Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden will speak out against anti-Semitism at a Holocaust memorial ceremony Tuesday, as tensions remain high over nationwide campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.
The speech at the US Capitol comes after Biden finally addressed the demonstrations last week, following days of silence that drew criticism from both Republicans and his fellow Democrats in an election year.
It also comes as the president warns Israel against invading the crowded Gazan city of Rafah, while pushing for a ceasefire with Hamas — which said Monday it had accepted a deal for a truce and hostage release.
In his keynote address at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual Days of Remembrance ceremony in the Capitol, Biden will “recommit to heeding the lessons of this dark chapter,” the White House said Monday.
“He will speak to the horrors of October 7 when Hamas unleashed the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“And he will speak to how since October 7, we’ve seen an alarming rise in anti-Semitism in the US — in our cities, our communities and on our campuses.”
Jewish students have reported an increase in anti-Semitism since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, and Israel’s president said last week that US campuses were “contaminated” by hatred.
Those comments came as protesters — including many Jewish students critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians — stage recurring protests against the country’s ongoing war in Gaza.
Biden “will reaffirm that we respect and protect the fundamental right to free speech,” Jean-Pierre said, while at the same time making clear “there is no place on any campus or anywhere for anti-Semitism.”
“There is no place for hate speech or threats of violence against the Jewish people.”
Protesters have said they reject alleged anti-Semetic incidents and have criticized the lack of attention given to alleged harassment of Muslim and Palestinian students.
– ‘Forcefully act’ –
Biden also discussed anti-Semitism in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, during which he pushed for Israel not to invade Rafah, according to a readout of the conversation.
The two leaders discussed the “shared commitment” of Israel and the US to remember the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust by Nazi Germany “and to forcefully act against anti-Semitism and all forms of hate-fueled violence,” it said.
Campuses across the United States have been rocked by weeks of protests against Israel’s offensive on Gaza, with police being called in to a number to dismantle encampments.
Columbia University, the epicenter of the demonstrations, on Monday canceled its main graduation ceremony as colleges seek to contain the unrest.
The prestigious Ivy League school in New York, where at least 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested last week, cited security concerns as it canceled the ceremony scheduled for May 15. Students have criticized what they say is a heavy-handed response.
After staying virtually silent on the protests, Biden insisted in a televised address last week that “order must prevail” and that there was “no place in America for anti-Semitism.”
Biden’s administration has tried to walk a fine line between free speech and complaints of intimidation.
Republicans have accused him of being soft on what they say is anti-Semitic sentiment among the protesters, while demonstrators have accused their detractors of conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.
© 2024 AFP
