As war criminal Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu visits Washington, more Americans are protesting against him

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington this week was expectedly met with hundreds of protesters.

What is different this time, compared to previous visits by the wanted war criminal, is the growing US public support of the Palestinians, giving some longtime advocates a glimmer of hope.

"What we’re seeing is the tide turn in the American public's view of Israel," Ayah Suleiman, an organiser with the Palestinian Youth Movement in the Washington, DC area, told The New Arab.

"This will slowly start to alter the positions of elected officials. People are winning primaries who are outspoken against Israel," she said.

On Tuesday, demonstrators marched together from where Netanyahu was staying at Blair House to the White House.

Other organisers and speakers included the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the National Iranian American Council, as they stood together against Israel's multiple wars in the region.

They are calling for an arms embargo and for the arrest of Netanyahu in line with the warrants for him by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Nearly half of Americans (around 49 percent) believe Netanyahu should be arrested on war crimes charges during his trip to the US, according to a recent Economist/YouGov survey.

They also call for the support of US citizens from Maryland who have been affected by Israel's actions, including those who were on Gaza aid flotillas and Palestinian Americans who have been detained in Israel.

This is Netanyahu’s eighth time meeting during Trump's second term, and the first time the two leaders have sat down together since they jointly launched their war against Iran on 28 February. In their previous meeting, three weeks before their war in Iran, Netanyahu reportedly suggested the strikes on Iran.

"The last time Prime Minister Netanyahu met with President Trump, they finalised their preparations for an illegal war against Iran. Yet each may now have buyer's remorse," said NIAC in a public statement about the state visit.

"Trump was sold a quick campaign that would topple a teetering regime, only to realize that the supposed paper tiger in Iran still had teeth. Now, Trump is at risk of being stuck with a forever war that doesn’t have a military solution," the group continued.

This time, the sit-down meeting is considered more tense than previous times, with Trump openly criticising Netanyahu in the media, as his poll numbers continue to suffer amid an unpopular war in Iran and growing disapproval of US military support for Israel.