WASHINGTON — The coming of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked a wave of protests in the country’s capital, including a sit-in at a congressional building that ended with multiple arrests. Some of the demonstrations have condemned Israel, but others have voiced support and pressured Netanyahu to call a ceasefire and bring home hostages still held by Hamas.
Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Monday for a visit that includes meetings with President Joe Biden and a speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Dozens of protesters gathered outside his hotel on Monday night, and on Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators staged a flash-mob-style protest at the Cannon Building, which houses the offices of members of the House of Representatives.
Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, protesters dressed in red T-shirts reading “Not in our name” took over the building’s rotunda. They sat on the ground, unfurled signs and chanted “Let Gaza Live!”
After about half an hour of clapping and chanting, U.S. Capitol Police officers issued several warnings and then began arresting protesters. Their hands were bound with zip ties and they were led away one by one.
“I’m the daughter of Holocaust survivors, and I know what the Holocaust looks like,” said Jane Hirschmann, a native of Saugerties, New York, who drove to the protest with her two daughters — both of whom were arrested. “When we say ‘Never again,’ we mean never for anyone.”
The protesters focused their anger primarily on the Biden administration, demanding that the president immediately halt all arms shipments to Israel.
“We’re not targeting Netanyahu. He’s just a symptom,” Hirschmann said. “But how can (Biden) call for a ceasefire when he’s sending them bombs and planes?”
As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, Capitol Police said they did not have a final count of the number of arrests. But JVP said in a statement that 400 people, “including more than a dozen rabbis,” had been arrested.
Mitchell Rivard, chief of staff for Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., said in a statement that his office requested Capitol Police intervention after protesters “became disruptive, violently banging on office doors, shouting loudly and attempting to force entry into the office.”
Kildee later told The Associated Press that he did not understand why his office was being targeted. He said he voted against a large additional military aid package for Israel earlier this year.
Families of some of the remaining hostages held a protest vigil on the National Mall Tuesday night, demanding that Netanyahu reach a deal with Hamas and bring home the roughly 120 Israeli hostages still in Gaza. About 150 people in yellow shirts that read “Seal the Deal NOW!” chanted “Bring Them Home” and listened to testimonies from family members and former hostages. Protesters applauded when Biden’s name was called, but several criticized Netanyahu — known by his nickname “Bibi” — for what they believed was dragging his feet or playing hardball on a proposed ceasefire deal that would bring back all the hostages.
“I’m begging Bibi. There’s a deal on the table and you have to accept it,” said Aviva Siegel, 63, who was held captive for 51 days and whose husband, Keith, remains a hostage. “I want Bibi to look me in the eye and tell me one thing: Keith is coming home.”
Several protests are planned for Wednesday, when Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress. In preparation, police have significantly increased security around the Capitol and several roads closed for most of the week.
Biden and Netanyahu are expected to meet on Thursday, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity ahead of the White House announcement. Vice President Kamala Harris is also scheduled to meet separately with Netanyahu that day.
As Senate president, Harris would normally sit behind foreign leaders addressing Congress, but she will not be there on Wednesday as she travels to Indianapolis before Biden withdrew his re-election bid and she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee last weekend.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he will meet Netanyahu on Friday.
___
Associated Press journalists Stephen Groves, Farnoush Amiri and Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report.