An antisemitic art display at Washington Union Station on Thursday depicting U.S. and Israeli leaders drinking the blood of Gazans is drawing widespread condemnation for echoing the historic blood libel against Jews. 

“This is the kind of stuff that Nazi soldiers were shown during World War II, with the idea to make it that Jewish people were not humans,” Ron Halber, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, told Jewish Insider. “This is exactly what that is in the modern day. It is done to make Jews look like animals.”

The demonstration, displayed both inside and outside of D.C’s main train station, was organized by Hazami Barada and Atefeh Rokhvand, two anti-Israel activists who have been involved in several protests around Washington since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel, including leading a protest encampment outside of the Israeli Embassy and outside of then-Secretary of State Tony Blinken’s home for months in 2024. 

Barada protested a community vigil for the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, which took place at The Anthem, a music venue in the nation’s capital. Rokhvand is an elementary school teacher who spoke at the Muslim Student Association conference in 2024.  

Another local activist, Hasan Isham, took credit on Instagram for 3D printing the masks used in the protest, which featured people dressed in suits wearing masks to resemble Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former President Joe Biden and Blinken. The five officials were sitting at a long “Friendsgiving dinner” table decorated with the Israeli flag while eating doll limbs drenched in fake blood. A menu placard read: “Starter: Gaza children’s limbs.” “Main: Stolen Organs.” “Dessert: Illegally harvested skin.” “Drink: Gaza’s spilled blood.”

Leading Jewish groups condemned the demonstration, with the Anti-Defamation League calling it “nothing less than abhorrent.” 

The American Jewish Committee said that “blood libel was on full display” and called on “leaders and authorities [to] condemn this display and ensure that public spaces are not used to spread dangerous hate.”  

“This was nothing less than the revival of one of the oldest and most dangerous antisemitic tropes in history. Blood libel has fueled violence, persecution, and massacres of Jews for centuries. Seeing it resurface in our nation’s capital is both horrifying and unacceptable,” AJC said in a statement.

Union Station is within U.S. Park Police jurisdiction, which manages its own permits. Park Police did not respond to an inquiry from JI asking whether a permit was provided for the demonstration. First Amendment permits had previously been granted for a pro-Palestinian encampment outside of Union Station, but were revoked after demonstrators burned American flags in 2024. 

The display on Thursday was removed by Amtrak police within five minutes of being fully set up, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. After being removed from Union Station, the organizers moved the display to outside the station.

“Whether inside or outside, this was absolutely disgusting… and done to incite hatred against Jewish people,” said Halber. “The result is that this could lead to violence against Jews. It was designed to use the worst antisemitic stereotypes against Jews to demonize Jews. It’s nothing more than a modern-day blood libel.” 

“This happened at Union Station where members of Congress and people advocating on Capitol Hill pass through,” continued Halber. “This is seen by a lot of people.”

Most House Democrats, including all of the current and former top Democratic leaders, signed on to a letter on Thursday to Israeli leaders warning them against unilaterally annexing territory in the West Bank or Gaza.

At a time when Democrats are increasingly divided over the U.S.-Israel relationship and its direction, the letter highlights a strong degree of unanimity within the party against annexation, among both Democrats who largely remain supportive of Israel and those who have become more critical over the war in Gaza. President Donald Trump reportedly told Arab leaders on Tuesday that he would pressure Israel against annexation.

“As long-standing supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship, Israel’s security, and Israel’s future, we are deeply opposed to proposals for unilateral annexation of territory in the West Bank,” the 178 lawmakers, led by Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), said. “Such a move would not only violate international law but undermine decades of bipartisan U.S. policy and threaten the progress of the Abraham Accords, which offer Israel and its neighbors the opportunity to build a more secure, cooperative, and prosperous regional future. Unilateral annexation of the West Bank would plunge the region, already reeling from tens of thousands of deaths in the horrific Gaza war, into further chaos and violence.”

The letter is addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. Included among the signatories are House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA), as well as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and former Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC).

The signatories highlighted that leaders from the United Arab Emirates have expressed that West Bank annexation would be a red line for them that would endanger regional normalization and integration with Israel.

“Moves toward annexation would undermine Israel’s progress on normalization, prevent international cooperation to rebuild Gaza after this devastating war, risk instability in Jordan, and even further strain ties with key European partners,” the letter continues.

They added that annexation of territory in Gaza, as discussed by some Israeli ministers, “would not only violate international law but exacerbate humanitarian and diplomatic challenges at a moment when broad international support for Israel is at risk.”

The lawmakers stated that they are “convinced that unilateral steps by either side,” including Israeli annexation of territory in the West Bank or Gaza, would be an impediment to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians toward a two-state solution and make a “just, sustainable peace” harder to attain.

“We respectfully urge your government to refrain from steps toward unilateral annexation and to recommit to a negotiated outcome consistent with U.S. policy and the regional vision embodied in the Abraham Accords,” the letter concludes. “That path best safeguards Israel’s security and democratic ideals, advances regional cooperation against shared threats, and offers Israelis and Palestinians the possibility of living side by side in peace and dignity, freed from perpetual attacks on civilians and the threat of war.”

Schneider, a co-chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, has been a leader in the moderate pro-Israel wing of the party, though he has expressed concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and previously warned individually against annexation. The progressive Raskin is a co-sponsor of legislation that would severely restrict many critical arms transfers to Israel.

Signatories to the letter similarly span the spectrum from consistent supporters of Israel to vocal critics.

Other signatories include Senate candidates Reps. Angie Craig (D-MN), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Chris Pappas (D-NH); No. 4 House Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA); Jewish Caucus co-chair Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY); and Reps. Greg Meeks (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA) and Rosa DeLauro, the ranking members of the Foreign Affairs, Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, respectively.

Some of Israel’s most vocal far-left critics, as well as some of its most ardent centrist defenders, did not sign onto the letter.

Some congressional Republicans, meanwhile, have shown signs of increasing openness to recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

A group of House Intelligence Committee members visited Israel this week, meeting with top Israeli leaders as well as visiting one of the sites of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation staging site and the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

The group included committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Ronny Jackson (R-TX).

The lawmakers met with officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad Director David Barnea, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, IDF representatives and Palestinian Authority officials.

The group also visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza near the Gaza border, which suffered heavy losses in the Oct. 7 attacks, and met with hostage families, including the family of Evyatar David, an Israeli hostage shown in a recent video emaciated and forced by Hamas to dig his own grave in a Gaza tunnel.

“Israel and its people have experienced untold levels of tragedy and devastation because of the very fact that they exist,” Crawford said in a statement. “But the Jewish people are a strong, resilient, and compassionate people. Based on our conversations and briefings with military and intelligence partners this week, it is clear Israel is committed to a peaceful end to the unrest in the region but will not cede any ground to Hamas or other Iranian terrorist proxies.” 

He said that the group’s “message was simple — the United States stands with Israel and its people. I am grateful for the ongoing cooperation between the U.S. and our Israeli partners as we work to advance our shared goals in the region.”

In a statement, Gottheimer emphasized the need to free the hostages, increase humanitarian aid and end Hamas’ rule in Gaza.

“Given the situation, it was extremely important to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials, Ambassador Huckabee, and family members of hostages still in Gaza,” Gottheimer said. “It was also critical to visit an aid staging location at the Kerem Shalom border crossing and a GHF coordination site, which gave me a better understanding of efforts to surge aid into Gaza.”

“We must ensure aid is able to swiftly reach Gazans in need, not Hamas terrorists, who continue to steal food from innocent Palestinians,” he continued. “With so much misinformation, there is no better way to understand the situation than to see it firsthand. By promoting security and stability in the Middle East, the United States will improve our own national security.”

Jackson said in a statement, “This trip not only provided critical firsthand updates from our Defense, State, and Intelligence partners on the ever-evolving elements that threaten Israel, the Middle East, and ultimately the United States, but also reinforced the need for continued strong support to our key ally in the region, Israel.”

He praised both Huckabee and Netanyahu for the work that they are doing.

“We need strong leadership and coordination to protect American lives and interests, and I’m proud to see the Trump administration making national security a top priority with a strategy that is tough, smart, and focused on keeping our country and allies safe,” Jackson continued.

Discussions touched on issues including freeing the hostages, the need to end Hamas’ control of Gaza, the need to increase humanitarian aid — including through the GHF — the need for continued maximum pressure on Iran, the threats from Iran-backed terrorist groups, Hamas’ use of human shields and the need for continued bipartisanship in the U.S.-Israel relationship, according to press releases.

Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) have joined more than two dozen Senate Democrats publicly warning Israeli leaders of the implications of efforts to unilaterally annex portions of the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the government could start annexing territory as early as July 1.

In individual letters sent last month and made public over the weekend, both senators — Klobuchar addressed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Smith wrote to Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz — posited that annexation would undermine efforts to attain a two-state solution.

Twenty-eight senators have so far spoken out against the annexation proposal.

Last month, 19 Democratic senators sent a letter to Netanyahu and Gantz urging the Israeli leaders not to move forward with the effort. That letter, which was updated several times before being sent, cautioned the new Israeli government that “unilateral annexation puts both Israel’s security and democracy at risk” and “would have a clear impact on Israel’s future and our vital bilateral and bipartisan relationship.” Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Bob Casey (D-PA) sent individual communiques to Netanyahu and Gantz, similarly opposing the move, and Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) addressed the matter in individual letters to Pompeo. 

In addition, Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) issued statements against annexation, and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) indicated to Jewish Currents that instead of signing or authoring a letter on annexation, he would “communicate directly with [Israeli] Ambassador [Ron] Dermer and Israeli officials to express his concerns.” 

On Monday, eight Senate candidates in battleground states are expected to join the list expressing their strong opposition to such a move. In statements provided to J Street and shared with Jewish Insider, the candidates — Cal Cunningham (North Carolina), Sara Gideon (Maine), Teresa Greenfield (Iowa), Al Gross (Alaska), Jaime Harrison (South Carolina), MJ Hegar (Texas), John Hickenlooper (Colorado), Amy McGrath (Kentucky) and Jon Ossoff (Georgia) — emphasized that annexation would put the future of a two-state solution at risk. 

Read their statements in full here.

Earlier this month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) warned that unilateral annexation “puts the future [of peace] at risk and undermines our national security interest and decades of bipartisan policy.” Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden also came out against annexation, saying it “will choke off any hope for peace.”

“From the presidential nominee to the speaker of the House and from the Senate to the senatorial campaign trail, Democratic leaders have now made absolutely clear that they do not and cannot support unilateral annexation in the West Bank,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami told JI. “For annexation to move forward in the face of this overwhelming opposition would be incredibly harmful to the future of Israelis and Palestinians and to the US-Israel relationship.”