Netanyahu is in Washington to address Congress ahead of cease-fire talks
World
Netanyahu is in Washington to address Congress ahead of cease-fire talks
(AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington to address Congress on Wednesday. He has signaled that a cease-fire deal could be taking shape after nine months of war. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters gathered near the U.S. Capitol to denounce Israel’s war in Gaza.
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military’s latest order to leave parts of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis say they are sleeping in the streets. The Health Ministry in Gaza says over 39,100 Palestinians have been killed in the war.
Officials from Egypt, Israel, the United States and Qatar had been expected to meet in Doha on Thursday with the aim of resuming talks for a proposed three-phase cease-fire to end the war between Israel and Hamas and free the remaining hostages. But an Israeli official said Wednesday that Israel’s negotiating team was delayed and would likely be dispatched next week.
Police have taken people into custody near the U.S. Capitol at a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war in Gaza. A handful of people were led away by officers from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., while others chanted for them to be released.
More than 1,000 people gathered Wednesday morning on Pennsylvania Avenue within sight of the Capitol building. Protesters carried signs branding Netanyahu a war criminal.
A large group of protesters marched toward the Capitol after blocking a nearby intersection and calling for a “student intifada,” invoking an Arabic word for “uprising” or “resistance.”
“Shut it down!” they repeatedly chanted.
“Bibi, Bibi, We’re not done! The intifada has just begun!” they also shouted, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.
Across the street from Union Station, Jewish Americans gathered for a prayer service led by T’ruah, an organization of rabbis calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Rabbi Bill Plevan, of New York, said he believed prayer could be a catalyst for peace.
“We’re here to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in Congress,” he said. “We’re here to say we don’t stand by his policies. As American Jews, we don’t support this war.”
