By Joseph Edelen

DOVER — As Gov. John Carney delivered the final State of the State Address of his tenure Tuesday, calls for a permanent and immediate cease-fire in Gaza rang throughout the chamber of the House of Representatives.

The governor was interrupted five times as he delivered the annual speech, which took place in front of all 62 members of the General Assembly, his cabinet members and every statewide elected official.

Pro-Palestinian protesters in the House gallery shouted down to the governor, calling for a cease-fire in the Israel and Hamas War and to “stop being complicit in genocide,” while also stating that the United States “cannot be the aid and the ammo” to civilians experiencing the war in Gaza.

The protesters were escorted out of Legislative Hall, and while many seats in the gallery were reserved for guests, members of the public who waited to sit in the balcony area were permitted once the invited guests took their seats, according to a spokesperson for Gov. Carney.

Each time the State of the State Address was interrupted, Gov. Carney paused his remarks and glanced up at the gallery as Speaker of the House Valerie Longhurst, D-Bear, banged her gavel and called for a point of order.

One of those protesters, Dounya Ramadan, of Wilmington, said the effort was to bring attention to the issue in front of the wealth of elected officials present, displaying a sign as she was escorted out of the gallery that read “29,000 Palestinian lives taken with U.S. tax $$$.”

“This is President (Joe) Biden's home state. There's a lot of power that lies in the state, and yet our elected officials continue to be silent,” Ms. Ramadan told the Daily State News outside of Legislative Hall on Tuesday.

“We’re in an urgent state right now, and we have to do everything collectively together to demand an immediate and permanent end to this violence.”

Following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, Gov. Carney issued all Delaware flags to be flown at half-staff “to honor those who have lost their lives due to recent violence in Israel.”

Weeks later, the governor signed onto a bipartisan letter with 17 other governors to express solidarity with Israel.

Ms. Ramadan referenced both actions by the governor, adding that, despite the more than 150 days of violence in Gaza, “the Delaware flag remains raised when it comes to Palestinian lives.”

While attempts to reach the governor’s office for comment on the State of the State interruptions were unsuccessful, lawmakers reacted to the protests in the following days.

In a press conference following the address, Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, said the protests were an “embarrassment,” noting there is a “certain respect” individuals should have for Legislative Hall and the institution.

“It shows you just how far we've come as a state, as a society, when the chief executive of our state is interrupted five different times with things that aren't even state issues,” Sen. Pettyjohn said.

The senator also said he witnessed “certain members of the General Assembly that were smirking in glee” while the protests were taking place. Sen. Pettyjohn did not name any specific legislators but called the reactions “extremely disappointing.”

Senate Minority Leader Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View, also weighed in on the protests in a commentary published by the Daily State News. In the editorial, the senator said the protests contributed to what was “by far the most disgusting” day he has seen as a lawmaker.

“Unfortunately, far-left supporters of the terrorist organization Hamas interrupted Gov. Carney multiple times. They were rightly escorted out of the building and I thank the men and women of law enforcement present, as well as the House Chamber’s sergeant of arms, for their swift action,” he wrote.

“No doubt, the childish antics of Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton during her outburst at Vice-President Kamala Harris’s holiday party served as a precedent to what we saw (Tuesday).”

Last December, Rep. Wilson-Anton, D-Newark, protested the war in Gaza at a holiday party at Vice President Harris’ residence. The Newark Democrat interrupted the vice president’s remarks, stating, “Call for a cease-fire now!”

Rep. Wilson-Anton has been outspoken against the war in Gaza, the Israeli government and the United States’ role in the war since the violence began. Last November, she participated in a march to President Joe Biden’s Greenville home and participated in a five-day hunger strike to back her calls for a permanent and immediate cease-fire.

In response to Sen. Hocker’s commentary, the representative said peace advocates have been disrupting political events for years, and her protest at Vice President Harris’ holiday party “was not the first time someone did that, and it won’t be the last.”

“One of the things that makes this country beautiful is the fact that you can use your voice to speak out against what you think is wrong, and that we have elected officials who listen to their constituents,” Rep. Wilson-Anton told the Daily State News.

“I would ask that my colleagues listen to folks that come out and share what's important to them and not brand them as supporting terrorists.”

The war began after Hamas militants stormed the Israeli border on Oct. 7 last year, killing 1,200 people which were mostly civilians and taking about 250 hostages.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and 70,000 wounded since the violence began.