Demonstrations in Washington DC ramp up as Netanyahu arrives ahead of his US Congress speech

On the week that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Washington DC, activists are holding demonstrations in protest of his stay - including plans for a mass rally on Capitol Hill tomorrow (July 24) when he is scheduled to speak before Congress. Yesterday (July 22), as government vehicles with tinted windows arrived at the fenced-off Watergate Hotel, where Netanyahu is staying during his visit this week, dozens of demonstrators gathered near the hotel entrance to protest his visit. On Wednesday morning, thousands from across the US are expected to descend upon the US Capitol for a mass protest and rally, as Netanyahu presents his scheduled speech to Congress. The United Auto Workers, which called for a ceasefire in December, will join the mass demonstration. Other cities, including Chicago, will also hold smaller demonstrations in protest of Netanyahu's US visit. Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, will not attend Netanyahu's speech, marking the first time she will miss a foreign leader's address at the Capitol. Her office said she had committed to an event at a university sorority in Indiana. It is unclear if she made this decision before or after Netanyahu made his plans to speak at the US Capitol. Several Congress members, mainly progressives, have said they would boycott the speech. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who invited Netanyahu to speak, has said that any lawmaker who disrupts the Israeli prime minister's speech could face arrest.