At least four anti-Israel agitators were escorted by Capitol Police from a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing as Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified on the department’s budget on Tuesday.
As Mr. Blinken began his opening statement, a man stood up shouting the name of a 6-year-old boy who was allegedly killed in Gaza.
“Blinken, you will be remembered as the butcher of Gaza,” the man shouted as police dragged him from the hearing room. “You will be remembered for killing innocent Palestinians.”
When other protesters began to raise their voices, the chairman, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), directed officers to remove them.
Mr Cardin warned that those who spoke would be removed, but that did not deter an elderly woman who repeatedly shouted “stop the genocide” as she was led away by police.
As Blinken resumed his prepared statement, a woman suddenly lunged toward the table and shouted, “Blinken is a war criminal. Blinken is a war criminal.” he is a war criminal He has the blood of 40,000 people on his hands. ”
Getty Images
“He has the blood of 40,000 Palestinians on his hands,” she continued as Capitol Police officers physically dragged her from the room. “He’s a war criminal. He’s a war criminal. Blinken is a war criminal.”
A fourth, another female protester then said, “Blinken, you are funding genocide in Gaza. You are funding genocide in Gaza. You are funding genocide in Gaza. “We are offering it to you,” he shouted as he was expelled. There were seven mass graves outside the hospital. ”
“This is insane. This is insane. You are a war criminal. Shame on you,” she shouted.
Getty Images
Getty Images
Blinken has been arguing before Congress about President Biden’s more than $60 billion budget request for the State Department and the Agency for International Development.
Blinken will testify first in the Democratic-controlled Senate, before the full Foreign Relations Committee, and then before the Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday.
The secretary of state is scheduled to return to the Capitol on Wednesday to testify before the Republican-controlled House Foreign Affairs Committee and Appropriations Subcommittee.
Getty Images
In addition to Cardin, Blinken’s testimony included Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-Connecticut), Rep. Jeanne Shaheen (D), Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), and Sen. Jim Risch. (R-Idaho), with Katie present. Bullitt, Alabama and John Thune (RS.D.) issued a statement condemning the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan also charged three Hamas leaders with war crimes and crimes against humanity..
“These actions by the ICC jeopardize efforts to bring sustainable peace to the Middle East. They jeopardize delicate negotiations to return hostages, including Americans, and expand humanitarian assistance.” a bipartisan group of senators wrote. “The arrest warrant application also creates a false equivalence between Israel, which has long maintained the rule of law, and Hamas’s theocratic, authoritarian, and unaccountable rule over Gaza. In short, Israel is a functioning democracy, but Hamas is a terrorist organization.
