Ben Cohen forcibly removed from US Senate for condemning support of Israel

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder and a longtime progressive activist Ben Cohenwas handcuffed and forcibly removed from the US Senate hearing after he criticised Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and other lawmakers over Washington’s continued support for Israeli genocide in Gaza.

The 74-year-old entrepreneur was among the protesters who disrupted Kennedy’s 2026 budget speech.

During the protest, Cohen declared, “Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US”

Capitol Police detained Cohen and removed him from the chamber, as captured in a video shared by the anti-war group CODEPINK.

While being escorted out, Cohen urged action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, “They need to let food into Gaza. They need to let food to starving kids”

Read: 84 killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes hit hospitals, refugee camps

This is not Cohen’s first stance against Israeli policies. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling its products in Israeli-occupied territories, stating that the Israeli government’s actions were incompatible with the company’s values.

Speaking to reporters following his release, Cohen said his actions reflected the frustration of millions of Americans disturbed by the ongoing violence in Gaza. He condemned the US government for approving $20 billion in weapons for Israel while slashing funding for essential social services at home.

“The majority of Americans hate what’s going on, what our country is doing with our money and in our name,” he said.

Cohen criticised the US for allocating nearly half of its discretionary budget to military spending, calling it a betrayal of the country’s core values.

“Condoning and being complicit in the slaughter of tens of thousands of people strikes at the core of who we are as human beings and what our country stands for,” he said. “If we spent half of that money improving lives globally, there would be far less conflict.”

Drawing an analogy, he added, “When a three-year-old hits someone, you say, ‘Use your words.’ Countries should do the same, resolve differences without killing.”

Check: Gruesome image of young Palestinian girl cut in half after Israeli bombing sparks outrage

A vocal critic of Israeli policies, Cohen previously signed an open letter condemning the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington.

He reiterated that his voice reflects those of countless Americans who are deeply troubled by the ongoing Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

Cohen emphasized that his protest was not a personal act of defiance but a representation of the collective outrage of many Americans over the US government's foreign policy stance.

The Gaza Ministry of Health stated that at least 51,065 Palestinians have lost their lives and 116,505  injured in Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023.

Meanwhile, the threat of imminent famine looms large in the enclave due Israel's blockade of aid deliveries, resulting in the deaths of many Palestinians due to starvation.