Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the White House on Monday to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington DC, where he is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. The protest comes as Netanyahu's eighth meeting with Trump since the president's election to his second term.
Protesters held signs reading 'Stop arming Israel' and 'Catholics for a Free Palestine', and chanted slogans including 'Stop US / Israel war machine', 'Expose Israel's control of Washington', and 'Palestinian human rights matter too'. Some protesters called Netanyahu a 'war criminal' and shouted profanities directed at him.
Protesters also confronted Netanyahu's motorcade in Washington DC and entered the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown, where Netanyahu was having dinner. Hotel security used force to remove them.
Netanyahu departed from Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel without disclosing his flight time in advance due to security reasons. His plane used European airspace despite the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants issued in 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Netanyahu has said he will not be arrested in the US while visiting.
After meeting with Trump, Netanyahu is scheduled to attend a memorial service for the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu was closed to the press, with participants including US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Economist/YouGov survey, conducted July 25-27 among 1,559 American adults, found that 47% of Americans believed Netanyahu was guilty of war crimes, and 47% said his actions had damaged US-Israel relations. 54% viewed Netanyahu unfavorably, including 35% of Trump voters. 43% believed Israel was committing genocide, while 24% disagreed and 32% were unsure. Among age groups, 55% of adults aged 18-29 believed Israel was committing genocide, as did 52% of college graduates. 64% were at least somewhat concerned about Israel possessing nuclear weapons, with 40% very concerned.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt described the meetings with Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as 'productive and positive'. The US has faced criticism for supporting Israel in its war in Gaza, where more than 73,000 people, most of them women and children, have been killed since October 7, 2023.