Thousands of demonstrators angry over the war in Gaza marched on the US Capitol on Wednesday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked US lawmakers for steady support as his forces fight Hamas.
Scuffles with police broke out as officers tried to keep protesters away from the seat of the US Congress — the scene of a violent insurrection by supporters of Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.
Crowds carrying Palestinian flags and signs ranging from left-wing slogans to verses from the Bible gathered near the Capitol calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the arrest of Netanyahu, as prosecutors seek a warrant for him at the International Criminal Court.
“Seek peace and pursue it,” read one sign, quoting a Bible verse, while others were designed as criminal “wanted” signs, with photos of Netanyahu in place of a mugshot.
“Arrest that war criminal,” read another.
Police fired pepper spray on some protesters to redirect the demonstration. Several could be seen washing their eyes and faces afterwards.
Later, police made several arrests as protesters took down three US flags outside Union Station, a major rail hub near Capitol Hill, and set them on fire, drawing loud cheers.
Netanyahu was burned in effigy, and the Stars and Stripes was replaced by the red, black and green Palestinian flag.
Several loud bangs of unknown origin rang out.
Inside the Capitol, Netanyahu asked for continued US support as the war triggered by the Hamas attacks of October 7 drags on.
“For the forces of civilisation to triumph, America and Israel must stand together,” Netanyahu said, earning repeated and lengthy applause from the members of Congress in attendance.
But protesters vented about the war and Washington’s support for it.
“The hypocrisy of our politicians today has gone beyond any limits,” Mo, a 58-year-old protester, told AFP.
Relations have grown strained as the civilian death toll in Gaza has grown, leading to protests in the United States and increasing criticism from President Joe Biden’s administration, although little has changed in the way of US military support.
Ahead of the speech, security was reportedly increased at the Capitol, much of which was closed to the public on Wednesday, according to political news outlet The Hill.
The Israeli prime minister did draw boos from US lawmakers when he criticised protesters outside as “Iran’s useful idiots.” Tehran arms and otherwise supports Hamas.
• ‘Stop US aid’ –
Palestinian and Jewish organizers stood on a stage and denounced both the United States and the Israeli government for “genocide,” calling for a “citizen’s arrest” of Netanyahu.
“Stop US aid to Israel,” 24-year-old protester Yudyth Hernandez told AFP from the crowd, saying instead such money would be better used to “fund our schools.”
“We are horrified by the destruction of the health system in Gaza,” Karameh Kuemmerle, of the organisation Doctors Against Genocide, told AFP.
“And we are here to show our opposition to having the criminal Netanyahu come to our capital and be greeted by the politicians who sent him weapons to kill children in Gaza,” said the doctor, who travelled to Washington from Boston.
Israel has recently intensified its attacks on Gaza, and Netanyahu has insisted that only piling on military pressure can free the hostages and defeat Hamas.
The Palestinian militant group launched a shock attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Hamas also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 44 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,145 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
AFP