When US President Joe Biden arrives at the Capitol this Tuesday to honor the 6 million Jews killed eight decades ago in the Holocaust, his message will be as much about the present as it is about the past.
Biden will address the existential threats facing the Jewish people seven months after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli records, in what the president called the deadliest day for Jews since ‘Holocaust.
His speech comes as Israel’s retaliation in Gaza has killed some 35,000 people, according to health officials in the enclave, left many of the region’s 2.3 million Palestinians on the brink of starvation and sparked protests in the United States calling for withdrawal of universities and the Biden government. support for Israel.
Israel vowed on Monday to press ahead with an offensive against Rafah in southern Gaza, which risks triggering new difficulties for the Palestinians.
Speaking on Capitol Hill in a keynote address for the annual commemoration of the National Days of Remembrance at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Biden will aim to cool an increasingly contentious debate in the United States over Jewish security, Zionism, freedom of word and support for the Israelis, in the country with the largest Jewish population after Israel.
Many American Jews have criticized Israeli attacks on Gaza, prompting protests against the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and condemnation of the premier in Congress.
Meanwhile, advocacy groups report a sharp increase in anti-Semitic attacks in the United States since October 7, as well as anti-Muslim attacks. Some Americans favor zero-tolerance policies that define anti-Semitism broadly, others see the threat of attacks on Jews used to limit legitimate criticism of U.S. support for Israel.
Biden, who has mostly avoided talking about the campus demonstrations or protests over his support for Israel that have dogged him for months, will speak on the issue on Tuesday for the second time in five days. He will condemn the rise of anti-Semitism while affirming his support for freedom of expression, his spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday.
It’s also an important political moment for Biden, who is in a tight race with Republican rival Donald Trump. The president could lose crucial support from younger Democrats because of his support for Israel, members of his party say.
Biden has pledged to unite the country and said he was inspired to run for president in 2020 by Trump’s response to the extremist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, where protesters chanted “Jews will not replace us.”
Trump, on the other hand, has sought to exploit divisions among Democrats over Israel’s response and the expansion of campus protests to improve his support among Jewish voters, who traditionally vote Democratic.
The former president and the Republican Party have argued that the protests are motivated by anti-Semitism and that Biden has failed to protect Jewish students on campus.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
