Netanyahu Greeted by Applause, Jeers, Cries of ‘Free Palestine’ Upon Arrival at New York City Theater to See Broadway Hit Show ‘Hamilton’
by Ruthie Blum
Applause, jeers and cries of “Free Palestine” greeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night, upon his arrival at the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York City, to see the critically acclaimed Broadway show “Hamilton,” the UK’s Daily Mail reported.
According to the report, the anger expressed by some audience-members was not only sparked by Middle East politics. In addition to anti-Israel protesters — a feature at every event attended by Netanyahu during his stay in the Big Apple, where he delivered a speech on Thursday before the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly — other theater-goers were irritated by the massive “airport-like” security checks they were forced to undergo. In addition, the Israeli leader purportedly arrived late, which caused everyone else a long and inconvenient wait.
To pass the time, many took to Facebook and Twitter, some to describe the scene; others to vent.
One person in attendance — Liz Hoffman — tweeted: “At what must be the safest #Hamilton since Obama. Netanyahu in the house, plus Sec Service, TSA and some guys who very much look like Mossad.”
Another — Melanie Colton — wrote: “At Hamilton with Netanyahu attending. Two women leave the theater screaming, ‘Free Palestine!’ as they shove their way through the security.”
A different source told the New York Post’s Page Six that Netanyahu “entered and sat down before the lights went down, so everyone was focused on him. There was a lot of applause when he walked in, but definitely a few loud boos.”
“Hamilton” is a musical about the life of the American founding father, inspired by Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography, Alexander Hamilton. In 2016, it received 16 Tony nominations and won 11, including Best Musical. It’s also the recipient of the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.