As Netanyahu addresses Congress, protests rock Capitol

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Thousands of people protested and several were arrested in and around the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday (July 24), with many voicing frustration and outrage at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addressed a joint session of Congress.

The tone was very different in the U.S. Capitol itself, where Netanyahu spoke to an overwhelmingly supportive crowd as he sought to frame Israel’s ongoing assault into the Gaza Strip, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, as an existential clash between what he called “those who glorify death and those who sanctify life.”

“For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together,” Netanyahu said. “Because when we stand together, something very simple happens: When we win, they lose. And my friends, I came to assure you today of one thing: We will win.”

He centered his remarks on the Hamas-led attack that took place Oct. 7 in southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and resulted in hundreds more taken hostage, according to the Israeli government. The ensuing Israeli assault into Gaza has killed nearly 39,000 people, many of them children, according to the Hamas-run health agency, which does not distinguish combatants and civilians.

The prime minister likened the Hamas attack to Japan’s assault on Pearl Harbor during World War II and the terrorist attacks that killed thousands of Americans in New York City and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001.

“Like Dec. 7, 1941, and Sept. 11, 2001, Oct. 7 is a day that will live in infamy,” Netanyahu said. He repeatedly referred to guests in the crowd, such as a freed hostage and multiple Israeli soldiers whom he described as operating in the “spirit of the Maccabees,” a reference to ancient Jewish warriors. There were also unexpected visitors: In the gallery was billionaire aerospace businessman and tech investor Elon Musk, who told reporters he was a guest of Netanyahu. Musk, who recently described himself as a “cultural Christian,” traveled to Israel late last year.

While Republicans filled many of the chamber’s seats, Democratic lawmakers were fewer in number, as more than 50 Democrats as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent, boycotted the speech in protest. Vice President Kamala Harris, who recently became the leading Democratic presidential candidate after President Joe Biden bowed out of his reelection bid, declined to preside over or attend the proceedings. She is, however, slated to attend a meeting with Netanyahu and Biden, who is recovering from a COVID-19 infection, later this week.

Also among those absent were multiple members of “the Squad,” a cadre of liberal lawmakers, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Cori Bush of Missouri and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. All three have spoken at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in recent months.

But at least one Squad member active in the pro-Palestinian movement was present for the address: Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the only Palestinian American in Congress. Tlaib, who is also one of only three Muslim members of Congress, sat draped in a black-and-white kaffiyeh, a garment that has become a symbol of the Palestinian people, and wore what appeared to be a pin of the Palestinian flag.

Throughout the speech, as people applauded, Tlaib held up a sign that read “War criminal” on one side and “Guilty of genocide” on the other.

By contrast, as Netanyahu entered the chamber, lawmakers on the far right — Reps. Tim Burchett of Tennessee and Lauren Boebert of Colorado — were among the first to shake his hand.

In his speech, Netanyahu made pointed remarks about the rash of protests that have taken place in the U.S. and Israel since the assault into Gaza began last year.

“I have a message for these protesters: You have officially become Iran’s useful idiots,” he said, after insisting protests were being funded by Iran.

Meanwhile, outside the offices of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker group, a cadre of interfaith demonstrators gathered holding signs that read “ceasefire now” and “no more arms to Israel.”

“We pray in a posture of repentance, that our own governments of Israel and the United States would also repent, that their hearts would be changed and they could finally dedicate themselves to a lasting peace,” the Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, head of the Christian social justice advocacy group Sojourners, told the crowd.

He was echoed by Sally Ethelston, a deacon at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, who stood nearby.

“We have a moral responsibility as church people to actually stand up against injustice and for the cause of peace,” she said. “This is one issue which brings together those issues, just so clearly, that there is a need for both justice and also for peace.”

Also standing in the crowd was Linda Sarsour, a prominent Muslim activist and Palestinian American. Saying she was outraged “by both Republicans and Democrats for even inviting a war criminal,” referring to Netanyahu, she expressed gratitude at the groundswell of pro-Palestinian activism in recent months, much of which has been led by people of faith.

“We’ve been hearing about religion for a few years, particularly in politics, and it’s about time for the voices of justice and peace and coexistence to be louder than the voices of division and hate that we keep hearing from the right wing extremists in this country,” she said.

Down the street, a group of rabbis and Jewish demonstrators gathered in a park for a protest-themed Shacharit, a morning prayer in Judaism. Organized by T’ruah, a liberal-leaning group, speakers were less strident than some other protesters, but were nonetheless fierce in their criticism of Netanyahu. Some held signs that read “Hamas out of Gaza, Bibi out of office” and “No future with Bibi. The only future is a shared future.”

Rabbi Jenna Shaw noted that “deal after deal” to negotiate the release of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas has been “torpedoed by Netanyahu.”

“We stand in horror and anger at the false binary that Jewish safety comes at the expense of Palestinian safety, freedom and livelihood, that the only way to keep us safe is by an ongoing war and occupation,” Shaw said, adding that as Netanyahu presents a “vision of extremism, violence and war to the U.S. Congress, we as American clergy stand here to say no, this is not the vision of Israel-Palestine that is necessary.”

On the west side of the Capitol, thousands gathered for a rally organized by secular and religious groups, including Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, also known as the ANSWER Coalition; the Palestinian Youth Movement; the People’s Forum; and the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, among others.

The demonstration was assembled under the slogan “Arrest Netanyahu,” with many in attendance accusing the prime minister of war crimes. Participants carried an array of signs, including some fashioned like a “wanted” poster, and the crowd included a contingent from an anti-Zionist subset of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community who have appeared at multiple pro-Palestinian protests in recent months.

Along the edge of the protest, demonstrators manipulated a giant puppetlike caricature of Netanyahu, his head adorned with devil horns and blood pouring from his mouth and wielded a bomb reading “Israel bombs, USA pays.” Other similar caricatures of Netyanhu were also hoisted at protests throughout the day.

Among the speakers at the “Arrest Netanyahu” demonstration was Ayah Ziyadeh, advocacy director for American Muslims for Palestine.

“We owe it to ourselves as American taxpayers and to the future generations to fight for a world where justice prevails, and that begins by making it clear that we as Americans — taxpaying citizens — do not welcome war criminals of any kind into our country or the halls of legislative chambers that our tax dollars provide,” Ziyadeh said.

While the day’s protests were mostly peaceful, after Netanyahu’s speech was completed, some demonstrators marched on Union Station and took down the three large U.S. flags that wave in front of the historic locale. They then set the flags — and an effigy of Netanyahu — ablaze, before replacing them with Palestinian flags. Several clashed with police, resulting in arrests and the use of pepper spray by officers.