Protesters interrupt Blinken’s Senate testimony and removed by police.
Breaking news from Capitol Hill as anti-Israel protesters disrupted a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing while Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified about the State Department’s budget. As tensions rose, Capitol police were forced to remove at least four agitators from the hearing room.
It all started when Blinken began his opening statement and a man yelled out the name of a 6-year-old boy reportedly killed in Gaza, calling Blinken the “Butcher of Gaza.” The chaos escalated, prompting Chairman Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., to order officers to remove the disruptive individual.
Despite warnings that anyone causing a disturbance would be escorted out, an elderly woman continued shouting “Stop the genocide” as police led her away. Then, a woman rushed toward Blinken, accusing him of being a war criminal responsible for the deaths of 40,000 Palestinians.
Another female protester was also removed, alleging that Blinken was funding a genocide in Gaza and pointing out mass graves outside hospitals. The drama unfolded as Blinken made his case for President Biden’s $60 billion budget request for the State Department and the Agency for International Development.
The disruptions continued as Cardin and several senators condemned the International Criminal Court’s decision to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister. The senators argued that such actions threatened peace efforts in the Middle East and unfairly equated Israel with Hamas, a known terrorist organization.
During the hearing, Blinken expressed the administration’s willingness to collaborate with Congress in response to the ICC’s controversial decision, emphasizing the need to address the implications it may have on cease-fire negotiations and humanitarian aid efforts in the region.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the complex geopolitical challenges facing the United States and its efforts to navigate diplomatic relations in the volatile Middle East. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story as Secretary Blinken continues his testimony before Congress.
