Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit and address to a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday sparked a range of reactions. While some lawmakers gave the Israeli prime minister a standing ovation, others chose to stay away, and thousands of protesters demonstrated outside. In a notable act of protest, Representative Rashida Tlaib, the sole Palestinian American member of Congress and a prominent progressive Democrat, held up a sign reading “war criminal” as Netanyahu spoke. She also wore a Palestinian flag pin and a keffiyeh, a black and white scarf associated with the Palestinian struggle for decades. The other side of her sign read “Guilty of genocide.”
Tlaib was accompanied by her guest, Hani Almadhoun, a Palestinian who has lost over 150 members of his extended family since Israel launched its military campaign aimed at “destroying Hamas,” following the group’s surprise attack on southern Israel from Gaza last October, as often reiterated by Netanyahu.
“After witnessing his sister forced to eat animal feed, he and his family were determined to start a soup kitchen to feed their starving neighbors,” Tlaib wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Ahead of Netanyahu’s address, a coalition of progressives, human rights advocates, former Biden administration officials, and several Democratic lawmakers held a press call to denounce his invitation to Capitol Hill.
They demanded a U.S. arms embargo on Israel and called for an immediate ceasefire. Democratic Representatives Ayanna Pressley, Greg Casar, Pramila Jayapal, and Cori Bush, who were among the dozens of Democratic members boycotting Netanyahu’s speech, joined the call to voice their opposition.
“This war, this genocide, has persisted for months as the United States has sent bombs that have claimed the lives of elders, babies, parents, students, journalists and loved ones,” Pressley said on the call.
“The United States must immediately halt the transfer and sales of offensive weapons to the state of Israel. We must put an end to this unjust war. We must stop the genocide.”
In late June, a senior Biden administration official announced that Washington had provided $6.5 billion in security assistance to Israel since October 7. In response, Representative Greg Casar stated: “We have the vast majority of the American people with us, and the vast majority of the American people wanting to protect innocent Palestinian lives, wanting to protect innocent Israeli lives, wanting to make sure that hostages are returned, wanting to make sure the United States uses all its leverage and stops sending offensive weapons to the Israeli government to promote lasting peace.”
