According to police, about 200 people protesting against the Gaza war were arrested in the Capitol

According to the U.S. Capitol Police, about 200 protesters were arrested on Capitol Hill on Tuesday for staging a sit-in against the war in Gaza, a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to address a joint session of Congress.

In a post on X, the agency said the protesters, who had gathered in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building, were arrested for “gathering, obstructing or harassing,” adding that demonstrations in congressional buildings are against the law.

The protest was coordinator of the group Jewish Voice for Peace, which describes itself as “the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world.”

A statement from the organization said 400 people had been arrested, including more than a dozen rabbis.

The protest came a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing criticism at home and abroad, is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress and meet with President Biden on Wednesday and Vice President Harris later this week.

The organizers of the protests condemned Netanyahu’s meeting with US representatives.

“For nine months, we have watched in horror as the Israeli government, armed and funded by the U.S. Congress, committed genocide, and the Biden administration has the power to end that horror today,” Jewish Voice for Peace executive director Stefanie Fox said in a statement on the organization’s website. “Instead, our president is preparing to meet with Netanyahu, and congressional leadership has honored him with an invitation to speak before Congress. Enough is enough.”

The organization also called on the United States to stop supplying weapons to Israel.

Demonstrations are allowed on certain parts of the Capitol, but only with permits. Police said they warned protesters that they would be arrested if they did not disperse.

Copyright: NPR