Thousands of protesters against the war in Gaza converged on Washington on Wednesday to condemn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit, chanting “Free, free Palestine!” as they marched toward the Capitol before police deployed pepper spray on some in the crowd.

Demonstrators calling for an end to the war that has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians filled several blocks as they weaved through the streets of the nation’s capital carrying Palestinian flags and signs with messages such as “Arrest Netanyahu” and “End all U.S. aid to Israel.” Outside Washington’s Union Station, protesters removed American flags and hoisted Palestinian ones in their place to massive cheers in the crowd.

Prime Minister Netanyahu told US lawmakers “our enemies are your enemies” in a landmark speech to Congress intended to rally support for the war in Gaza, but marked by protests inside and outside the Capitol.

“When we fight Iran, we’re fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America,” Netanyahu said. “Our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory,” he added.

The Israeli leader received a raucous reception from mostly Republican politicians as he delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress, his fourth.

But growing political divisions over the war in Gaza were underscored by the dozens of Democratic members of Congress deliberately not present and thousands of protesters on the streets outside.

Crowds gathered by a stage on Capitol Hill decked with banners, including one declaring the Israeli leader a “wanted war criminal” – a reference to an arrest warrant sought by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Five people were arrested inside the Capitol building for attempting to disrupt Netanyahu’s address, according to police.

Addressing the protestors, Mr Netanyahu said: “You have officially become Iran’s useful idiots.” In one of many references to Iran, the Israeli prime minister claimed an “axis of terror” threatened the US, Israel and the Arab world, framing it as a “clash of barbarism against civilisations”.

It was a play on words with what Iran describes as “Axis of Resistance”, an alliance across the Middle East, including the Palestinian group Hamas, the Lebanese organisation Hezbollah and the Houthis, who rule parts of Yemen.

Netanyahu told Congress that Iranian proxy forces had attacked American targets, adding that Iran believes that “to truly challenge America it must first conquer the Middle East”.

“But in the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran’s way, is one proud pro-American democracy: my country, the state of Israel.”

Speaking for over an hour, Netanyahu deflected criticism of Israel and framed the war in Gaza as his country’s battle for survival, in a pitch for further US military aid.

He thanked the US for providing Israel with “generous military assistance” for decades, adding that in return Israel had provided the US with critical intelligence that had “saved many lives”. But he called for a process of “fast-tracking” US military aid, claiming this could expedite an end to the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader regional war.

Quoting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s appeal to the American people during World War Two, he said: “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job.”

Netanyahu did not discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza at length, except to maintain that Israel delivers enough food aid to provide each person with 3,000 calories. If Gaza’s residents are not getting food, he said, it is because “Hamas steals it”.

Outlining his vision for the Gaza Strip after the war, he called for “a demilitarised and deradicalised” enclave under Israeli military control. “Gaza should have a civilian administration run by Palestinians who do not seek to destroy Israel. That’s not too much to ask,” he said.

He made no reference to the prospect of an eventual two-state solution, something President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, who is likely to replace him as the Democratic Party nominee, want.

Several standing ovations could not disguise the fact that at least 39 lawmakers were absent from the address. Almost all were Democrats, among them influential former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who said it was “inappropriate” for Netanyahu to visit.

Kamala Harris was not in attendance, reportedly due to a scheduling clash. But she will meet him later today, after addressing teachers in Houston.

Throughout the speech, Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American member of Congress, was seen holding a placard in the air, which read: “Guilty of genocide” and “War criminal”.

Conscious that Donald Trump could return to the White House, Benjamin Netanyahu also thanked the former president for moving the American embassy to Jerusalem and for recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a territory Israel conquered from Syria in 1967.

The two men will meet in Florida later this week.

Hostages’ families condemn speech

At home in Israel, families of hostages still held in Gaza gathered to condemn the speech as it was broadcast, silently, on to the central area known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.

After listening to the national anthem, the crowd dispersed as Netanyahu continued his address on screen. The audio was muted, but his English speech was shown with subtitles in Hebrew translation.

Shortly after the end of the speech, the Israeli army announced it had retrieved the bodies of two hostages, Maya Goren and Oren Goldin, from Gaza. The news underscored the growing despair many hostage families feel at the prospect of seeing their loved ones alive again, with monthslong hostage negotiations still not having borne fruit.

The prime minister’s address to the US Congress comes nine months into Israel’s campaign in Gaza, where more than 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu issued a stark warning to Israel’s adversaries following a significant airstrike on a Houthi-controlled port in Yemen. He asserted that the attack demonstrates Israel’s reach and resolve, declaring, “There is no place that the long arm of Israel will not reach!”

Biden says he wants to ‘pass the torch to a new generation’

In a speech delivered from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, President Biden said his decision to exit the 2024 presidential race was motivated by a desire to protect the country from the consequences of a Trump victory in November.

“I revere this office, but I love my country more,” Biden said. “It has been the honour of my life to serve as your president, but in the defence of democracy, which is at stake, there’s things more important than any title.”

While Biden did not mention Donald Trump by name, it was clear from his remarks that he viewed the prospect of his rival’s victory in November as inviting disaster for the nation.

“I made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history, where the decisions we make now determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come,” Biden said. “America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward. Between hope and hate. Between unity and division. We have to decide, do we still believe in honesty and decency, respect, freedom and democracy.”

“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That is the best way to unite our nation,” Biden said.

The president praised Vice President Kamala Harris, who he has endorsed as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, saying she is experienced, capable and tough.

Donald Trump bashed Biden’s address on social media. Earlier, during a rally in North Carolina, the former president turned his focus to his likely new opponent, dubbing her “Lyin’ Kamala Harris” and painting her as a “radical liberal” whom voters will reject in November.

According to a CNN poll conducted online on July 22 and 23, the former president has 49 per cent of the preferences and Harris 46 per cent.

Macron to name new French prime minister after Olympics

French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected a push by a left-wing alliance to name a new prime minister after snap elections. Instead, he insisted that parties in a fractured parliament must come together to form a broad coalition after the Paris Olympics.

“Of course we need to be concentrated on the Games until mid-August,” Macron told broadcaster France 2.

“From then… it will be my responsibility to name a prime minister and entrust them with the task of forming a government, with the broadest backing possible,” he said.

Just an hour before Macron spoke in a televised interview, France’s leftist New Popular Front (NPF) coalition, which won the most seats in parliament in this month’s election, proposed financial crime expert Lucie Castets as its candidate for prime minister.

Castets is director of finance and purchasing at Paris City Hall. She graduated in 2013 from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration, France’s elite school for civil servants. But she has no background in party politics.

When asked about Castets, Macron told France 2: “This is not the issue. The name is not the issue. The issue is: Which majority can emerge at the (National) Assembly?”

“Until mid-August, we’re in no position to change things, because it would create disorder,” Macron added. The Paris Olympics, which begin this week and run through August 11, pose a major logistical and security challenge for France.

France has been in a state of parliamentary deadlock since the snap election. No party won an outright majority in the lower house of parliament, which is instead broadly divided into three blocs: the leftist New Popular Front, which won the most seats in the National Assembly; Macron’s centrist allies; and the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen.

The four parties in the leftist NPF – the hard-left France Unbowed, the Socialists, the Greens and the Communists – have been wrangling for weeks over who should be put forward as prime minister.

Macron, who has a presidential mandate until 2027, has the final say over who is appointed prime minister. But that person would would need enough support from lawmakers to avoid a no-confidence vote.

Paris Olympics: Russian chef arrested over plot to ‘provoke hostilities’

French police have arrested a 40-year-old Russian chef on suspicion of preparing “large-scale” destabilising acts during the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. During a raid at his apartment on the right bank of the Seine, officers found documents believed to be linked with Russia’s special forces, which are a part of the security agency FSB.

The man is now being investigated over sharing intelligence with a foreign power in an attempt to “provoke hostilities in France” and has been placed in pre-trial detention.

The crime is punishable with up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors ruled out the alleged was terror-related, but no additional details are known about the alleged plan.

The man has not been named. However, he has been living in France since 2010 and was tracked over the past few months by French authorities, according to domestic press. He had been trained as a chef in Paris after participating in Russian reality shows, Le Monde reported.

Pitch stormings and Israel national anthem jeering marr Olympics games

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games opened with a surprising 2-1 victory by Morocco’s men’s football team against pan-American champions Argentina, in Saint-Étienne, in a chaotic game that was suspended for nearly two hours after multiple individuals stormed the pitch.

Another stunning result came from Bordeaux, where Japan thrashed Paraguay 5-0, while France pleased the home crowds with a comfortable 3-0 win over the US.

The hosts got off to a less sparkling start in men’s rugby sevens, as they beat Uruguay 19 to 12 but tied with the US 12-12.

Tokyo 2020 gold medallists Fiji defeated the US too, 38-12, as well as Uruguay, 40-12, while Ireland overcame reigning world champions South Africa 10 to 5, who also lost to New Zealand 17-5.

Israel’s national anthem was loudly jeered before the kick-off of their opening Olympic game against Mali at Paris Parc des Princes in Paris on Wednesday. Mali fans sang proudly when their anthem was played first. When it came to Israel’s anthem, boos and whistles immediately rang out. The stadium speaker system playing the anthems then got notably louder in what seemed like an effort to drown out the jeers.

Once play began, Israeli players were booed each time they touched the ball. Security officials intervened in what appeared to be a heated argument between some fans. Several fans on the Mali stands were holding Palestinian flags.

Paris Olympics day 1 results

Men’s Football, group stage: Argentina 1-2 Morocco; Uzbekistan 1-2 Spain; Guinea-New 1-2 Zealand; Egypt 0-0 Dominican Republic; Iraq 2-1 Ukraine; Japan 5-0 Paraguay; France 3-0 US; Mali 1-1 Israel;

Rugby sevens, men’s pool: Australia 21-14 Samoa; Argentina 31-12 Kenya; France 12-12 US; Fiji 40-12 Uruguay; Ireland 10-5 South Africa; New Zealand 40-12 Japan; Australia 21-17 Kenya; Argentina 28-12 Samoa; France 19-12 Uruguay; Fiji 38-12 US; Ireland 40-5 Japan; New Zealand 17-5 South Africa.

Photo: Andrew Bernard.