11 months ago
Protesters calling for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas interrupted a forum Tuesday with Sen. Laphonza Butler — and the newly-minted senator handled it like a seasoned diplomat.
Butler, who was appointed to the Senate in October by Gov. Gavin Newsom, deftly fielded protests that caused a brief pause in the event hosted by POLITICO during which demonstrators chanted "blood is on your hands," "cease-fire now" and "no more money to Israel."
"It's not as if any of us cannot acknowledge that any loss of life is too much. So, I understand very much their passion, appreciate their freedom to speak their mind," she said. "That is what a democracy is all about."
Israel's response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas has divided Democrats and have sparked widespread protests around the U.S.
The protest at the Butler event came as President Joe Biden warned Israel that international support it had after the attack was at risk of fracturing over its response to the Hamas attack.
Biden told a closed-door fundraiser in Washington D.C. on Tuesday that U.S. and European support for Israel was softening in the wake off “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza.
Biden suggested that any sort of long-term solution would not be feasible with Israel’s current government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Newsom appointed Butler to the seat previously held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein just days before Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis, mostly women and children.
Butler said the timing has made her first few months in office more challenging than expected.
"It was not the service that I thought that I was signing up for," Butler said. "But when asked to serve your country in any way, I think all of us sort of do the best we can in the moment that we have."
— Lauren Egan contributed to this report.
English (US)