Thousands protest Netanyahu outside US Capitol

By AFP/Nicholas Roll

Thousands of demonstrators angry over the war in Gaza marched on the US Capitol on Wednesday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked lawmakers for steady support as his forces fight Hamas.

A group of protesters burned Netanyahu in effigy, along with American flags -- a raucous end to a mostly peaceful march that also drew families, children and the elderly, as well as concerned citizens from thousands of miles away.

Crowds carrying Palestinian flags and signs ranging from left-wing slogans to Bible verses gathered near the Capitol calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the arrest of Netanyahu, as prosecutors seek a warrant for him at the International Criminal Court.

"Seek peace and pursue it," read one sign, quoting the Bible, while others were styled as criminal "wanted" signs, with photos of Netanyahu in place of a mugshot.

At a rally before the march, Palestinian and Jewish organizers stood on a stage and denounced both the United States and the Israeli government for "genocide," calling for a "citizen's arrest" of Netanyahu.

Karameh Kuemmerle, of the organization Doctors Against Genocide, told AFP that she and her medical colleagues were "horrified by the destruction of the health system in Gaza."

"We are here to show our opposition to having the criminal Netanyahu come to our capital and being greeted by the politicians who sent him weapons to kill children in Gaza," said the doctor, who traveled to Washington from Boston.

Relations between Washington and Israel have strained as the civilian death toll in Gaza has grown, leading to protests in the United States and criticism from President Joe Biden, although little has changed in the way of US military support.

Ahead of Netanyahu's speech, security was reportedly increased at the Capitol, much of which was closed to the public on Wednesday, according to political news outlet The Hill.

Scuffles with police broke out as officers, who at times deployed pepper spray, kept protesters away from the seat of the US Congress.

Elsewhere, occasional shoving matches erupted between protesters and police, who made a series of arrests, mostly toward the end of the march, outside Union Station, blocks away from the Capitol.

'Hypocrisy of our politicians'

It was there that a group of demonstrators took down three American flags flying outside the train station and set them on fire, drawing loud cheers.

Netanyahu was burned in effigy, and red, black and green Palestinian flags were raised in place of the Stars and Stripes.

Inside the Capitol, Netanyahu asked for continued US support as the war triggered by the Hamas attacks of October 7 drags on.

"For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together," Netanyahu said, earning repeated and lengthy applause from the members of Congress in attendance.

But protesters vented about the war and Washington's support for it.

"The hypocrisy of our politicians today has gone beyond any limits," Mo, a 58-year-old protester, told AFP.

Elsewhere, a group of congressional staffers staged a walkout, calling for a ceasefire in the name of their constituents.

The Israeli prime minister did draw boos from US lawmakers when he criticized protesters outside as "Iran's useful idiots." Tehran arms and otherwise supports Hamas.

Israel has recently intensified its attacks on Gaza and Netanyahu has insisted that only piling on military pressure can free the hostages and defeat Hamas.

The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 resulted in the death of 1,197 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Out of 251 people taken hostage that day, 114 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 42 who the military says are dead.

More than 39,100 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war broke out, according to data provided by the health ministry of Hamas-run Gaza.