WASHINGTON: Thousands gathered in Washington on Wednesday to protest Benjamin Netanyahu and call for a ceasefire in Gaza, as the Zionist premier prepared to address the US Congress. Crowds carrying Palestinian flags and signs ranging from left-wing slogans to Bible verses gathered outside the Capitol calling for a ceasefire and the arrest of Netanyahu, as prosecutors seek a warrant for him at the International Criminal Court. "The hypocrisy of our (US) politicians today has gone beyond any limits,” Mo, a 58-year-old protester, told AFP.

Protesters gathered Wednesday were calling for a ceasefire while also criticizing Netanyahu’s appearance in the United States. "Seek peace and pursue it,” read one sign, quoting a Bible verse, while others were designed as criminal "wanted” signs, with photos of Netanyahu in place of a mugshot. "Arrest that war criminal,” read another.

"We are horrified by the destruction of the health system in Gaza,” Karameh Kuemmerle, of the organization Doctors Against Genocide, told AFP. "And we are here to show our opposition to having the criminal Netanyahu come to our capital and being greeted by the politicians who sent him weapons to kill children in Gaza,” the doctor, who traveled to Washington from Boston, said. — AFP