Anyone Who “Gets Out Of Hand” During Benjamin Netanyahu’s Speech To Congress Will Be Arrested, Mike Johnson Says

House Speaker Mike Johnson said anyone who “gets out of hand” during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress will be arrested.

“There are a number of Democrats in the House who have said they’re going to boycott that event,” Johnson said at an event organized by the Republican Jewish Coalition.

“Some others are going to protest,” he added.

“We’re going to have extra sergeants at arms on the floor. If anybody gets out of hand,” Johnson continued.

“We’re going to arrest people if we have to do it,” he added.

WATCH:

ICYMI: Speaker Mike Johnson threatens to arrest lawmakers who disrupt or protest Netanyahu’s upcoming speech in front of Congress

“We’re going to have extra sergeants at arms on the floor… we’re going to arrest people if we have to do it” pic.twitter.com/azDIVvR6Ir

— HOT SPOT (@HotSpotHotSpot) July 20, 2024

Per Daily Mail:

Netanyahu is set to address lawmakers on July 24, his first address to US Congress since 2015, when 58 boycotted him over concerns about his opposition to then-President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.

But with the war in Gaza still ongoing and felt by many communities in the United States, more than 200 anonymous staff members across 122 Democratic and Republican congressional offices have signed a letter calling for Congress to protest or boycott the event on Capitol Hill.

‘Citizens, students, and lawmakers across the country and the world have spoken out against the actions of Mr. Netanyahu in his War on Gaza,’ reads a letter signed by the 230 House and Senate staffers.

It added that the joint address was an ‘issue of morality’, not politics, citing the ongoing protests against Israel’s conduct in Gaza as Israelis ‘have been protesting in the streets for months, decrying his failure to negotiate a ceasefire and release of hostages’.

‘Mr. Netanyahu has ordered the bombings of schools, hospitals, and mosques; overseen a campaign of mass-starvation against Palestinian children; and censored efforts by the media to cover the Israeli military’s actions on the ground,’ the letter says, noting that the address is scheduled to go ahead in spite of the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court’s request for an arrest warrant.

New: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is threatening to arrest members of Congress if they protest Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming speech to Congress.

Speaker Johnson said, “We’re going to have extra sergeant at arms on hand. We’re going to arrest people if we have to do it.” pic.twitter.com/CAWZ9GMx9c

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) July 19, 2024

From The Washington Times:

Those who vowed to boycott Mr. Netanyahu’s address cited issues with his handling of the war in Gaza following the Hamas raid into Israel on Oct. 7 that left nearly 1,200 Israelis dead.

Earlier this week, 230 anonymous congressional staffers across 122 Republican and Democratic offices called on lawmakers to boycott or protest Mr. Netanyahu’s speech and argued that his appearance is an “issue of morality.”

Since then, Mr. Netanyahu and his government have been criticized for the civilian death toll amid his pursuit to obliterate Hamas. As of early July, nearly 38,000 Palestinians have been killed, and 87,000 have been injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

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Among the lawmakers boycotting the speech are Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Washington Democrat and chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent.

“I will not be going to listen to Mr. Netanyahu,” Mr. Sanders told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday. “I think he’s a war criminal. I think he never should have been invited.”

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.