A significant protest led by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) culminated in the arrest of hundreds of demonstrators inside the Cannon House Office Building on Tuesday. The demonstrators were protesting the U.S. government’s continued support for Israel’s assault on Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s forthcoming speech to Congress. This large-scale demonstration highlighted the growing dissent among Jewish Americans and other progressive groups against U.S. foreign policy towards Israel.
The protest, organized by JVP, saw participation from multiple organizations, including IfNotNow, Democratic Socialists of America, and Shoresh, an anti-Zionist group of Israelis based in the U.S. According to JVP, approximately 400 protesters, including over a dozen rabbis, were arrested during the peaceful sit-in. Protesters wore shirts emblazoned with slogans such as “Not in Our Name” and “Jews Say Stop Arming Israel,” signaling their opposition to the U.S. military support for Israel.
“For nine months, we’ve watched in horror as the Israeli government has carried out a genocide, armed and funded by the U.S.,” said Stefanie Fox, JVP’s executive director. “Congress and the Biden administration have 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.”
President Joe Biden and Congress, Fox argued, must heed the calls for change. “We need an arms embargo now to save lives,” she added. Jane Hirschmann, a daughter of Holocaust survivors and JVP member, echoed these sentiments. “The Israeli government is using U.S. funding and weapons to slaughter and starve Palestinians in Gaza,” Hirschmann stated. “Americans—including Jewish Americans—are disgusted by our own government’s complicity in this genocide.”
Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, D.C., comes as the death toll from Israel’s extensive assault on Gaza approaches 40,000 after nearly ten months of continuous bombing. This relentless campaign has devastated much of Gaza’s infrastructure and displaced 90% of its population. Earlier in the week, Israel’s military ordered the evacuation of another area previously designated as a safe zone, leading to the deaths of dozens of Palestinians in a fresh wave of attacks.
Netanyahu has a long history of addressing Congress, having done so more than any other world leader. His first address was in 1996, shortly after he and his right-wing allies came to power following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a figure whose peace efforts Netanyahu had opposed. Despite the controversy surrounding his policies and actions, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) extended an invitation to Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress in late May. This invitation came just days after it was revealed that Israeli forces used U.S.-made bombs in a devastating attack on a camp of displaced Palestinians.
Sonya Meyerson-Knox, JVP communications director, condemned the invitation. “It is utterly shameful that U.S. lawmakers would invite war criminal Netanyahu to address Congress,” she said. “We are hundreds of American Jews calling on our elected leaders to stop funding and fueling this genocide.”
The protest against Netanyahu’s visit is part of a broader movement that includes planned grassroots protests ahead of and during his speech, as well as a boycott by dozens of Democratic lawmakers. Netanyahu’s address is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm ET. Following his speech, he is expected to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday and then travel to Mar-a-Lago to meet with former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.
Vice President Kamala Harris, likely to become the Democratic presidential nominee following Biden’s anticipated exit from the 2024 race, has opted to attend a previously scheduled event in Indianapolis instead of presiding over Netanyahu’s remarks. Progressive lawmakers, including Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), have been vocal in their opposition to Netanyahu’s address. “By bestowing Prime Minister Netanyahu with a joint address, Congress is not only continuing to green-light genocide; it is actively celebrating the man at the forefront of that genocide,” Bush stated on Tuesday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also voiced his disapproval, labeling Netanyahu a war criminal and criticizing his invitation to speak to Congress. “Netanyahu is a right-wing extremist and a war criminal who has devoted his career to killing the prospects of a two-state solution and lasting peace in the region,” Sanders remarked on the Senate floor. “He should not be welcomed to the United States Congress. On the contrary, his policies in Gaza and the West Bank should be roundly condemned and his right-wing extremist government should not receive another nickel from U.S. taxpayers.”
“The only way to reach a cease-fire and build a just future is for the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Israel now,” said Hirschmann.
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