Trump’s Knesset Speech Interrupted by Pro-Palestinian Lawmakers
Arab Israeli lawmakers Aymen Odeh and Ofer Cassif expelled after protesting during U.S. president’s address, calling for Palestinian recognition and justice
US President Donald Trump’s address to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, was briefly disrupted on Monday when two lawmakers shouted slogans and were expelled from the plenum.
The protesters, identified as Arab Israeli politicians Aymen Odeh and Ofer Cassif, both members of the Hadash alliance, were removed after interrupting Trump’s speech. Odeh displayed a sign reading “Recognize Palestine” as he was ejected. On social media platform X, he later called for recognition of a Palestinian state, describing it as “the simplest demand, a demand that the entire international community agrees on… There are two peoples here, and neither is going anywhere.”
Cassif also posted on X that their protest aimed “to demand justice,” accusing the Israeli government of occupation and apartheid. He wrote, “Refuse to be occupiers! Resist the government of bloodshed!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently rejected calls to formally recognize a Palestinian state, even though he signed onto Trump’s 20-point peace plan intended to eventually establish a sovereign Palestine. Meanwhile, Trump himself has not joined the majority of the international community in officially recognizing Palestine.
The protest occurred as Trump marked the return of the last living hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks. Despite the interruption, Trump continued his address after the lawmakers were removed, quipping on the efficiency of the expulsion.