Jill Stein condemned Congress’ response to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after House and Senate Republicans applauded his speech in the House chamber on Wednesday.
Stein, the Green Party’s nominee for president, shared a post on X containing two videos: one clip depicted Netanyahu’s standing ovation in Congress, while the other was a montage of clips of wounded children, people fleeing, and destroyed buildings in what appears to be Gaza.
Alongside the videos, she wrote, “@netanyahu we demand that you immediately RESIGN as Prime Minister and surrender yourself to authorities. Congress may clap for war criminals, but we the people will bring you to justice.”
The clip has been widely circulated across X, reflecting the divisive nature of Netanyahu’s appearance in Congress as the war in Gaza rages on.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Thousands of protestors marched in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, reportedly spraying graffiti on statues and replacing American flags with Palestinian ones. As the demonstration escalated, protesters were handcuffed and some were arrested by police at the scene, the BBC reported.
House Speaker Mike Johnson sent a letter of warning to any guests or lawmakers looking to disturb Netanyahu’s address. A number of officials boycotted the event, including Republican GOP Representative Thomas Massie and more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers, who announced they wouldn’t attend, either in protest or due to scheduling issues.
Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib, who is Palestinian and has family in the West Bank, held up signs that read “war criminal” and “guilty of genocide” during Netanyahu’s speech.
Vice President Kamala Harris announced she would not be greeting Netanyahu upon his arrival to the U.S. or attending his speech. However, she is set to meet with thim on Thursday, as is President Joe Biden, who has a meeting scheduled with Netanyahu at the White House.
The war in Gaza has been ongoing since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, of which it is believed that almost half remain held.
In the subsequent nine months, Israel’s military offensives have killed upwards of 39,000 Palestinians and displaced more than 2.1 million according to the Gaza Health Ministry, the Associated Press reports.
In his speech, Netanyahu said, “Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home,” and asked the U.S. to continue its support of Israel.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.