Biden denounces antisemitism following ‘brutal’ Hamas assault

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day, cautioning against the increasing antisemitism following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and the attempts to downplay the event.

Biden, who introduced the first U.S. national strategy to counter antisemitism in May 2023, emphasized the importance of remembering the Holocaust and the rise of antisemitism after the Hamas attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, the largest loss of life on a single day since Israel’s founding in 1948.

Biden stated, “In the aftermath of Hamas’s vicious massacre, we have seen a concerning rise in despicable antisemitism at home and abroad, reflecting painful scars from millennia of hate and genocide against Jewish people. This is unacceptable.”

He also called for a forceful pushback against Holocaust denialism and efforts to minimize the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, including the use of rape and sexual violence to terrorize victims.

U.N. experts have demanded accountability for sexual violence against Israeli civilians during the Oct. 7 attacks, including allegations of rape, mutilations, and gunshots to genital areas, which Hamas denies.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in November described the rise in antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war as a “five-alarm fire” that threatens the safety of Jews worldwide and the future of Israel.

Biden affirmed that his administration continues to condemn and combat antisemitism while working to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, who kidnapped about 240 individuals on October 7. He urged Americans to play their part in combating hate in all its forms.

“It is our shared moral responsibility to stand up to antisemitism and hate-fueled violence at home and abroad and to make real the promise of ‘Never Again,'” Biden stated.

Biden, a devout Catholic born during World War Two, mentioned taking his own children and grandchildren to a German concentration camp to demonstrate “the depth of this antisemitic evil and the complicity of silence or indifference.”

Rights groups have reported significant increases in both antisemitic and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim incidents since October 7.

The White House in November stated that it is also developing a national strategy to combat Islamophobia.

However, some Muslim-Americans remain skeptical due to Biden’s continued political and financial support for Israel’s assault on Gaza and his failure to call for a ceasefire.

The Biden administration has rejected calls for a ceasefire but is urging Israel and Hamas to pause the fighting to allow the release of hostages and humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.