Topline
Police removed several people from the House chamber for wearing bright shirts urging a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday, according to multiple reports, as Netanyahu spent part of his speech criticizing the heated protests that flared earlier this year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the chamber of … [+]
Key Facts
Capitol Police arrested people wearing yellow “Seal the Deal NOW” shirts, after removing them from the chamber early into Netanyahu’s speech, an NBC reporter posted on X.
The protesters opened their jackets to reveal the shirts during a standing ovation, according to an Axios reporter.
Capitol Police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, they removed and arrested five people in the House Gallery who disrupted the address, adding: “Disrupting the Congress and demonstrating in the Congressional Buildings is against the law.”
Shortly after the protesters were removed, Netanyahu said protesters who have railed against Israel “should be ashamed of themselves” and implied the protests could be funded by Iran, saying protesters have “officially become Iran’s useful idiots.”
Netanyahu also criticized universities’ handling of the student protests that overtook the U.S. earlier this year, saying anti-semitism is “the world’s oldest hatred” and he was ashamed campus administrators “couldn’t bring themselves to condemn the calls for the genocide of Jews,” referring to when some Ivy League presidents said it depended on context whether calling for genocide violated school policies.
He thanked President Joe Biden for his support throughout the war—despite increasing tensions between the two leaders as Biden criticizes some of Israel’s conduct in the war—and thanked former President Donald Trump for moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and “confronting Iran’s aggression.”
Netanyahu didn’t address the state of cease-fire negotiations, but said Hamas could end the war tomorrow by returning hostages, and reiterated Israel does not want to resettle Gaza but that he envisions a “demilitarized and deradicalized Gaza” that is not run by those who “seek to destroy Israel.”
Netanyahu also used the speech to defend Israel’s military strategy in Gaza and deny Israel has prevented aid from reaching the enclave—which has been heavily criticized and led to the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for him and Israel’s defense minister—saying civilian casualties have been relatively low and aid holdups are the fault of Hamas.”
Outside of the address, Capitol Police pepper sprayed protesters after the agency said part of the crowd became violent and “failed to obey our order to move back from our police line.”
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Tangent
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.—the only Palestinian American in Congress—attended Netanyahu’s speech, remained seated and held a sign that read “war criminal” on one side and “guilty of genocide” on the other as he spoke, according to multiple reports.
US Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, protests during Israeli Prime Minister … [+]
Surprising Fact
About half of all congressional Democrats skipped out on Netanyahu’s address, Axios reported, including a number of big-name Democrats. Among the notable Democrats who skipped the address were Vice President and likely Democratic 2024 candidate Kamala Harris, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Some Democrats have criticized Netanyahu and his war tactics, which have left nearly 40,000 people in Gaza dead according to the Gaza Health Ministry, while others like Harris said they had scheduling conflicts.
Key Background
Netanyahu was invited to speak to Congress by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who extended the invitation with other House and Senate leaders in late May. Johnson said he would invite Netanyahu whether or not his Democratic counterpart in the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., or Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., agreed to sign on to the invitation, though they both eventually did despite Schumer’s criticisms of Netanyahu throughout the war. Netanyahu has had the support of the U.S. since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, but Democrats—including President Joe Biden—have been increasingly critical of his war tactics, arguing Israel hasn’t done enough to prevent civilian casualties or get aid to Palestinians in Gaza. The U.S. has been assisting in negotiating a cease-fire agreement, though negotiations have repeatedly stalled.
Chief Critic
After Netanyahu’s speech, Pelosi posted a statement to X saying it was “the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary” invited to speak to Congress. She and a number of other Democrats who skipped the address met with Israeli citizens, and Pelosi said they want a cease-fire deal and hope Netanyahu will “spend his time achieving that goal.”
Further Reading
Israel and Hamas. Previously, she has covered a range of topics from Donald Trump’s legal battles to Taylor Swift’s path to becoming a billionaire. She joined Forbes in April 2022 and is based in Colorado. Prior to joining Forbes, Bohannon covered local news and spent time at the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Arizona Republic. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Creighton University and has an MA in investigative journalism from Arizona State. Follow Bohannon for continued coverage of pop culture, politics and updates on the war in Gaza.
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