Just as a joint meeting of Congress was convening for an address from Benjamin Netanyahu, a small group of staffers gathered on the eastern edge of the National Mall, unfurled a banner and read a statement condemning the Israeli prime minister.

“His presence disgraces the U.S. Capitol and dishonors the American values Congress has sworn to uphold. Let us be clear: War criminals will never be welcomed into the people’s House,” a House Democratic aide shouted, over the din of police sirens and bullhorns, with the Capitol Dome behind him. The banner read: “Staff say kick the war criminal out of our Capitol.”

The group, called Congressional Staff for a Ceasefire Now, joined thousands who descended on the Hill to protest the visit by Netanyahu, who critics argue is perpetrating a genocide in Gaza in retribution for Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

“A walkout is necessary because it’s unconscionable that members of Congress decided that after a war that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, they’re going to bestow upon the architect of that war one of the highest honors for a foreign dignitary, who in his own country is clinging to political survival,” said a House staffer who helped organize the action. 

Israel’s embattled leader has faced protests at home and in the U.S. He’s the subject of a domestic corruption trial, and the International Criminal Court is seeking an arrest warrant over his handling of the war in Gaza. The situation has split the Democratic Party, with many moderates rallying in support for America’s longtime ally and many progressives calling for a cease-fire.

Congressional leadership — led by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson — invited Netanyahu to Washington in May amid a flurry of campus protests calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, where the Hamas-run Health Ministry said Israel has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians in the last 10 months.

His visit to Washington this week has been marked by pushback. One video widely circulated on social media appeared to show maggots and other insects released by anti-Netanyahu activists at the Watergate Hotel.

“We took the necessary steps to ensure the property has been sanitized and is now operating as normal,” a Watergate spokesperson said in an email.

Outside Union Station, the mood was tense on Wednesday afternoon. Police officers with riot shields assembled near monuments scrawled with graffiti. Earlier, an effigy of Netanyahu burned atop a shopping cart as people danced and cheered, as captured by a livestream from ABC’s local affiliate. 

And six people who had been sitting in the House gallery were arrested for “disrupting” the speech itself, according to Capitol Police, including family members of hostages held in Gaza.

As of 5 p.m., an organizer from the congressional cease-fire group said no staff had been arrested during their walkout. 

Progressive staffers since the beginning of the war have issued letters, staged protests and held fundraisers for Gaza aid groups, often declining to be named, citing fear of retribution. Organizers passed out masks to newcomers and reminded demonstrators to turn off location services on their phones. 

“There definitely is a lack of tolerance of dissent in the Senate,” said one Senate Democratic staffer, an organizer with Congressional Staff for a Ceasefire Now. “It’s been hard — I think everyone’s boss is different. But we needed to have an outlet for staff who dissented with the way their bosses were behaving and the decisions that they made. For staff to speak out and make their voices known.”

The House Democratic aide cited a feeling of duty to constituents. “It’s been a monthslong accumulation of watching the horrors after Oct. 7. It seemed like this was the culminating point in our advocacy efforts to give voice to the American people who have been calling in by the thousands,” the aide said.

The initial group of roughly two dozen House aides began their walkout around 1:30 p.m. outside the Rayburn House Office Building and belatedly met up with a group of Senate staffers near the Department of Labor, northwest of the Capitol. That Senate group was rerouted by a skirmish between police and protesters on First Street and Constitution Avenue NW that involved officers deploying pepper spray. None of the Senate staffers were sprayed, though some said the police presence was more intense than they’d seen in years.

“Except for Jan. 6 [attack on the Capitol] and the weeks following it leading into the inauguration, this is the strongest I’ve seen,” the Senate aide said.

Inside the House chamber, Netanyahu used part of his speech to denounce and scold anti-Israel protesters, calling them Iran’s “useful idiots” and saying they “should be ashamed of themselves.”

“These protesters chant ‘from the river to the sea,’ but many don’t have a clue what river and what sea they’re talking about. They not only get an F in geography, they get an F in history,” he said, to loud applause.

He downplayed the size of the crowds outside (“not that many, but they’re there”) and dismissed their accusations of genocide. “The outrageous slanders that paint Israel as racist and genocidal are meant to delegitimize Israel, to demonize the Jewish state, and to demonize Jews everywhere,” he said.

The response from Netanyahu’s critics within the chamber was muted. Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib held a double-sided sign that said “war criminal” and “guilty of genocide.” But many opted simply to skip the speech. 

Prominent Democrats like Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray of Washington, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the former No. 3 House Democratic leader James E. Clyburn of South Carolina and “Squad” members like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York had said they would not attend the address.

‘He’s a narcissistic megalomaniac’

Security fences and a heavy police presence kept protesters away from the Capitol complex. 

On Pennsylvania Avenue, thousands of people, many wearing red T-shirts and keffiyehs, cheered as speakers chanted “cease-fire now” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” 

Amal Farah, a 29-year-old data analyst from Michigan, said she hopes members of Congress will hear the message. “I’m hoping they realize how many people care about this and that it’s not just a select few or a specific demographic,’’ she said. “A lot of the country cares.”

Linda Sutherland from Maryland has attended countless peace demonstrations since traveling to Washington as a 19-year-old college student to protest the bombing of Cambodia.

“Every war we’ve ever had in the last 50 years is based on a lie … and this one is based on multiple lies,’’ Sutherland said. “We’re here because the leadership is not responding to the people.”

Sutherland said she comes from a family of “yellow-dog Democrats,’’ though she is not a member of the party. She views President Joe Biden as “a total war criminal” and expressed skepticism about Vice President Kamala Harris.

Monica Czubba stood on Constitution Avenue and said she grew frustrated with the Democratic Party after it sidelined Sanders when he ran for president in 2016.

She says many of her friends are excited about Harris’ barrier-breaking candidacy, but she remains wary.

“The prospect of the first Black female president … and Indian president … excites people, at least in my circle,’’ said Czubba, 36, a social worker from Glen Burnie, Md. “But if her policies are the same, what does it matter?”

While many of the protesters were motivated by anger over U.S. support for Israel, others directed their ire at Netanyahu.

Yuval Naot, a 65-year-old retired oncologist from Israel who now lives in Beaufort, S.C., says he’s “very much behind President Biden” but said he has even more faith in Harris. 

“I think she would have a more objective take … she doesn’t have all of the history that President Biden has,’’ Naot said. “So she’ll be looking at things more realistically but I think she’ll further my cause, which is getting rid of Netanyahu and bringing back some sanity into Israel.”

Naot is part of UnXeptable, a grassroots group of Israeli expats dedicated to promoting democracy and opposing Netanyahu. He said he knew he had to travel to Washington as soon as he heard Netanyahu was addressing Congress.

“He’s a narcissistic megalomaniac who’s trying to keep himself out of jail,’’ Naot said, as he placed yellow flags symbolizing the hostages captured by Hamas on Oct. 7. 

“He’s very much concerned about his image … but he’s basically driving Israel into the ground.”

Daniel Hillburn, Paul V. Fontelo and Jim Saksa contributed to this report.