, protesters chanted “Cease Fire Now!” listened to speakers, called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel and multiple faiths prayed to save the people of Palestine.
The national demonstration, organized by a broad coalition that included the Palestinian Youth Movement, ANSWER Coalition, U.S. Palestinian Community Network, and American Muslims for Palestine, started with a large gathering at the downtown rally site.
“I’m so sick and tired of the death and destruction in Palestine,” Lily Shaw from Virginia told The Final Call. “I came with my friends to protest the starvation of women and children; the ongoing war and my tax dollars being used to bomb innocent people. What is going on in the world?
“Day after day things get worse, and the U.S. allows this war criminal to speak to Congress. America continues to be on the wrong side of history. Genocide Joe had to go. I hope Kamala Harris goes in a different direction.
I’m praying she does, the world needs her to be different. Palestine needs her to be different,” Ms. Shaw continued, referring to the current vice president and current presumptive democrat nominee for president.
Protesters then marched towards the capitol where they confronted a wall of police who prevented them from going further.
Layan Fuleihan, education director of The People’s Forum and a march organizer, was pepper sprayed. She told the media, “As soon as this mass assembly began to march towards Congress, police attacked. Not only does the Biden-Harris administration direct U.S. tax dollars to fund the Israeli war machine, they unleash pepper spray on people who object.
Dozens of marchers exercising their First Amendment rights were subject to a brutal and unprovoked police attack. Now the White House is directly slandering the protest as ‘violent and anti-Semitic.’ Everyone who was there knows this is an outright lie.”
Brian Becker, national director of the ANSWER Coalition, was also reportedly pepper sprayed by police. “The disgraceful spectacle inside the capitol was matched by a disgraceful spectacle outside. All of downtown Washington, D.C., was converted into ‘Fort Netanyahu,’ with massive fences and barricades blocking all the surrounding streets so as to deprive the people of their right to protest near the war criminal’s whereabouts. They even innovated new ways to waste tax dollars by bussing in NYPD officers to ‘serve and protect’ Netanyahu for a day,” said Mr. Becker.
The prime minister was welcomed to the nation’s capital with a bevy of protests. The day before his July 24 speech, Jewish Voice for Peace demonstrators staged a sit-in at the Canon Office Building.
Protesters wore red T-shirts that read “Not In Our Name,” took over the building’s rotunda, sat on the floor with signs and chanted “Let Gaza Live!” When they continued protesting after Capitol police told them to leave, 400 American Jews, including over a dozen rabbis, were arrested.
“For nine months, we’ve watched in horror as the Israeli government has carried out a genocide, armed and funded by the U.S. Congress, and the Biden administration has 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.
Biden and Congress must listen to the people: We need an arms embargo now to save lives,” said Stefanie Fox, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, in a statement.
“The most important commandment in all of Judaism is pikuach nefesh, the commandment to save a life. Our Jewish tradition compels us to raise our voices and call on our leaders to do all they can to save the lives of Palestinians in Gaza now,” said Rabbi Abby Stein, an Israeli American activist and member of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council.
Across town, according to the Palestinian Youth Movement’s Instagram feed, “protesters reportedly manufactured chaos at the Watergate Hotel last night so that Netanyahu, Israeli Mossad agents, and the Secret Service had no peace as they continue to terrorize our people,” it reported in part.
“Fire alarms were triggered for over 30 minutes on multiple floors to ensure that there will be no rest before Netanyahu and Congress disgrace themselves in front of the world for failing to achieve any of their military and political objectives. May their dreams be haunted by the death of our people and decay of their society. There will be no peace, there will be no rest, until the war criminal’s arrest.”
Mr. Netanyahu was also faced with Congressional members who boycotted or skipped his speech. Nearly 100 by some accounts were absent. According to Axios, roughly half of House and Senate Democrats skipped the address, according to its headcount. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) thanked those members of Congress who boycotted Netanyahu’s speech, including:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL.) and Sen.
