Philly congressional candidate Chris Rabb called Netanyahu a ‘war criminal’ at a New York protest

State Rep. Chris Rabb, the Philadelphia progressive running as a Democrat for Congress, called Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” at a protest in New York on Thursday, as the Israeli prime minister gave a speech to the United Nations.

Read more Zach Ertz was ‘nervous’ for his first practice back with the Eagles. The next stage of his football life is underway.

“I’m here in solidarity with all these brave souls who want their country to be on the right side of history and who acknowledge that Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal and should be in the Hague,” Rabb said at the protest, captured in a video posted on social media, referring to the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court.

“We have to make a decision about where our taxpayer dollar goes. We should not be funding atrocities overseas,” said Rabb, who is running to replace U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans.

In his speech, Netanyahu called allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza not only false, but “the biggest lie of the century,” the Associated Press reported.

As he arrived for his speech, scores of delegates trooped out before he started speaking.

Zohran Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim mayor and an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights, has urged Netyanhau’s arrest, asserting that the U.S. should honor a war crimeswarrant for Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court.

Read more Girls’ High students protested overcrowding, including multiple classes with 50-plus students

Netanyahu released a video earlier this week directed against Mamdani, saying he was coming to the U.N. “to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers” and “to tell the truth about you.”

The U.S. is not a party to the International Criminal Court, and New York City does not have the authority to arrest the prime minister. Israel denies that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide, saying that they are a military response targeting Hamas for the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that killed about 1,200 Israelis, including hundreds at a music festival. More than 73,000 Palestinians have died in the war in Gaza, according to the Gaza health authority.

Among the other participants in the New York protest was Hannah Einbinder, the Emmy-winning actress whose father was born in Doylestown. She famously shouted “Go Birds, f— ICE, and free Palestine!” during her Emmy acceptance speech last year.

Rabb was recorded standing next to two other Democratic congressional candidates, Adam Hamawy of New Jersey and Melat Kiros of Colorado.