news

According to Axios News Network on the 23rd, U.S. House Speaker Johnson warned members of the House and Senate that he will adopt a "zero tolerance" policy towards any possible interference during Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech at a joint meeting of the U.S. House and Senate on the 24th. Anyone who disrupts the Israeli Prime Minister's speech may be arrested.

It is reported that Netanyahu's speech triggered a boycott by some US Democrats who were dissatisfied with the way Netanyahu handled this round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Johnson's move was an attempt to prevent any controversial situations from occurring at the scene in advance.

U.S. House Speaker Johnson Source: Visual China

Johnson wrote in a letter to lawmakers that there would be an "increased police presence" in the House chamber during Netanyahu's speech and that "we will have a zero-tolerance policy for disturbances in the building." He asked lawmakers to warn those in attendance that law enforcement officers "will remove ... offending visitors from the chamber and arrest them."

Axios previously reported that in addition to many Democratic lawmakers planning to boycott the speech, lawmakers were also talking about the possibility that some might attend and disrupt the speech. A senior Democratic House member told Axios that they "hadn't heard" that any lawmakers planned to disrupt the speech, but "frankly, I would be shocked if no one in the audience did that."

The MP also said, "Our tradition is to recognize the right of every invited speaker to express themselves freely even if we disagree with their views. If any MP creates a disturbance, the Parliamentary Sergeant at Arms will ask for such behavior to stop immediately."

Some lawmakers also plan to attend anti-Netanyahu events on the 24th, including events with the families of Israeli detainees, according to reports.

Axios reported that in addition to warning members to maintain etiquette during the speech, U.S. congressional leaders have also strengthened security at the Capitol in preparation for the expected tens of thousands of protesters that may appear on the 24th. Some Democratic lawmakers said that in addition to not attending the speech, they may avoid going to Capitol Hill on the 24th for safety reasons.