Protesters taken into custody near US Capitol ahead of Netanyahu’s speech

Police have taken people into custody near the US Capitol at a protest against  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war against Hamas in Gaza. A handful of people are led away by officers from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, while others chant for them to be released.

More than 1,000 people gather on Pennsylvania Avenue within sight of the Capitol building. Protesters carry signs branding Netanyahu a war criminal.

A large group of protesters march toward the Capitol after blocking a nearby intersection and calling for a “student intifada,” invoking an Arabic word for “uprising.”

“Shut it down!” they repeatedly chant.

“Bibi, Bibi, We’re not done! The intifada has just begun!” they also shout, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

Across the street from Union Station, Jewish Americans gathered for a prayer service led by T’ruah, an organization of rabbis calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Rabbi Bill Plevan, of New York, says he believed prayer could be a catalyst for peace.

“We’re here to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in Congress,” he said. “We’re here to say we don’t stand by his policies. As American Jews, we don’t support this war.”