JEFFERSON CITY — A group of protesters temporarily shut down business in the Missouri House on Tuesday as an Israeli diplomat attempted to address a joint session of the Legislature.
Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, the Israeli consul general in Florida, was speaking to House and Senate legislators Tuesday morning when a group in the upper House gallery began yelling.
Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe banged his gavel and the area where more than a dozen demonstrators had gathered was cleared of people.
Elbaz-Starinsky’s speech followed the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, the consul general of Israel in Miami, addressed a joint session of the Missouri Legislature on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Screengrab)
Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages back to Gaza.
The Palestinian death toll from nearly four months of war has reached 27,585 according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
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Protesters in the Missouri House on Tuesday held up black and white scarves as Elbaz-Starinsky spoke.
“Securing our nation has been a persistent challenge for Israel, marked by ongoing conflict including … gruesome war with Hamas terrorists who murdered, raped, mutilated, maimed, tortured more than 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds of others including babies, toddlers, elderly and Holocaust survivors,” Elbaz-Starinsky said.
After he said that, someone yelled “ceasefire now!” from the upper gallery.
“Murder!” someone shouted. “Shame on Missouri!”
Neveen Ayesh, government relations coordinator for the Missouri chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, said one protester was arrested during the demonstration.
Capitol Police Chief Zim Schwartze initially declined to confirm Tuesday whether anyone had been arrested.
“Americans want a ceasefire,” Ayesh said. “They don’t want their tax dollars going towards war. They don’t want their tax dollars going towards, you know, killing innocent children and women.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Swindell, of Columbia, Missouri, wore a black sweatshirt that said “ZIONIST” on it and sat near the protesters.
“The people who came to protest today claim that they’re calling for a ceasefire,” Swindell said. “I believe that they’re trying to keep Hamas in power and a ceasefire allows Hamas to stay in power.”
The Israeli diplomat’s speech came on the same day a House committee was to consider a resolution by House Speaker Dean Plocher declaring the General Assembly’s support for Israel and recognizing the country’s “mutually beneficial relationship” with Missouri.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
