About 200 demonstrators staging a sit-in against the war in Gaza were arrested on Capitol Hill Tuesday, according to U.S. Capitol Police, a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to address a joint meeting of Congress.
In a post on X, the agency said the protesters, gathered in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building, were arrested for “Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding,” and added that it’s against the law to demonstrate in congressional buildings.
The protest was coordinated by the group Jewish Voice for Peace, which says it is “the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world.”
The organization said said in a statement that 400 people were arrested, including over a dozen rabbis.
The protest came a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces criticism at home and abroad, is scheduled to address a joint meeting of Congress. He is also scheduled to meet with President Biden Wednesday, and Vice President Harris later this week.