Written by Zahra Gokal
WASHINGTON — Thousands of anti-war protesters surrounded Capitol Hill during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on July 24.
It felt, to those attending the protest, that Congress did not care about the countless perished lives across the world. Many say it is tone-deaf to invite a man responsible for so much bloodshed and greet him with cheers.
The massive crowd pulsed with unrest as groups held vigils, speeches and protests throughout the cloudy day. A huge police presence surrounded the area to manage the event and arrest anyone stepping out of line.
The atmosphere was tense; tourists scurried into the National Gallery of Art nearby while individuals marched toward the Capitol Building, many masked for safety from COVID and identification. Music blasted in the distance.
Pro-Palestine protesters held signs, some of which said, “End all U.S. aid to Israel,” “Arrest Netanyahu” and a picture of Netanyahu with the words, “Wanted by the whole world for crimes against humanity.” Some carried a giant depiction of the Prime Minister with blood on his hands.
Families of Israeli hostages gathered near Capitol Hill in the morning demanding Netanyahu and U.S. officials finalize a ceasefire agreement and bring the hostages home. They wore shirts saying, “Sign the deal NOW.”
The day before, hundreds of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) activists filled the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. They wore blaring red T-shirts that read, “Not in our name.” D.C. police arrested 400 protesters, according to JVP.
As of August 29, Israeli attacks killed at least 40,000 Palestinians and injured nearly 100,000. The World Health Organization warned casualties could increase due to illnesses spread by a heightened sanitation crisis in Gaza. Polio has already returned after 25 years.
The death toll in Israel remains at 1,139 from Hamas’s attack on October 7.
Netanyahu’s visit comes months after the International Criminal Court requested an arrest warrant for him, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders.
Around half of the Democrats in Congress refused to attend Netanyahu’s speech, more than the 58 who boycotted his speech in 2015.
Jewish Reps. Jamie Raskin and Jerry Nadler and Palestinian-American Rep. Rashida Tlaib attended the speech despite being critics of the Prime Minister. Raskin and Nadler held the book “The Netanyahu Years” and Tlaib wore a keffiyeh and held a sign saying, “guilty of genocide” on one side and “war criminal” on the other.
In his speech, Netanyahu thanked Congress for passing a hefty military aid package for Israel and praised Biden for being a friend of Israel for decades. He hopes Trump will return to office next year and mentioned the assassination attempt not too long ago.
Netanyahu then criticized the ICC’s claims and called the protesters outside, “Iran’s useful idiots.”
Among those who spoke at the protest, Green Party’s Jill Stein and the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Claudia De la Cruz drew in the loudest cheers. Stein has especially been popular among voters who refuse to vote Democrat or Republican this year.
“The American people do not want this genocide,” Stein announced on stage. “The people of the world do not want this genocide.”
“We are the red line against colonialism [and] the capitalist state that brings terror,” said Cruz at the pro-Palestine protest in June outside the White House. “We are here to affirm that our struggle is for the total liberation of Palestine.”
With less than 70 days until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris leads the polls with 2.8% more than Former President Donald Trump, according to The Economist. The percentages between Democrats and Republicans almost flipped since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July.
Third-party presidential candidates like Stein and Cruz only have 7% national support. Historically, third-party candidates only got so far, but more voters have lost faith in the two-party system this year.
Michigan, a swing state, has a significant Muslim population. According to a recent poll by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), 36% of American Muslims support Stein. Even though the survey includes Biden, Michigan could still be tough on Harris.
According to a Data For Progress poll in May, a staggering 70% of Americans support a ceasefire in Gaza. In April, the United Nations urged an arms embargo on Israel to prevent further destruction.
Around a thousand protesters outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month called on the Biden-Harris administration to restrict shipping weapons to Israel. Harris refused to support an arms embargo, claiming Israel has the right to defend itself, but in July urged Netanyahu to sign a ceasefire deal soon.
Netanyahu has since doubled down against demand for a ceasefire, leading many to believe that an Israeli arms embargo is the only path toward a resolution.
