'People are already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror,' Biden says at Holocaust museum commemoration
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday that the threat of antisemitism is growing in the United States, including on college campuses, as his support for Israel's war against Hamas has divided Democrats and alienated some young voters.
In a speech honoring the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, Biden joined a heated U.S. debate about Jewish security, Zionism, free speech and support for Israel, in the country with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Addressing a bipartisan audience at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's annual commemoration, he warned of the risk that the truth about the systematic killing of Jews during World War II could be forgotten.
"'Never again' simply translated for me means: Never forget. Never forgetting means we must keep telling the story, we must keep teaching the truth," Biden said at the U.S. Capitol's Emancipation Hall. "The truth is we're at risk of people not knowing the truth."
Biden spoke seven months to the day after the Palestinian terror group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 according to Israeli figures, in what has been called the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
"This hatred (of Jews) continues to lie deep in the hearts of too many people in the world and requires our continued vigilance and outspokenness," Biden said.
"Now here we are, not 75 years later, but just seven and a half months later, and people are already forgetting ... that Hamas unleashed this terror," he said. "I have not forgotten, nor have you. And we will not forget."
Biden's speech coincides with the spread of anti-Israel protests across U.S. campuses, where demonstrators are demanding that universities and Biden withdraw support for Israel
Biden acknowledged the right of Americans to protest and demonstrate but noted that there is no place for hatred and violence.
"We know scapegoating and demonizing any minority is a threat to every minority," Biden said. "There is no place on any campus in America for antisemitism, hate speech or threats of violence of any kind."
On Tuesday, Israeli forces seized the main border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza after the IDF began evacuating civilians from the area yesterday.
Many Jewish Americans have been critical of Israel's ongoing operation in Gaza, leading protests against the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and condemning him in Congress.
Biden said his commitment to Israel was ironclad, even amid disagreements with the country's government. The U.S. government, however, has been holding up several shipments of weapons to Israel, a source told Reuters on Tuesday.
ANTISEMITISM, HATE CRIMES JUMP
Law enforcement and advocacy groups report a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks in the U.S. since Oct. 7. Some Americans favor zero-tolerance policies defining antisemitism broadly, while others see the threat of attacks against Jews being used to limit legitimate criticism of U.S. support for Israel.
"Antisemitism is reaching crisis levels in our country," said Carol Ann Schwartz, national president of Hadassah, a women's Zionist organization consulted by the White House.
Biden, who is in a tight election race for the White House with Republican rival Donald Trump, pledged to unite the country.
He said he was inspired to run by then-President Trump's response to the 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia, white nationalist rally, where marchers chanted: "Jews will not replace us." Biden now governs a country no less divided than when he took office in 2021, most statistics indicate.
The FBI reported a 36% increase in anti-Jewish hate crime incidents between 2021 and 2022, the most recent year for which data is available.
We recommend to read:
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
