President Biden, who has remained relatively quiet personally during protests on college campuses in recent days, will next week address anti-Semitic protests at an annual “Day of Remembrance” ceremony hosted by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The White House announced Wednesday that he plans to speak out against the doctrine.
While his press secretary has condemned violence and anti-Semitism on campus, Mr. Biden has made little effort to personally address the anti-Israel protests that have roiled universities across the country. The move has drawn criticism from Republicans and frustrated some Democrats who want Biden to show more public leadership. .
Biden is scheduled to visit the Capitol on Tuesday to deliver the keynote address at the Holocaust Museum's annual event to remember the Nazis' efforts to exterminate Europe's Jews. “The president will also discuss our moral obligation to combat the scourge of anti-Semitism,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
Jean-Pierre said the Biden-Harris administration was committed to combating anti-Semitism even before the start of the Gaza war, in which the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack killed 1,200 people in Israel and killed an estimated 34,000. He pointed out that the country had formulated a national strategy to . The goal of the initiative is to “make the promise of never again a reality,” she said.
But in response to repeated questions from reporters, Jean-Pierre asked why Biden would take his own stance on campus unrest that led to suspensions and arrests, including a nationally televised police raid Tuesday night. Maybe he didn't speak up more or give an explanation. He cleared a Columbia University building occupied by protesters. “No president has spoken more forcefully about combating anti-Semitism than this president,” she said.
Biden has not made any public comments since last week, when he briefly said that while he condemned “anti-Semitic protests,” he also condemned “people who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians.” Although not, this reaction shocked critics and even some allies as an ambiguous expression that did not fit the moment. Since then, Mr. Biden has trusted his aides to represent him, seeking to balance protesters' free speech rights with a rejection of violence and anti-Semitic rhetoric.
“Americans have the right to peacefully protest as long as it is within the law and peacefully,” Jean-Pierre said. “Forcibly occupying a building is not peaceful. That's not the case. Students have a right to feel safe. They have a right to learn. They have a right to do this without disruption.”
Former Rep. Ted Deutch, a Democrat from Florida and now chief executive of the American Jewish Committee, said it was important for Mr. Biden to publicly condemn anti-Semitism, which is expected next week. He said he was happy to hear the speech. “I hope the president speaks as boldly and forcefully as is needed in this moment,” Deutsch told Julie Mason on Sirius/XM radio.
The Republican Party has criticized former President Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, for his history of meeting with known anti-Semites, denying support, and making comments of pity and envy about Adolf. Nevertheless, he has worked hard to capitalize on this by positioning himself as a champion of Jewish Americans. Hitler.
Republicans seek to foist anti-Semitism on Biden even as campus demonstrators protesting his support for Israel's war against Hamas label him 'Massacre Joe' It is said that
“This is not the time for politics. This is not the time for vague arguments,” Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday on NewsNation. “This is not a gray area. There is right and wrong here, and the president of the United States should speak out about that.”
Aiming to pressure Democrats, Mr. Johnson on Wednesday voted in the House of Commons on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and requiring the Department of Education to use the definition of anti-Semitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Ta.
It passed with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 320-91, with 70 Democrats and 21 Republicans voting against it. The large number of Democrats' “no” votes disappointed some in the party, who feared it would give the impression that Republicans were not serious about anti-Semitism.