Democratic lawmaker's town hall repeatedly interrupted by audience members shouting about Gaza
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A town hall hosted by Democratic Rep. Bill Foster of Illinois on Tuesday was repeatedly interrupted by audience members shouting about the ongoing war in Gaza.
The town hall comes as House members have returned to their districts for a weekslong district work period. The war in Gaza and US support for Israel has been a long-simmering political flashpoint, opening up divides within the Democratic Party. Many of the interruptions touched on the current starvation crisis in the enclave.
A UN-backed food security agency has warned that 'the worst case scenario of famine' is unfolding in Gaza, its starkest alert yet as starvation spreads and Israel faces growing international pressure to allow more food into the territory.
Not long into the start of the event, one attendee disrupted remarks from the congressman and began shouting out criticism of funding to Israel, claiming that those funds could have gone to Americans. A moderator interjected and told the attendee that they would have to leave.
The audience clapped after the shouting stopped and the moderator directed the congressman to continue speaking. 'Look, it's a hard time for everyone,' Rep. Foster said afterward, 'when I wake up some mornings I just say, what the heck is going on, it comes out – that sort of tenseness comes out in different ways in different people and I have a lot of understanding for people that have a hard time dealing with it.'
Shortly after, another audience member yelled out, identifying themselves as a Palestinian American. 'Our people are dying in a genocide … they have been starving to death. There is no food, there's no aid. There is no nothing. I'm your constituent, you have done nothing. You have done nothing to represent us.'
After continued shouting, the moderator asked, 'Congressman, can you please answer the question that people are asking: What is your position on the war in Gaza?'
'I'm signed on to every ceasefire letter,' he began to say, before another interruption from a shouting audience member began.
It is unclear whether those shouting were removed from the venue, but in many instances the shouting eventually trailed off and then became more distant.
'I have voted for defensive weapons for Israel. I think that, for a number of reasons that's the right thing to do,' said Foster.
One audience member yelled out, 'Why is that the right thing to do?'
The moderator interjected, saying, 'Please let him answer the question, sir, and do not interrupt again.'
'Bibi Netanyahu, the leader of Israel, has done things to Israel that should never be forgiven,' the congressman said after he resumed speaking.
'The things that I admired most about Israel has been systematically destroyed by Bibi Netanyahu, you know the rule of law, undercutting it,' the congressman said, before being interrupted again by more shouting from the audience.
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