by Soren Anderson-Flynn
Despite the political chaos surrounding him, I wish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could have taken the time during his trip to the United States to visit Northampton, Massachusetts. If he had, Netanyahu would have found a vibrant college town with bustling shops, picturesque hilly Massachusetts scenery, and a flourishing Jewish community. He also would have found a pair of handcuffs with his name on them, and shortly thereafter, found himself behind bars.
Hours before his homicidal address to Congress on July 24th, more than one hundred people assembled in front of the Northampton City Hall to voice their disgust with Netanyahu speaking to Congress and to call for his arrest. The crowd—which was organized by Demillitarize Western Mass and ranged in age from children to eighty-year-olds—held signs with demands such as “Let Gaza live,” “Stop arming genocide,” and “Arrest Netanyahu.” The protestors formed a semicircle around City Hall, where they took in the sight of two life-sized effigies of Netanyahu and Joe Biden in orange jumpsuits with the words “war criminal” written above their cuffed hands. Flanking the effigies were fake gravestones with the names of Palestinian children killed by the Israeli Defense Forces as part of its onslaught in Gaza. During the event, protestors listened to remarks by Palestinian speakers, Jewish activists, a minister, and Middle East educators. The protest received overwhelming support from passing drivers and pedestrians. Some motorists even stopped their cars to listen to Civil-Rights-Era-inspired protest music about Palestinian liberation.
While this took place, Netanyahu was in Washington DC redying for his address to Congress. To arrive at the capital building, Netanyahu had to first make his way through a sea of protestors, all of whom condemned him and demanded that he end the genocide in Gaza. When Netanyahu finally made it to Congress, he was received with a partially empty capital building. In an unprecedented move, nearly half of the Democrats in both the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as Vice President and recently announced presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, refused to attend Netanyahu’s speech. This move was a testament to the changing tide against the Israeli government brought on by the pro-Palestinian protests during the last nine months. But still, nearly four hundred members of Congress were present and they showed no shame in applauding Netanyahu’s entrance, callously disregarding the almost 200,000 Palestinian deaths he’s responsible for, per the The Lancet.
Those Democrats who boycotted the speech were wise to have done so, as Netanyahu spent his address alternating between warmongering, asking the American people for more money and weapons, and spewing a prodigious array of lies. After Netanyahu finished his speech, he spent the next days in private meetings with Biden, Harris, and Donald Trump—never directly speaking to the American people—despite the billions of dollars that US taxpayers give his government every year.
However, it’s understandable why Netanyahu wouldn’t face ordinary people. In May, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) applied for an arrest warrant against Netanyahu, as well as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and multiple senior Hamas officials, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It would have only taken the ICC granting this warrant request, and one American being brave enough to serve it to Netanyahu, to turn Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister into an international outlaw.
I have no doubt that there are hundreds of citizens brave enough to do this in Northampton. After the rally at City Hall concluded, protestors marched through Northampton’s downtown to the courthouse to demand that justice be served to Netanyahu on behalf of the Palestinian people. Across the country, people took to the streets and demanded the same.
Netanyahu received a warm welcome from many in Congress, but had he actually traveled to meet Americans, especially those of us from Massachusetts, he may have been surprised at the reception he was given. It’s a shame that he missed this opportunity. We would have gifted him special attire and a private room: his very own orange jumpsuit and a prison cell.