Tlaib silently protests Netanyahu speech with ‘War Criminal’ sign

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) staged a silent protest during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, holding a double-sided sign that read “War Criminal” and “Guilty of Genocide” as he delivered his speech.

As Netanyahu entered the House floor for his joint address to Congress, Tlaib remained sitting and did not join in with applause from other lawmakers as he made his way to the stage. The Michigan Democrat remained mostly motionless as Netanyahu gave his address, declining to join in with cheers or applause but instead holding up her sign during remarks.

Tlaib attracted attention from others in the chamber, with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) walking over to confront her about the sign. After a short exchange, Luna left Tlaib, who kept the sign up.

However, congressional staffers approached Tlaib multiple times to put the sign away, after which the Michigan Democrat would do so before returning to its uplifted position.

The silent protest comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) warned lawmakers not to disrupt the speech; otherwise, they risk being arrested and charged by U.S. Capitol Police. At least five spectators were apprehended during the beginning of Netanyahu’s speech after wearing “Seal the Deal Now” T-shirts, referring to a ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza.

Tlaib has long been an outspoken critic of Netanyahu amid the war in Israel and has repeatedly called for a ceasefire while rejecting additional aid to the country. Those comments eventually led to Tlaib’s censure last year, when House Republicans and a handful of her Democratic colleagues formally condemned her for “promoting false narratives” about the Oct. 7 attack against Israel by the Hamas militant group and allegedly calling for the “destruction of the state of Israel.” 

Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, wore brooch with a Palestinian pin on a black and white keffiyeh, an icon of solidarity.

Earlier on Thursday, Tlaib posted a photo with Hani Almadhoun, who she said would join her in the chamber. Almadhoun is the director of Philanthropy for UNRWA, who she said has “lost over 150 members of his extended family in Netanyahu’s genocide.”

A day earlier, the Israeli parliament preliminarily approved a bill to declare the organization a terrorist organization and proposed to cut ties with the body. UNRWA has denied that it knowingly aids Hamas or any other militant group.

While Tlaib chose to protest Netanyahu’s speech, several other Democratic lawmakers boycotted the address altogether. Republicans have criticized Democrats for that decision, especially Vice President Kamala Harris’s absence as she becomes the next likely Democratic presidential nominee. 

House Republican leaders decried Harris’s absence, calling it “disgraceful” to one of the country’s closest allies. 

Samantha-Jo Roth contributed to this report.