By Deutsche Welle
24 Jul 2024, 02:24 AM EDT
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) arrested around 200 people for protesting in Congress against the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will give a speech in the legislature on Wednesday, July 24.
“Approximately 200 people were arrested for protesting inside the Cannon House building. Protesting inside congressional buildings is illegal,” the USCP noted in X.
Netanyahu was invited by congressional leaders Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Mike Johnson.
During his visit to the United States, he will meet with President Joe Biden; the presumptive Democratic candidate for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris; and former President Donald Trump, a Republican candidate.
Extreme security measures
Tuesday’s protest took place at the iconic Congress rotunda, with dozens of people called by the organization “Jewish Voices for Peace” wearing red t-shirts with the message “not in my name.”
Protesters also carried signs reading “Jews tell Congress: stop arms shipments to Israel” and “no one is free until everyone is free.”
After several warnings to abandon the protest, the Congressional Police began to arrest the protesters.
More demonstrations are expected
Protests are expected on Wednesday against Netanyahu’s presence in the federal capital, which has tightened security measures.
In Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, when the news of the Prime Minister’s trip became known, it was one of the main demands in the protests that have taken place every Saturday since the beginning of the war, in which thousands of Israelis participated.
“Netanyahu, sign the deal before flying to DC,” read some of the signs and chanted the protesters, who included family members and loved ones of the hostages and a broad mix of anti-government civilian groups.
Former US ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides also took part in the protests, calling on Netanyahu to publicly state before Congress that he supports the agreement proposed by Biden in May, the basis on which the parties have been negotiating since then and which includes a truce in several phases that would culminate in a definitive cessation of hostilities.
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