Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupt former US House Speaker Pelosi's interview

WASHINGTON

Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted a live interview of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to demand the US halt sending military aid to Israel.

Pelosi sat down in a live broadcast of CBS’s "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday following the second night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois.

While talking about President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race, protesters could be heard shouting in the audience.

Colbert addressed them just before a commercial break by promising to ask a question about the Gaza war next.

After the break, Pelosi said the US has had a commitment to Israel.

"It’s been in our security interest to do so. Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization. We want the hostages free, but we don’t want children killed in Gaza, and so we have to come up with a solution," she said.

"War has no place in a civilized society," Pelosi said as the protesters again began shouting.

"As you can see from the continuing protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people, because they believe that the United States — hold on one second," Colbert said over the protesters' shouting, and then asked Pelosi if she would like to respond to them.

"They’ve said the United States should not have any role in supplying Israel with arms to kill the people of Gaza,” he said as Pelosi could not hear what the protesters were saying.

'There must be 2-state solution'

Pelosi expressed her support for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine and said Israel "has the right to defend itself."

"There must be a two-state solution. You cannot have peace unless you have a two-state — Israel, a secure Jewish democratic state in the region, and the Palestinians having their own secure country there as well," she said.

As the protesters continued to shout, Colbert said: "Please don't interrupt my guests."

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The conflict has resulted in over 40,170 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and more than 92,740 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.