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A small group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered near the White House on Wednesday, raising slogans against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
The demonstrators, who were present there as Netanyahu arrived at the White House, condemned his policies and military action in Gaza, chanting slogans such as "Shame, Shame, Shame. Shame on You" and "You can run, you can hide. You are committing genocide." The slogans were a reference to the genocidal acts committed by Israel against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said in a new report in September 2025 that "Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces committed four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, namely killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births." The protest came as Netanyahu arrived at the White House to hold high-level talks with President Trump. The discussions are expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme, regional security, and the ongoing situation in Gaza. According to Al Jazeera, the high-stakes meeting will centre on the future of US-Iran negotiations and whether Washington will expand the scope of the talks--reportedly at Israel's urging--to include not only curbs on Iran's nuclear activities but also its ballistic missile programme and support for regional proxy groups. Ahead of the meeting with Trump, Netanyahu held discussions with US Middle East envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at Blair House, the President's Guest House. Following his engagement at the Blair House, Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee was also attending the discussions. The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu will mark their seventh interaction since Trump returned to office last year, Al Jazeera reported. The talks also come amid growing international criticism of Israeli measures aimed at facilitating settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reported. The developments have raised concerns among Palestinians and the international community over the possibility of de facto annexation. Notably, Netanyahu has been the most frequent foreign leader to visit the United States in an official capacity over the past year, according to Al Jazeera. (ANI)
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