U.S. Capitol Police said Friday they are working with federal, state, and local partners to prepare for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, D.C., next week to address a joint session of Congress.
"For safety reasons, we never provide specific security details, but generally we can say that our plan includes adding more officers — including from several outside agencies — continuing our robust intelligence sharing with our partners, and ensuring that we have enough resources for our teams," Capitol Police representatives said in a statement to The Hill.
Israel's war against Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip has sparked nationwide protests against the Jewish state. Capitol Police said they expect there to be "a large number of demonstrators." Netanyahu is scheduled to speak in front of Congress on Wednesday.
The U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights reportedly said Friday that "tens of thousands of people from across the U.S." will gather at the Capitol on Wednesday to demand a "citizen's arrest" of Netanyahu.
"We respect everyone's First Amendment rights; however, all demonstrations must be done peacefully and legally," Capitol Police said, according to The Hill.
Road closures and more information for the public will be announced in the coming days, officials said.
Netanyahu will be making his first address to a joint session of Congress since 2015, when a reported 58 lawmakers boycotted him over concerns about his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal under negotiation between Tehran and President Barack Obama.
For Wednesday's speech, Newsweek reported a number of Democrats have said they will boycott, including Reps. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Hank Johnson of Texas, Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, and Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.