Protesters hold anti-Israel ‘die-in’ near White House as Netanyahu meets with Biden
Activists pour red liquid which they say symbolizes the blood of those killed in Gaza, march with effigy of Netanyahu with blood on its hands, wearing an orange jumpsuit
Anti-Israel protesters held a “die-in” across from Lafayette Park and the White House on Thursday, as US President Joe Biden met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protesters poured red liquid onto the street, saying it symbolized the blood of those killed in Gaza. They chanted, “Arrest Netanyahu,” and brought in an effigy of Netanyahu with blood on its hands and wearing an orange jumpsuit. The jumpsuit reads, “Wanted for crimes against humanity.”
Inside the White House, Netanyahu told Biden, “From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel.”
The president thanked Netanyahu and noted that his first meeting with an Israeli prime minister, Golda Meir, was in 1973 soon after he was elected to the Senate. Biden joked that he was only 12 years old at the time.
The White House was surrounded by metal barriers and a heavy police presence after strident anti-Israel and antisemitic protests broke out near the Capitol following Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday.
In his speech, Netanyahu defended Israel’s conduct during the ongoing war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel, as thousands of anti-Israel demonstrators massed near the Capitol, marching through city streets carrying Palestinian flags and calling for the prime minister’s arrest.
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan announced in May that he was seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders, though no orders have been issued.
Outside Washington’s Union Station on Wednesday, protesters removed American flags and hoisted Palestinian ones in their place to massive cheers in the crowd. They also sprayed pro-Hamas graffiti on a monument to Christopher Columbus.
At least six people were arrested in the protest of thousands, which featured antisemitic slogans and signs, the vandalism of property, the torching of an effigy of Netanyahu and the burning of an American flag.
Happening now: A child is leading the protestors’ chant “From the River to the Sea”
Hundreds of “Protestors” are currently gathered around the White House right now
MASS DEPORT ALL OF THEM pic.twitter.com/d1CjJktNaJ
— Marjorie Taylor Greene Press Release (Parody) (@MTGrepp) July 25, 2024
In a statement Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, condemned the protesters’ actions.
“Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent, and we must not tolerate it in our nation,” she said. “I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way.”
The number of protesters Thursday was significantly smaller than the day before.
At one point, a young man with an Israeli flag draped over his shoulders walked into the middle of the protest circle and posed for the journalists’ cameras as the crowd jeered.
Police worked to keep the two sides apart.
As police led the man away — he wasn’t detained — one of the pro-Palestinian activists shouted, “See, they even want to occupy our protests. Even our land isn’t enough!”
As police cleared the way, the protesters later marched through city streets toward the National Mall.
Netanyahu was scheduled to meet with Harris later on Thursday, and with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday.
The DC Palestinian Youth Movement released maggots and crickets were released throughout the Watergate Hotel where Netanyahu is staying.
The protestors also pulled multiple fire alarms throughout the night.
This is an utter security failure. pic.twitter.com/3O0XbOvoGx
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) July 24, 2024
In other acts of protest surrounding Netanyahu’s trip to Washington, anti-Israel activists released maggots, worms and crickets onto a table and carpeting at the Watergate Hotel being used by the visiting delegation. They also set off fire alarms at the hotel throughout the night, according to posts on social media, in an attempt to disrupt Netanyahu on the night before his address to Congress.
Netanyahu’s first White House visit since before Trump left office in 2020 comes at a time of growing pressure to find an endgame to the nine-month war and secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7.
The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel, murdering some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
The enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry has said at least 39,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s military offensive. The toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 15,000 combatants in battle and some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 attack. Israel says it seeks to minimize civilian casualties and blames Hamas for using Gaza’s civilians as human shields.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 329.
