WASHINGTON – Crowds descended on the nation’s capital Wednesday to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit, and many wanted to know where Vice President Kamala Harris stands on the conflict now that she is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
“She’s no different from Biden on this issue, she’s no different from anybody else,” Nikolai from Ohio told Fox News Digital. “We’re going down to the lesser evil-ism. Trump will be 100%. She’ll be 99.9, you know what I mean?”
Thousands of protesters swarmed the National Mall ahead of Netanyahu’s address to Congress, calling for the foreign leader’s arrest and an end to U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Harris skipped Netanyahu’s speech but is expected to meet privately with the Israeli leader at the White House.
Protesters calling for an Israeli ceasefire in Gaza marched near the U.S. Capitol Building to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the United States Congress on July 24, 2024. (Andrew Thomas/AFP via Getty Images)
HARRIS BOYCOTTS NETANYAHU, SNUBS ISRAELI LEADER’S WARTIME ADDRESS TO GIVE SORORITY SPEECH
Several people erected a large effigy of Netanyahu with devil horns, blood pouring from his mouth and a bomb clutched in his hand. Others chanted slogans like “Intifada revolution” and “from the river to the sea,” danced, burned flags and waved posters with mugshot-style images of Netanyahu’s face. U.S. Capitol Police made numerous arrests.
“I want Israel to be dismantled,” Christine from Virginia said earlier in the day when asked what outcome she hoped to see in the Middle East. “That’s about it.”
Other protesters hoped for a two-state solution.
HARRIS’ MIXED RECORD ON ISRAEL ENTERS SPOTLIGHT DURING NETANYAHU VISIT
Many attendees told Fox News Digital Netanyahu is a “war criminal” who “belongs in jail” and were skeptical that Harris would be harsher on Israel if elected president.
“I really hate her,” Elise from Virginia said. “I am both pro-life and pro-Palestine, and she is against both of those things. So to me, she’s just into a double genocide.”
“I don’t think she’s capable,” one man from Maryland said. “We have North Korea, we have Netanyahu, we have Russia, we have China. She cannot stand up to them.”
Connor from D.C. felt “very mixed” about what a hypothetical Harris presidency would mean for Gaza.
“She seems to be a little bit less warmongering than Biden on the issue of Israel-Gaza,” Connor said, while also noting Harris’ connections to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “So it remains to be seen what her actual stance is on the overall matter.”
Connor brought a sign to the protest calling for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to face charges “for war crimes and crimes against humanity.” (Fox News Digital)
FAMILIES OF US CITIZENS HELD BY HAMAS PIN HOPES ON NETANYAHU’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS
Congress and the Biden administration have sent billions of dollars worth of military aid and other funding to Israel since Hamas launched its attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Joe Biden has been complicit in the genocide that’s going on right now,” George, a Palestinian immigrant who now lives in Michigan, told Fox News Digital. If Harris’ policy follows Biden’s, then “she’s no better than him.”
George added, “Words are not enough. We want action.”
Vermont state Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky was also at the protest, telling Fox News Digital she doesn’t want her “taxpayer dollars funding a genocide.” Vyhovsky, a progressive Democrat, said Harris hasn’t made it clear yet where she stands on the Israel-Hamas war.
“I’d like to see her stand up and, you know, support a cease-fire and finding a path towards peace,” she said. “In plenty of really complicated global conflicts, restorative justice has been used to make sure that all harmed parties are heard and taken care of, and peace can be found. And we don’t do that by bombing.”
GOP LOOKS TO REVOKE VISAS FROM PARTICIPANTS IN VIOLENT PROTESTS AHEAD OF NETANYAHU ADDRESS
In March, Harris became the first administration official to call for a temporary cease-fire, contingent on Hamas cooperating and allowing the release of hostages held in Gaza.
“I hope that she takes a more humane stance and will admit that Israel has gone way too far committing these war crimes,” one attendee said. “And it has to stop. I would hope that Kamala Harris could make a statement and try to guide us away from this nightmare.”
One woman said the only difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to the war in Gaza is that “the blues tend to understand that human beings exist.”
“All that changes is the rhetoric, not the actions,” she said. “Obama gave [Israel] a blank check. Biden is giving them the most comically huge blank check.”
She added, “So that’s why we’re gonna vote for Jill Stein.”
A person spray paints the base of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain as demonstrators protest near the U.S. Capitol during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on July 24, 2024. (Andrew Thomas/AFP via Getty Images)
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“I don’t support any of them,” a protester from Michigan said. “And I wish there is another candidate who stands for justice, for peace and for fairness in the world.”
During his speech to Congress, Netanyahu ripped cease-fire activists as “Iran’s useful idiots.”
Click here to hear more from demonstrators.
Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.