Display showing Netanyahu, Trump eating dead Gazans brings blood libel to DC’s Union Station

American Jewish Committee also condemned the event, saying it revived the centuries-old “blood libel,” the false claim that Jews kill non-Jewish children for ritual purposes — a myth historically used to justify violent persecution.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A graphic live installation of actors dressed up as President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials eating dead Gazans at a banquet was set up in front of Washington DC’s Union Station on Thursday.

The installation showed a row of actors dressed in formal attire, each wearing a mask depicting one of several political figures: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio, former President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

They were positioned at a long banquet table covered in fake blood. Israeli flags were arranged as napkins, and the setting included red-stained toy limbs, glasses filled with a blood-colored liquid and plates holding items made to resemble internal organs. A printed “menu” at the table listed dishes labeled “Gaza children’s limbs” as the starter, “Stolen organs” as the main course, “Illegally harvested skin” for dessert and “Gaza’s spilled blood” as the drink selection.

The place card at the head of the table, where the Netanyahu figure sat, used the surname “Mileikowsky,” the family name his ancestors carried in Europe before the establishment of the State of Israel.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington issued a sharp rebuke of the installation, describing it as “a sickening display of full-throated antisemitism.” The American Jewish Committee also condemned the event, saying it revived the centuries-old “blood libel,” the false claim that Jews kill non-Jewish children for ritual purposes — a myth historically used to justify violent persecution.

“Dressed up as ‘activism’ and ‘performance art,’ this was nothing less than the revival of one of the oldest and most dangerous antisemitic tropes in history,” the AJC stated, labeling the display “horrifying and unacceptable.” The organization called on public officials to make sure that “public spaces are not used to spread dangerous hate.”

Clips posted to social media showed mixed reactions from people passing through the area outside Union Station, a major transportation hub located across from the U.S. Capitol. Some viewers expressed support for the organizers’ message, referring to the setup as a “popup protest” or “art as resistance,” while others denounced it.

Several activists publicly associated themselves with the project. Hazami Barada and Atefeh Rokhvand — the latter linked online to Teachers Against Genocide — were among those who claimed involvement. The Instagram account “Dear White Staffers,” which has shifted to exclusively anti-Israel messaging during the Gaza war, also amplified the demonstration.

Organizers shared commentary from the preparation process, including one participant who said he needed to “learn new technical skills” to assemble the scene. Another posted that he disliked portraying Netanyahu but did so for the performance.

Those behind the display hinted that additional actions were planned; when asked online about the lack of an American flag, one planner responded, “Bibi wanted to be front and center today. Stay tuned to see what these 5 were doing before their Friendsgiving dinner!”