Washington : US Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the act of pro-Palestinian protestors, who burned the American flag on Wednesday during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the US Congress.

Kamala Harris condemned the individuals associated with the Hamas terror organisation. “Yesterday, at Union Station in Washington, DC we saw despicable acts by unpatriotic protestors and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric,” Harris said in a statement on X.

More than 5,000 protesters massed on the streets near Capitol Hill, waving Palestinian flags and chanting for the United States to stop arming Israel, as Netanyahu began speaking to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday.

 “I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation,” the US Vice President said.

Emphasising that the flag is a symbol of the US’s highest ideals as a nation, Harris said that it represents the promise of America. “I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way,” she said.

The Vice President further expressed support for the right to peacefully 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,” she said.

During Netanyahu’s address on Wednesday, the Israeli Prime Minister also urged the American leaders to provide bipartisan support to the war-ridden country, amid its ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

Some groups of demonstrators attempted to barricade Netanyahu’s potential routes to the Capitol, with one group handing out an effigy of the prime minister in handcuffs and the other group even burning the American flag.

During his address to Congress, Netanyahu called out Iran for funding and promoting anti-Israel protests in America. Netanyahu went on to call protesters “Iran useful idiots.” “Our enemies are your enemies. Our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory,” Netanyahu strongly emphasised the strategic role of Israel in countering Iran.

Netanyahu did not mention a ceasefire by name or discuss the status of the deal that Israel and Hamas have been negotiating for weeks, something the Biden administration desperately wants to get done.

However, he did say that the war could end if Hamas surrendered its arms and returned hostages. During his remarks, the Israeli prime minister called the Hamas terror attack on October “a day that will forever live in infamy, comparing it to the attacks on Pearl Harbour and 911.”