Netanyahu to Visit Washington D.C. as Capitol Police Boost Security

BOOSTED SECURITY as Netanyahu Visits WASHINGTON D.C.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be in Washington, D.C. next week to address a joint session of Congress, and the U.S. Capitol Police announced on Friday that they are coordinating with federal, state, and local partners to get ready for his visit.

 

“For safety reasons, we never provide specific security details, but generally we can say that our plan includes adding more officers — including from several outside agencies — continuing our robust intelligence sharing with our partners, and ensuring that we have enough resources for our teams,” the representatives of the Capitol Police told The Capitol Hill.

 

 

Nationwide demonstrations against the Jewish state have been triggered by Israel’s battle against terrorists in the Gaza Strip who are backed by Iran. According to Capitol Police, there should be “a large number of demonstrators.” On Wednesday, Netanyahu is expected to address the Congress.

“Tens of thousands of people from across the U.S.” will reportedly assemble at the Capitol on Wednesday to demand a “citizen’s arrest” of Netanyahu, according to a report released on Friday by the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights.

 

Capitol Police stated, “We respect everyone’s First Amendment rights; however, all demonstrations must be done peacefully and legally,” as reported by The Hill.

 

In the upcoming days, authorities added, they will announce road restrictions as well as more public information.

 

This will be Netanyahu’s first speech to a joint session of Congress since 2015 when 58 legislators are said to have skipped him due to his stance against the Iran nuclear deal that President Barack Obama and Tehran were negotiating.

 

A number of Democrats, including Reps. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Hank Johnson of Texas, Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, and Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, have announced their boycott of Wednesday’s speech, according to Newsweek.