Pro-Palestine protesters interrupted and were dragged out screaming from a US government hearing on a $105billion request for aid for Israel, Ukraine and more security matters.
President Biden’s two top foreign policy heads were testifying in the Senate on Tuesday morning when protesters in the audience stood up and called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and protection for civilians in Gaza.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken was delivering his opening statement when protesters yelled over him in a coordinated effort that halted the hearing at multiple moments.
An elderly woman wearing a pink shirt and holding up a sign that read, ‘NO MORE $$$ 4 ISRAEL’, got up on her seat. Security guards pulled her down from the chair and lead her out of the room as she resisted.
‘Cease fire now on the people of Gaza!’ she shouted. ‘Stop this brutal massascre that Israel is doing on the people of Gaza.’
Other pro-Palestine protesters sitting in the room collectively held up their hands, with their palms painted pink.
A short time afterward, another woman stood up behind Blinken, holding a sign that read, ‘CEASE FIRE IN GAZA’.
The hearing was suspended again as the clerk said, ‘I appreciate that people feel passionately about these issues’, but asked that they respect Senate Appropriations Committee members and witnesses and allow the American people to hear the testimony.
Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news
Want to be the first to hear the world’s top stories? Metro.co.uk is now on WhatsApp sending updates and trending stories straight to your phone.
Join the Metro WhatsApp community for breaking news, juicy showbiz stories and must-watch videos from across our website.
We’ll send you updates all day long, so you never miss a story! You can have your say by taking part in polls and reacting to messages.
To join our Metro community, just follow these two easy steps.
Simply click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in!
As a security guard dragged her out, the woman claimed she was a former diplomat and said, ‘Israel’s genocide on Gaza is a terrible thing.’
At least two other women screamed for a cease fire and were escorted out.
Blinken said that US adversaries ‘continue to do everything they can to disrupt us’.
‘Many are again making the bet that the United States is too divided or distracted at home to stay the course,’ he said.
‘That’s what’s at stake with President Biden’s national security supplemental funding request.’
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that failure to provide the funds would lead to more global instability.
‘In both Israel and Ukraine, democracies are fighting ruthless foes who are out to annihilate them. We will not let Hamas or Putin win,’ he said.
‘Only firm American leadership can ensure that tyrants and thugs and terrorists worldwide are not emboldened to commit more aggression and more atrocities.’
Funding for Israel and Ukraine largely has backing from Democrats and Republicans, but some congressional Republicans are skeptical about providing more support to Kyiv.
The proposal would provide Israel with $14.3billion in aid, most of which would go toward air and missile defense systems.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
from News – Metro https://ift.tt/rSfuwo7
0 Comments