A group of officers from the New York Police Department have been sworn in as special officers to support law enforcement in Washington, DC, ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint meeting of Congress. The officers will be extending protection and service to the people and the capital of the nation.
Additional security measures, including barricades, have been deployed around the Capitol building and the Watergate Hotel where Netanyahu will be staying.
On Tuesday, around 200 protesters with Jewish Voice for Peace were arrested during a sit-in at the Capitol Hill office building rotunda. The group was demanding an end to weapons shipments to Israel and calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Demonstrations are allowed on certain areas of the Capitol grounds, but only with a permit, according to US Capitol Police.