Access to Capitol Hill blocked off ahead of Israel PM Netanyahu's US Congress address
Jul 24, 2024
Washington [United States], July 24 : Ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's joint address to the US Congress on Wednesday, access to the Capitol Hill in Washington DC was tightly restricted for unauthorized individuals.
Law enforcement agents implemented stringent security measures, blocking traffic two blocks away from the Capitol. Pedestrians and vehicles were turned away, with officials informing them that they could not go through, Al Jazeera reported.
A very small group of protesters chanted outside the Washington Hebrew Congregation Wednesday morning as Netanyahu prepared to attend a memorial service for former United States Sen. Joe Lieberman, a staunch ally of Israel, who died in March at the age of 82.
The protesters wore T-shirts that said, "Jews say stop arming Israel," CNN reported.
Earlier this week, additional security measures, such as barricades, have been deployed around the Capitol building and the Watergate Hotel, where Netanyahu will be staying, CNN reported.
With today's address, Netanyahu will overtake Winston Churchill, the United Kingdom Prime Minister who has delivered the most speeches to a joint session of the US Congress. Previously, Netanyahu spoke in Congress in 1996, 2011 and 2015.
At least nine senators, along with dozens of House members have said they will boycott Netanyahu's address to Congress, citing Israeli actions in Gaza as their reason for abstaining. Others decried the Israeli Prime Minister's embattled leadership in the country and highlighted what they described as the "partisan" nature of his visit to Washington, DC, according to Al Jazeera
Among the lawmakers who will be absent are New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Michigan's Rashida Tlaib, Senator Bernie Sanders and Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray.
The Israeli Prime Minister arrived in Washington on Monday after US President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign.
Biden's announcement was made abruptly on social media on Sunday, and he is expected to address the nation on Wednesday night, just hours after Netanyahu's speech, the Times of Israel reported.
Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday morning.
The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.
Israel, since then, has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas' infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties.
