Protesters who oppose U.S. aid to Israel amid the war in Gaza have gathered outside Rep. Greg Landsman’s Cincinnati home, prompting security concerns for the congressman and his family.
On the eve of the first anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel, Landsman, who is Jewish, said a “group of masked protesters” assembled outside his home.
“Tomorrow, my daughter and I will be attending a service to bear witness to the atrocious terror attacks of October 7th. Meanwhile, these people will be outside of my house, in an attempt to intimidate my Jewish family every time we try to leave our home,” Landsman wrote in an Oct. 6 press release. “They’ve done this to my staff and me for nearly a year, and now they’re doing it to my family and neighbors. I don’t think they have any boundaries at this point.”
The anniversary marks one year since Hamas militants killed upwards of 1,200 Israelis in a coordinated terror attack through communities in southern Israel. More than 250 Israelis were kidnapped and held hostage in Gaza. A year later, Israeli officials say at least 97 hostages are still in Gaza, with around 33 believed to be dead.
After the Oct. 7 attacks, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, launching a counteroffensive war on Gaza that has killed at least 41,900 Palestinians, many civilian women and children, and wounded more than 97,300, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Landsman’s positions on the Israel-Gaza war
In February, Landsman met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ministers of defense in Egypt, Jordan and Israel as part of a House delegation for “strategic discussions on the Israel-Hamas war.” After the meeting, Landsman told CityBeat he stressed to Netanyahu the need for Palestinian self-governance in the form of a two-state solution to ensure lasting peace in the region.
“There is this need to resolve these really big questions, not just with Palestinians, but the larger region and pulling a regional coalition together that can create the conditions for a real sustained peace and a two-state solution and to get Iran to stop funding these proxy armies, because it is destabilizing,” Landsman told CityBeat after the meeting.
Landsman has voted alongside a small group of Democrats in the House to support U.S. aid to Israel, but he’s also voted on issues related to the way politicians and activists speak about the war.
In December, Landsman supported House Resolution 894, which states that “anti-Zionism is antisemitism,” and that pro-Palestinian demonstration chants, including “From the River to the Sea,” are antisemitic. This was a month after Landsman joined the House in voting to formally censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for using the phrase.
In June, Landsman supported the passage of an amendment which prohibits the State Department from citing death toll statistics obtained from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Activists zero in on Landsman’s home
Activists camping outside of Landsman’s home have set up a large series of numbers representing the death toll reported by the Gaza Health Ministry.
“As we approach 365 days of death and destruction in Gaza, we’re here to remind him that every day he supports funding for this gen0cid3, lives are being lost. [sic],” demonstrators wrote on an Instagram post from an account called @Landsmanloses24. “This is not just about politics, it’s about humanity. Since he wants to vote to suppress the G@za death toll, [sic] we will bring that number to his doorstep and continue to update it.”
In his Oct. 6 press release on the encampment that local law enforcement has had to escort his family in and out of their house for safety.
“Our family hopes they leave soon and protest in a more appropriate and less intrusive manner,” Landsman said. “We’re grateful to the Cincinnati Police Department for their ongoing efforts and work to keep us all safe.”
Landsman is up for re-election this November, facing Republican Orlando Sonza.
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This article appears in Oct 2, 2024 – Oct 15, 2043.