Fresh off of President Joe Biden telling the nation he is “passing the torch” to Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, Harris’ presumptive campaign just got hit with an ugly stain.
Especially during a time when Democrats are seeking swift calls and urgency for unity as the party takes on former president Donald Trump.
Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress to emphasize longstanding and close ties between the United States and Israel.
But his speech quickly turned into a political divide, with dozens of Democratic lawmakers boycotting the address and thousands of protesters creating chaos outside the Capitol.
Per a report from Fox News, at least one demonstrator was spotted carrying what appeared to be the flag of the terrorist group Hamas, while others were heard shouting “allahu Akbar.”
Democrats chant Allahu Akbar as they burn the American flag.
American mainstream media will never show these images.
Everything is done to protect the Democrat party.pic.twitter.com/7rkQ9kQ52y
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) July 25, 2024
At Union Station, protestors burned an American flag and vandalized a Christopher Columbus statue with the words “Hamas is coming.” They also took down an American flag and flew the Palestinian flag instead.
To make matters worse, anti-Israel protesters also breached security at the Watergate Hotel — where Netanyahu was staying — and unleashed an infestation of maggots and crickets throughout the hotel, according to a report from The New York Post.
Video posted on Wednesday showed a large number of maggots, crickets and other bugs crawling around the Watergate Hotel, which is where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is staying during his contentious visit to Washington, D.C. https://t.co/tGIZkQQXFM
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 25, 2024
According to CNN, The White House called the protests disgraceful. “Antisemitism and violence are never acceptable. Period,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.
As for Harris?
She was not in attendance during Netanyahu’s address. An aide to the vice president told Fox News Digital that she would be meeting with Netanyahu at the White House this week while he is in Washington, D.C. They noted that the meeting is separate from Biden’s planned meeting with the prime minister.
Harris is expected to reiterate the country’s commitment to Israel’s ability to defend itself from Iran and militias that are backed by the country, such as terrorist groups Hizbullah and Hamas.
However, with anti-Israel sentiment continuing the grow, Harris and her campaign will be forced to address the on-going violence and protests that could cloud her campaign against Donald Trump.