Demonstrators stage mass protest against Israeli PM in Washington

Protesters against the Gaza war staged a sit-in at a congressional office building Tuesday ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress, with Capitol Police making multiple arrests.

Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Monday for a visit that includes meetings with President Joe Biden and a Wednesday speech before a joint session of Congress. Dozens of protesters rallied outside his hotel on Monday evening, and on Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators staged a flashmob-style protest in the Cannon Building, which houses offices of House of Representatives members.

Organised by Jewish Voice for Peace, protesters wearing red T-shirts that read "Not In Our Name” took over the building's rotunda, sitting on the floor, unfurling signs and chanting "Let Gaza Live!”

After about a half-hour of clapping and chanting, officers from the US Capitol Police issued several warnings, then began arresting protesters - binding their hands with zip ties and leading them away one-by-one.

"I am the daughter of Holocaust survivors and I know what a Holocaust looks like,” said Jane Hirschmann, a native of Saugerties, New York, who drove down for the protest along with her two daughters - both of whom were arrested. "When we say ‘Never Again,’ we mean never for anybody.”

The demonstrators focused much of their ire on the Biden administration, demanding that the president immediately cease all arms shipments to Israel.

"We’re not focusing on Netanyahu. He’s just a symptom,” Hirschmann said. "But how can (Biden) be calling for a cease-fire when he’s sending them bombs and planes?”

As of 8pm on Tuesday night, the Capitol Police said they did not have a final tally of the number of people arrested. But JVP claimed in a statement that 400 people, "including over a dozen rabbis," had been arrested.

Associated Press