Secretary of State Antony Blinken was shouted down by anti-Israel protesters at two Senate hearings Tuesday, including one in which he repeatedly was called a war criminal in response to the Biden administration's support for Israel's war against Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
Blinken first testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and then the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs regarding State Department priorities and budget for the 2025 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
The hearings came a day after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, plus three top Hamas leaders, on charges of war crimes. But President Joe Biden has defended Israel, saying that what is happening in Gaza is not genocide.
At the Foreign Relations Committee hearing, a group of about a half-dozen protesters stood at the back of the room with their hands, stained in red, raised. They started in on Blinken when he entered to take his seat.
They chanted "genocide," "war criminal," "tens of thousands of children dead," "embarrassment to international law," "genocide enabler," "the blood of 40,000 Palestinians is on your hands," "bloody butcher Blinken," "no more aid to Israel," "you are a disgrace," "shame on you," among other things.
The protesters sat down when Committee Chair Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., called the hearing to order.
Shortly into Blinken's opening statement, as he was mentioning China, an enraged protester interrupted, shouting about a 6-year-old girl who died in Gaza.
"Blinken, you will be remembered as the butcher of Gaza!" the protester, holding a Palestinian flag, said as he was escorted out of the hearing room by security. "You will be remembered for murdering innocent Palestinians!"
Two more protesters who began to shout, including a woman holding a sign, also were escorted out at Cardin's direction.
As Blinken was about to resume speaking, another woman approached him from behind. She wore a black T-shirt that read, "Invest in Life" in white letters and held signs that read, "WAR" and "CRIMINAL" on the front and "BLOOD NOT BOMBS" and "BLOOD NOT F-35s" on the back. She started shouting "he is a war criminal, a war criminal" and "the blood of 40,000 Palestinians is on his hands." Blinken flinched as security descended on her, and she was carried out of the room.
At the Senate Appropriations sbucommittee hearing, a small group of protesters sat in the back with their hands, stained red, raised. And a protester again interrupted Blinken as he began his opening statement by shouting.
Subcommittee Chair Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., pounded the gavel and said, "I recognize people feel passionately. We must have order in this room. We are going to proceed with this hearing."
As Blinken resumed his opening statement, a man wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh around his shoulders, stood up holding a sign and that read, "ARREST BLINKEN FOR WAR CRIMES," and shouted, "Antony Blinken, you are a war criminal."
"Witness will suspend testimony until the room is cleared of protesters," Coons said after pounding the gavel.
But not all the protesters were cleared. As Blinken continued, a woman stood up and began shouting, "this is a holocaust, this is a holocaust. You have lined your pockets with mass graves."
Blinken finished his opening statement without incident. He is set to testify Wednesday in front of the House Foreign Affairs and Appropriations committees.
Newsmax reached out to the State Department for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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