Lawmakers who try to interrupt Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the US Congress next week may face arrest, US House Speaker Mike Johnson warned on Friday.
Netanyahu is set to address a joint session of Congress next week, which Johnson says some Democratic lawmakers may try to interrupt.
"There are a number of Democrats in the House who have said they’re going to boycott that event. Some others may protest," Johnson said in a speech at an event planned by the Republican Jewish Coalition in the state of Wisconsin.
He added that extra sergeants would be present at the event, amid growing discontent with Netanyahu.
"If anybody gets out of hand… We’re going to arrest people if we have to do it," Johnson added.
The heightened security for the event comes after over 200 anonymous staff members across 122 Democratic and Republican congressional offices signed a letter demanding Congress protest or boycott the event.
The letter states: "Citizens, students, and lawmakers across the country and the world have spoken out against the actions of Mr. Netanyahu in his War on Gaza," and adds that the joint address was an "issue of morality".
The letter also highlights that the address is set to go forth despite of the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court requesting an arrest warrant against Netanyahu.
If the warrant is granted, the 124 signatory countries to the ICC would be obligated to act on it, meaning Netanyahu could be arrested on a foreign visit.
Netanyahu’s upcoming speech will be his first address to the US Congress since 2015, where 58 people also boycotted his address over concerns about his opposition to former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.
Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza has killed at least 38,919 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 89,622 others in the same time frame.
The war has levelled entire neighbourhoods of the Strip and plunged it into a deep humanitarian crisis.