Israeli Prime Minister and wanted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Washington, DC on February 3, making yet another visit to the US capital—this time to meet with newly-elected President Donald Trump. Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to meet with Trump during his second term, a fact which the Israeli leader says is “telling”.
“I think it’s a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance. It’s also a testimony to the strength of our personal friendship,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
During Trump’s first term, the president made several policy shifts in favor of Netanyahu’s government and Israel, including moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognizing Israel’s occupation of Syria’s Golan Heights.
The last time Netanyahu visited Washington, DC, he addressed the US Congress and received a standing ovation from US lawmakers. As the Israeli Prime Minister addressed Congress, mass demonstrations took place outside the US Capitol against his visit, denouncing US support for the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people. A march of thousands was repressed by police, who deployed pepper spray against the crowd as they approached the Capitol building.
This time around, another demonstration is scheduled to oppose Netanyahu’s visit. Netanyahu is a wanted war criminal, with the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant against him and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity—limiting Netanyahu’s travel to certain countries. Organizations including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Maryland 2 Palestine, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation have called for protests on Tuesday, February 4 in Washington, DC against Netanyahu’s visit, calling for Netanyahu’s arrest. “We reject war criminals being welcomed into our city,” the organizations stated. “No matter who is in power, the imperialist leaders continue to fully support and fund the zionist entity’s escalating genocide of the Palestinian people. While both Trump and Netanyahu continue to publicly advocate for total ethnic cleansing, we must ensure that they do not convene in our city without the people taking a stand.”
Netanyahu’s visit comes amid escalating Israeli attacks against the West Bank. According to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an Israel campaign of “extreme violence” has killed dozens and displaced 26,000 Palestinians. In the Palestinian cities of Jenin and Tulkarem,”people lack food, water and fuel due to the blockade and recurrent attacks,” MSF reports.
Trump has signaled his support of Israel through a proposed USD 1 billion arms sale, although he has refused to explicitly back Israel’s push to annex the West Bank, saying only vaguely that Israel “is a small, it’s a small country in terms of land,” when asked about the possibility of backing annexation.
