U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to Congress today, Wednesday, to testify in two additional rounds during hearings held by the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee and a subcommittee on appropriations of the same chamber. During his testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Blinken encountered interruptions from activists condemning U.S. policy regarding the war in Gaza on Tuesday evening.
Angry protesters interrupted Blinken as he began his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is controlled by Democrats. Chants of "his hands are stained with blood," "war criminal," "butcher of Gaza," and "your hands are stained with the blood of 40,000 Palestinians" echoed in the room. Blinken retreated after a protester approached from behind holding a sign that read "Criminal," before being escorted out by security.
Blinken repeated the Biden administration's support for Israel while also emphasizing its focus on alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He stated, "In the Middle East, we stand with Israel in its efforts to ensure that what happened on October 7 does not happen again, and we are doing everything we can to put an end to the horrific humanitarian suffering in Gaza and to prevent the conflict from widening."
Addressing the issue of the International Criminal Court, Blinken mentioned that the U.S. administration is pleased to work with Congress to formulate an appropriate response to the ICC prosecutor who seeks to issue arrest warrants for two Israeli leaders regarding the Gaza war.
