Ben Cohen removed from Senate hearing for Gaza protest against U.S. aid to Israel

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder protests Israeli offensive in Gaza, calls U.S. funding morally and spiritually “scandalizing.”

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Cohen is detained by U.S. Capitol Police for disrupting a hearing involving U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Capitol Hill, on May 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images

By Clarisa Sendy and Alana Salsabila

Ben Cohen, the 74-year-old co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s and an outspoken progressive activist, was forcibly removed from a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday after launching into a protest over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Cohen’s interruption came during Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appearance to discuss his department’s budget, catching both senators and the audience off guard.

Shouting, “Congress pays for bombs to kill children in Gaza,” Cohen and several other protesters disrupted the session, condemning lawmakers for what they see as a catastrophic misallocation of public funds. While the U.S. government considers cutting Medicaid, a critical health insurance program for low-income Americans, it has simultaneously authorized billions in military aid to Israel, which Cohen described as enabling the “slaughter” of Palestinian civilians.

Arrested and defiant: Cohen’s warning on U.S. complicity

As Capitol Police placed him in handcuffs and escorted him from the hearing room, Cohen called on senators to “press Israel to let food reach starving kids.” Speaking to AFP shortly after his release, he defended his actions as a moral imperative, emphasizing that he was speaking for “millions of Americans” who are appalled by what he described as a humanitarian and moral failure by the United States.

“It got to a point where we had to do something,” Cohen said. “The U.S. just approved $20 billion worth of bombs for Israel while cutting essential programs like Medicaid. It’s scandalizing.”

He added that public outrage was growing rapidly and that support for the U.S.’s current stance on the Israel-Gaza war no longer reflected the views of the majority.

Public opinion shifting on Israel-Gaza conflict

Cohen’s protest underscores a growing divide in American public opinion toward the war in Gaza. A recent Pew Research Center poll revealed that views of Israel are becoming increasingly unfavorable, especially among Democratic voters. The protest reflects a broader shift in how Americans—particularly progressives and younger demographics—are questioning the morality of the country’s foreign policy decisions and military spending priorities.

Beyond the financial implications, Cohen framed the issue in stark ethical and even spiritual terms. “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 should stand for,” he said.

Cohen also criticized what he sees as the United States’ obsession with militarization. “Roughly half of our discretionary budget goes into war-related spending. Imagine if half of that was used to improve lives—domestically and around the world. There’d be a whole lot less friction and a whole lot more peace.”

A voice amplified by activism and legacy

While Cohen has long been an outspoken critic of Israeli government policy, his influence has amplified in recent years, especially among progressive circles. In 2023, he signed an open letter with prominent Jewish Americans opposing the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC.

“I know my voice carries more weight because of my public profile,” Cohen acknowledged. “But I speak for millions who feel the same way and are tired of being complicit through silence.”

Cohen likened the situation to basic lessons taught in early childhood. “You go to a three-year-old who hits others, and you say, ‘Use your words.’ There are issues between nations. That’s undeniable. But they can be solved through diplomacy, not by dropping bombs.”

The Gaza crisis: numbers that reflect catastrophe

The war in Gaza was triggered by the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which claimed the lives of 1,218 people on the Israeli side—mostly civilians—according to figures compiled by AFP from official sources. In response, Israel launched a military offensive that has since killed at least 52,928 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, based on reports from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. While the ministry's figures are contested by some, the United Nations continues to cite the data as reliable in the absence of independent alternatives.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached alarming proportions. According to a United Nations-backed food security monitor, the entire population of the Gaza Strip is now facing a food crisis. Roughly 22 percent of the population is experiencing conditions categorized as a full-blown “humanitarian catastrophe.”

International aid has been stalled by what human rights groups describe as a deliberate Israeli blockade. Despite global calls for humanitarian corridors and ceasefires, access to food, medicine, and clean water remains heavily restricted in much of the enclave.

The broader implications of Cohen’s protest

Ben Cohen’s protest was more than just a personal act of defiance—it was a signal to a growing movement. His actions add to a chorus of American voices calling for a reassessment of foreign aid priorities and a recalibration of what the U.S. represents on the world stage.

Progressive leaders, advocacy organizations, and student groups have been increasingly vocal about the U.S.’s role in enabling Israel’s offensive. While Congress continues to debate appropriations and foreign military aid, pressure is mounting from civil society to prioritize humanitarian values and international law over military alliances.

Some lawmakers have taken notice, proposing amendments that tie future U.S. military aid to Israel to adherence with international humanitarian standards. However, these efforts have largely stalled in the face of entrenched bipartisan support for Israel.

Moving forward: From protest to policy?

Whether Ben Cohen’s protest will translate into concrete policy change remains uncertain. Yet his arrest and the media attention that followed have amplified the issue to a national audience. With Gaza still under siege and U.S. taxpayers footing the bill, questions surrounding American complicity are becoming harder to ignore.

“This isn’t just about foreign policy,” Cohen insisted. “It’s about what kind of country we want to be. Do we want to be the nation that funds war or the one that fosters peace?”

As the conflict drags on and the humanitarian cost rises, it’s clear that voices like Cohen’s are no longer at the fringes—they’re becoming central to the national conversation.