Sen. Cory Booker Shouted Down by Pro-Palestinian Protesters Calling for Cease-Fire

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) listens during a hearing in Washington on June 16, 2020. Tom Williams/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker was shouted down by pro-Palestinian protesters while delivering a speech to his constituents on Sunday.

The senator was giving a speech in support of fellow Democrats ahead of the Nov. 7 statewide elections.

“I want to call out to everybody right now, these final hours. This is what’s on the ballot. We should know in New Jersey how privileged we are. There are so many places in our country right now where people want to make sure that we have—” Sen. Booker said in the speech, according to a video posted on X.

He was then interrupted when the large group started yelling, “Cease-fire, now!”

He responded as the protesters’ chants grew louder.

“This is what makes America great,” Mr. Booker said. “The power to protest. The power to have free speech. The power of America.”

“Cease-fire, now! Cease-fire, now!” they continued chanting.

The venue began playing music in an attempt to drown out the demonstrators.

Many of the protesters could be seen in the video wearing white gloves with red ink stains to represent blood. Some of them held up signs, but it was unclear what was written on them.

Booker Supports Call for ‘Pause’

On Nov. 4, Mr. Booker, along with more than a dozen fellow Democrats, issued a statement supporting President Joe Biden’s call for a humanitarian “pause” in the Israel-Hamas war.

“I think we need a pause,” the president said in response to pressure from those opposing Israel’s response to the brutal surprise attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

The call was a subtle departure for the Biden administration, which has been steadfast throughout the latest Middle East crisis in stating it will not dictate how Israel carries out its military operations against Hamas.

“The failure to adequately protect non-combatant civilians risks dramatic escalation of the conflict in the region and imposes severe damage on prospects for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians,” Mr. Booker and 14 other Democrat senators wrote in a joint statement. “Based on the consensus opinion of U.S. and international aid officials, it is nearly impossible to deliver sufficient aid to protect civilian life under current conditions.”

The statement included Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia, Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

“Thus, we join President Biden in his call for a short-term cessation of hostilities that pose high-risk to civilians, aid workers or humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza,” the statement continued.

The senators claimed the temporary cease-fire would be aimed at three goals, including the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians under “strict and necessary oversight,” to increase focus on the release of hostages taken on Oct. 7, and to allow an opportunity for discussion about “long-term strategies” to reduce the conflict in the region.

Other Demonstrations

Sunday’s pro-Palestinian demonstration in New Jersey is one of many that have taken place across the country at colleges and other places, including the White House, in recent weeks.

On Nov. 4, pro-Palestinian demonstrators climbed a fence surrounding the White House and smeared red paint on a gate to President Joe Biden’s residence while tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Washington against support for Israel.

A day earlier, on Nov. 3, a group of protesters occupied the offices of multiple Democrats, the Washington Examiner reported. They demanded that Congress force Israel to stop military operations in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that there will be no cease-fire without the release of all hostages.

“As far as tactical little pauses—an hour here, an hour there—we’ve had them before. I suppose we'll check the circumstances in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods, to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages, to leave,” Mr. Netanyahu told David Muir during an interview on ABC’s World News Tonight. “But I don’t think there’s going to be a general cease-fire.”

The Israeli leader said he believes a general cease-fire would “hamper the war effort” and the “effort to get our hostages out, because the only thing that works on these criminals in Hamas is the military pressure that we’re exerting.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.