A pro-Hamas organization posted videos on social media on Wednesday claiming the group released maggots, mealworms, and crickets throughout the hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his delegation are staying during their visit to Washington, D.C., this week.
One of the videos posted by the Palestinian Youth Movement showed grubs and insects crawling across a table in what appeared to be a meeting room inside the Watergate Hotel. Other videos captured crickets hopping around the floor in several areas of the hotel.
The Palestinian Youth Movement, which describes itself as a “transnational, independent, grassroots movement,” wrote on social media, “BON APPETIT!! MAGGOTS RELEASED ON THE CRIMINAL ZIONIST’S WAR TABLE!”
“Palestine protestors manufactured chaos at the Watergate Hotel last night so that Netanyahu, Israeli Mossad agents, and the Secret Service had no peace as they continue to terrorize our people,” the group added.
The Watergate Hotel confirmed the incident in a comment to the New York Post, calling the situation “unfortunate.”
“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our guests and staff. We took the necessary steps to ensure the property has been sanitized and is now operating as normal,” the hotel told the news outlet. “We are cooperating fully with authorities, who are handling the situation. As this is an open case, we are unable to provide any further details at this time.”
The protesters also admitted to pulling the hotel’s fire alarm the evening before the prime minister’s scheduled address before Congress. The group claimed the disruptions were meant “to ensure that there will be no rest before Netanyahu and Congress disgraces themselves in front of the world.”
The intrusion brought into question the security measures around Capitol Hill during Netanyahu’s visit, particularly after the Secret Service’s admitted failure in response to the Donald Trump assassination attempt. This week’s incident is not the first time unruly protesters have infiltrated hotels in an effort to disrupt the sleep of those temporarily residing at the property. Blaze News’ senior politics editor and D.C. correspondent Christopher Bedford stated that activists pulled the fire alarm in the late hours of the evening at the hotel where John McCain’s family was staying ahead of his memorial service in 2018.
A law enforcement source told the Post that the meeting room shown in the protesters’ video was “not part of our agreed upon security plan with the Israeli security services and our local partners.”
A Secret Service spokesperson stated that there was no threat to the Israeli delegation at any time as a result of the group’s intrusion.
“The Watergate facility has an expansive footprint and remains open for businesses, residences and guests,” the spokesperson told the Post.
A D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson stated that the department had placed fire inspectors at the hotel at the Secret Service’s request, the Washington Post reported. Following the triggered fire alarm, officials “determined there was no fire emergency and any fire department response was cancelled,” the spokesperson told the news outlet.
Palestinian Youth Movement also stationed protesters outside the hotel to hold noise demonstrations each morning and evening to ensure the prime minister “will enjoy no rest while he is here.”
“All of D.C. from organizations to individuals reject the stay of a war criminal in our city,” an organizer with the group’s DMV chapter told the Washington Post.
“It reflects a tremendous security failure on their part,” the organizer stated about law enforcement. “The city of D.C. and the United States government has stolen tens of millions of dollars to roll out the red carpet for a war criminal and even then, they can’t stop something as simple as maggots being dropped … at the Watergate Hotel.”
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