24 cited during protest outside Sen. Klobuchar's office in response to Netanyahu's speech
MINNEAPOLIS — Two dozen pro-Palestinian protesters were cited Wednesday evening for blocking the street outside Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar's office in downtown Minneapolis.
The Free Palestine Coalition organized the protest in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech before Congress earlier in the day, which Klobuchar attended.
The protesters called for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas War, as well as the end of all U.S. federal, state and local aid to Israel.
The Minnesota State Patrol says troopers cited and released 24 people during the protest for blocking the road.
The Minneapolis Police Department reports one woman in attendance was arrested for assault.
Netanyahu's visit comes after months of growing tension with Washington over how Israel has conducted its offensive in Gaza in the wake of Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 terrorist attack, which killed about 1,200 people. About 240 people were taken as hostages.
Israel's response has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
The Republican leadership of the House of Representatives organized Netanyahu's visit, which comes days after the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued an opinion calling Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal.
Nearly 50 members of Congress, including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, did not attend the speech.
In a statement about the speech, Omar wrote, "It is utterly immoral and cruel to the millions of lives impacted by his catastrophic actions to platform him, let alone give him the honor of addressing Congress."
Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum called the speech "outrageous."
"What the American people want, and what Prime Minister Netanyahu failed to deliver, was a clear plan to end the violence and bring about a lasting two-state solution in the region," McCollum said in a statement.
Thousands of protesters also gathered in Washington, D.C. ahead of Netanyahu's speech. The U.S. Capitol Police deployed pepper spray on the group, saying some members of the crowd had "started to become violent" and failed to obey an order to move back from the police line.
Inside the chamber, five people were removed from the House Gallery after disrupting Netanyahu's speech, the Capitol Police said online.
In his speech, Netanyahu referred to protesters against the war as "useful idiots" who he said were being manipulated by Israel's adversaries.
"These protesters that stand with (Hamas), they should be ashamed of themselves," he said.
On Tuesday, a group of top former Israeli security and political officials penned a joint letter to U.S. congressional leaders warning that Netanyahu's Washington "visit prioritizes his personal political survivability over our shared interests."
Some critics say Netanyahu is making a political trip when he should be focused on bringing the hostages home.
During his trip, Netanyahu will also meet with President Biden at the White House, and he's also expected to meet Vice President Kamala Harris while he's in Washington, according to a White House official.