(NewsNation) — Protesters have gathered outside the Capitol building to demand a cease-fire in Gaza as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address Congress on Wednesday.
Netanyahu is also set to meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday. The speech will be the first the prime minister has given to Congress since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas.
On Tuesday, around 200 protesters were arrested following a peaceful demonstration in the Capitol rotunda.
Now, hundreds more protests have gathered Wednesday in front of the Capitol ahead of Netanyahu’s arrival for his address to a joint session of Congress at 2 p.m. ET. Security measures for the building include large trucks acting as a barricade, bike racks along the perimeter and tall black fences similar to those used during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots.
The protesters plan to march on the Capitol, but the barriers are designed to keep them from getting too close.
The group is calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel has been conducting military operations since Oct. 7. The situation in Gaza has been called a humanitarian disaster, and international leaders have recently begun putting pressure on Netanyahu to end the war.
Protesters have called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and said they are hoping the protest will serve as counter-programming to the congressional address.
As international pressure on Israel has grown, a number of legislators will also be skipping Netanyahu’s speech in protest and, in a departure from usual protocol, Harris will not be presiding over the address.