US Capitol Police arrest Jewish activists calling for arms embargo on Israel | Israeli-Palestinian Conflict News

Washington DC – The rotunda of an office building in the U.S. Capitol complex filled within minutes with hundreds of people who appeared out of nowhere in a surprise protest against Israel’s war in Gaza.

“Let Gaza live,” they chanted in unison inside the Cannon House office building, removing their outer clothing to reveal matching red T-shirts.

On one side of the T-shirt it read: “Jews demand that we stop arming Israel.” On the other side: “Not in our name.”

Tuesday’s coordinated protest, led by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), surprised members of Congress and law enforcement officers because it was organized in a matter of minutes.

But the crackdown began almost immediately after protesters gathered. Capitol Police quickly declared the area “locked down” and arrested hundreds of demonstrators who refused to leave.

“This is a historic moment where we have to say that we stood up for Palestinian freedom. We stood up for this genocide,” said protester Liv Kunins-Berkowitz.

“For many of us, we are the descendants of those who survived ethnic cleansing and genocide. Our ancestors and grandparents taught us that the worst thing to do in these times is to stand by and watch.”

Kunins-Berkowitz added that the protest was part of a tradition of peaceful civil disobedience. “This is what we have to do when our government refuses to listen to the people,” she told Al Jazeera.

The protest on Capitol Hill comes a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress at the invitation of top lawmakers from both major parties.

Netanyahu’s government has overseen more than nine months of death and devastation in Gaza, as experts and human rights advocates warn of “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.

Since the start of the war, the Israeli offensive has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, including many women and children.

Nevertheless, the US government remains uncompromising in its support for Israel.

President Joe Biden’s administration has authorized more than $14 billion in military aid to Israel, while maintaining a steady flow of weapons and bombs.

Additionally, the United States vetoed three United Nations Security Council resolutions that would have called for a ceasefire.

Biden called in May for an end to the war as part of a deal that would see the release of Israeli captives in Gaza, but he has maintained his support for Israel as the country’s leaders pledge to keep fighting until “total victory.”

Abby Stein, a rabbi and activist, said that while U.S. officials were merely “paying lip service” to supporting the ceasefire, protesters were demanding a real end to the war and an arms embargo on Israel.

“I know that none of us will be safe as long as the United States is sending billions of dollars of weapons to Israel,” Stein told Al Jazeera.

“This is one of the worst atrocities we have ever seen unfold before our eyes. We are here today to ensure that we do everything in our power to stop it.”

Progressive Jewish groups have held protests across the country, including a similar demonstration on Capitol Hill in October last year, as well as rallies on roads, at train stations and at political offices.

Asked whether such direct action was effective, Stein answered unequivocally: “Yes.”

She argued that the protests raise awareness of the situation in Gaza and give visibility to the protesters’ demands.

“I think it really helps,” Stein added. “The action that happened in October is a good example. It allowed us to show in the media that there are tens of thousands of Jews who oppose what the Israeli government is doing.”

Activist Tal Frieden said that as the grandson of Holocaust survivors, he grew up hearing stories about the importance of ensuring genocide never happens again. “I am here today to demand that the United States stop sending weapons to Israel,” he told Al Jazeera.

At Tuesday’s protest, demonstrators stood their ground and refused to leave as their fellow activists faced arrest.

Law enforcement officers quickly intervened and removed banners denouncing “genocide” in Gaza.

Then they started arresting people on the outskirts, narrowing the circle of activists, as if peeling it back layer by layer.

For more than an hour, police detained the activists and marched them to an elevator away from the rotunda and into the underground corridors of Congress.

Many protesters, bound by zip ties, continued to chant “Stop arming Israel” and “Free, free Palestine” as they were led away. But the chants grew fainter as the last protesters were cleared out.

“We are arresting a group unlawfully protesting inside the Cannon Rotunda. Protests are not permitted inside the Congressional buildings,” Capitol Police said in a statement.

“We told people who were entering legally to stop or they would be arrested. They didn’t stop, so we arrested them.”

A JVP organiser told Al Jazeera that the group had been informed that the protesters were “being processed and released on their own recognizance with a fine and a penalty”, suggesting they would not be charged.

The JVP said 400 people were arrested, but Capitol Police have not released official figures.

“For nine months, we have watched in horror as the Israeli government perpetrated genocide, armed and funded by the U.S. Congress, and the Biden administration has the power to end this horror today,” JVP Executive Director Stefanie Fox said in a statement.

“Instead, our president is preparing to meet with Netanyahu, and congressional leaders have honored him by inviting him to address Congress. Enough is enough. Biden and Congress must listen to the people: We need an arms embargo now to save lives.”