@guardian: Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit and address to a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday was met with a personal protest in the chamber by the sole Palestinian American member of Congress. The Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib, a leading progressive Democrat and fiercely outspoken opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza, held up a sign that said “war criminal” as Netanyahu was speaking. She also wore a Palestinian flag pin and a keffiyeh, the black and white scarf that has been linked with the Palestinian struggle for over half a century. While some lawmakers gave the Israeli prime minister a standing ovation, others stayed away, and demonstrations by thousands of protesters took place outside. After Netanyahu’s speech Tlaib posted on X: ‘I will never back down in speaking truth to power.’ Dozens of Democratic members of Congress – including the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi – said they would boycott the speech over humanitarian concerns about how Israel has prosecuted the war in Gaza, which has left an estimated 39,000 Palestinian civilians dead. Axios reported that nearly half of all Democratic lawmakers were absent from the joint session. Watch the video to see different reactions to Netanyahu's speech to Congress. #Israel #US #Palestine #Politics

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Thursday 25 July 2024 14:28:57 GMT