In the bowels of the U.S. Capitol, a group of more than 60 congressional Democrats gathered with the families of Israeli hostages to bring light to their months of captivity and increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to abide by the terms of the cease-fire agreement that the U.S. is helping broker.
Quick Read
- Over 60 congressional Democrats gathered with families of Israeli hostages at the Capitol to highlight their captivity and pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to adhere to the cease-fire agreement.
- The event served as an alternative for Democrats who did not want to attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress.
- U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro expressed hope that Netanyahu would listen to the families and Americans supporting a negotiated end to the fighting.
- Netanyahu, at a memorial for Joe Lieberman, emphasized the threat from Iran and its nuclear program, likely foreshadowing his Congress speech.
- Jewish Americans gathered near Union Station for a prayer service led by T’ruah, protesting Netanyahu’s policies and calling for a Gaza cease-fire.
- Many Jewish Americans support the war in Gaza as a response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack but protest Netanyahu’s policies.
- Workers erected a black metal fence around the White House, and a heavy police presence was noted in anticipation of protests.
- Orthodox Jews and other protesters near the Capitol carried signs condemning Israeli actions and calling for Netanyahu’s arrest.
- Senate chairmen of national security committees urged President Biden to quickly finalize the cease-fire deal, emphasizing that the pre-October 7 status quo is unsustainable.
The Associated Press has the story:
More than 60 congressional Democrats gather at Capitol with families of Israeli hostages
Newslooks- WASHINGTON- (AP)
In the bowels of the U.S. Capitol, a group of more than 60 congressional Democrats gathered with the families of Israeli hostages to bring light to their months of captivity and increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to abide by the terms of the cease-fire agreement that the U.S. is helping broker.
The event was marketed as alternative planning for Democrats who didn’t want to attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress later Wednesday afternoon. “It is my hope that the Prime Minister will listen to you, will listen to the families and to the countless Americans who love and who support Israel and want to see a negotiated end to the fighting that makes an enduring peace possible,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, a senior Democrat who is boycotting the address.
Netanyahu focuses on Iran in remarks at memorial for Joe Lieberman
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday pointed to Iran as the force “behind an entire axis of terror” threatening the United States and Israel.
Netanyahu used brief remarks at a memorial for the late lawmaker Joe Lieberman to focus on what the Israeli leader portrayed as danger from Iran and its nuclear program. Netanyahu long has sought to rally support for more aggressive U.S. and Israeli action against Iran, its militia allies around the Middle East and its nuclear program. His comments at the memorial are likely to foreshadow the theme of the Israeli leader’s remarks to a joint meeting of Congress later Wednesday.
Lieberman, who died in March, “knew how dangerous our world would become if Iran were ever to develop and acquire nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said. The two men often discussed “how Iran was behind the entire axis of terror that threatened both our countries.”
Protestors: ‘As American Jews, we don’t support this war’
Across the street from Union Station in Washington, D.C., Jewish Americans gathered Wednesday morning for a prayer service led by T’ruah, an organization of rabbis calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Rabbi Bill Plevan, of New York, said 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.”
Still, many Jewish Americans view the war in Gaza as just because it came as a response to the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attack, even if they don’t outright support Netanyahu and his policies. The families of hostages taken by Hamas are also protesting, demanding Netanyahu agree to a cease-fire deal that would free their loved ones.
The scene near the Capitol
Workers erected a black metal fence around the White House as Washington braced for protests ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of Congress. Multiple protests were planned for Wednesday over Israel’s war in Gaza.
There was a heavy police presence, but the streets were relatively quiet in Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning. A small group of protesters walked down a street carrying Palestinian flags and signs with messages such as “anti-Israel is not anti-semitism.”
Within view of the Capitol, orthodox Jews lined the streets protesting Netanyahu and the war. As police sirens sounded in the distance, protesters carried signs that included “Jews Worldwide Condemn Israeli Bloody Brutality” and “Free Palestine.” Another called for Netanyahu’s arrest.
Despite some of the people and groups who were protesting, many Jewish Americans view the war in Gaza as just because it came as a response to the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attack, even if they don’t outright support Netanyahu and his policies. The families of hostages taken by Hamas are also protesting, demanding Netanyahu agree to a cease-fire deal that would free their loved ones.
Senators re-up calls for Biden and US negotiators to close cease-fire deal
Hours before Netanyahu was set to arrive, the Senate chairmen of the national security committees sent a letter to President Joe Biden, reupping calls for him and U.S. negotiators to quickly close the cease-fire deal that would end the conflict in Gaza and force the release of the hostages.
“We are under no illusion that this will be easy and we fully understand that diplomacy requires compromise. But the pre-October 7 status quo is not sustainable,” Sens. Ben Cardin, Jack Reed and Mark Warner wrote Wednesday.
