Antony Blinken was interrupted by furious protesters as he began his testimony before the Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday 21 May. One demonstrator shouted that the US secretary of state “will be remembered as the butcher of Gaza” as Capitol police officers threw him out of the hearing. Later, there were shouts that he has “blood on his hands” and Mr Blinken flinched from a protester who approached him from behind waving a sign that said “criminal”. During the hearing, the diplomat reiterated the support of Joe Biden’s administration for Israel but insisted it was focused on easing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.