US: Kamala Harris Condemns Flag Burning During Netanyahu's Congress Address

July 26:
During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the US Congress on Wednesday, pro-Palestinian activists burnt the American flag. US Vice President Kamala Harris criticized the act. Kamala Harris spoke out against those linked to the terrorist group Hamas.

"Yesterday, at Union Station in Washington, DC we saw despicable acts by unpatriotic protestors and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric," a statement issued by Harris said.

As Netanyahu took the podium to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, over five thousand demonstrators gathered on the streets surrounding Capitol Hill, raising Palestinian flags and calling for an end to U.S. arms sales to Israel. Anyone having ties to the savage terrorist group Hamas—which has threatened to destroy Israel and murder its Jewish citizens—has my utmost condemnation. Our nation must not allow the ugly graffiti and discourse that supports Hamas, the US Vice President emphasized.

The flag, according to Harris, stands for the promise of America and all that it stands for: the finest national ideals. Tears flew when the American flag was burned. Our nation's noblest ideals and the potential of America are symbolized by that flag. She firmly believed that it should never be disrespected in such a manner. Additionally, the Vice President reaffirmed his support for the freedom to peacefully assemble in protest. "I support the right to peacefully protest, but let's be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation," according to her.

In the midst of Israel's continuing conflict with Hamas in Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu encouraged American officials to offer bipartisan support to the war-torn country during his speech on Wednesday. One group of protesters distributed an effigy of the prime minister in handcuffs, while another set fire to the American flag in an effort to block Netanyahu's possible routes to the Capitol. Netanyahu accused Iran of supporting American anti-Israel demonstrations in his speech to Congress. Following this, Netanyahu referred to the demonstrators as "Iran useful idiots."

Who we oppose, you oppose as well. "Our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory," Netanyahu emphasized Israel's strategic importance in opposing Iran. Netanyahu avoided directly addressing the Biden administration's top priority—a ceasefire—and instead avoided discussing the current condition of the agreement that Israel and Hamas have been negotiating for weeks. Still, he did mention that hostages may be restored and the war halted if Hamas renounced its weapons. Referring to the terror attack on October by Hamas, the Israeli prime minister characterized it as "a day that will forever live in infamy, comparing it to the attacks on Pearl Harbour and 911."