'About time': Biden slammed for delayed response to 'ferocious surge of antisemitism' across US campuses

WASHINGTON, DC: On Tuesday, May 7, during an event hosted by DC’s Holocaust Museum at the US Capitol, President Joe Biden delivered a speech expressing his unwavering support for Israel, per the New York Post.

In his most pro-Israel speech in months, the 81-year-old incumbent condemned the recent surge of antisemitism within the United States and criticized anti-Israel protesters on college campuses who overlook the fact that Hamas' October 7 attack had triggered the war in the Middle East.

Moreover, President Biden pledged his "ironclad" support to the Jewish state, highlighting the United States’ steadfast commitment to maintaining a strong relationship with Israel.

However, reports have emerged that his administration will halt shipments of precision bombs to deter an Israeli offensive against Rafah, the final major area of Hamas control. 

What did President Joe Biden say in his address at the Capitol event?

In his 15-minute speech, President Biden said, “We’ve seen a ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and around the world — vicious propaganda on social media, Jews forced to hide their kippahs under baseball hats, tuck their Jewish stars into their shirts.”

“On college campuses, Jewish students [have been] blocked, harassed, attacked while walking to class — antisemitic posters, slogans calling for the annihilation of Israel — the world’s only Jewish state,” he claimed.

“Too many people [are] denying downplaying, rationalizing and ignoring the horrors of the Holocaust and October 7, including Hamas’s appalling use of sexual violence to torture and terrorize Jews. It’s absolutely despicable and it must stop,” the Democrat added.

Biden has been criticized by many anti-Israel protesters who have dubbed him "Genocide Joe" for his stance on the Gaza conflict.

The president has accused Israel of not doing enough to prevent the killing of civilians and aid workers in Gaza over the past few months.

Recently, however, the Commander-in-Chief has reverted to a more pro-Israel stance, blaming Hamas for initiating the seven-month-long war.

“The terrorist group Hamas unleashed the deadliest day of the Jewish people since the Holocaust, driven by ancient desire to wipe out the Jewish people off the face of the earth,” he said.

Biden continued, “Over 1,200 innocent people — babies, parents, grandparents — slaughtered in their kibbutz, massacred at a music festival, brutally raped, mutilated, and sexually assaulted.”

“Thousands more [are] carrying wounds, bullets and shrapnel from the memory of that terrible day they endured. Hundreds [were] taken hostage, including survivors of the [Holocaust]. 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 — that it was Hamas that brutalized Israelis, that it was Hamas that took and continues to hold hostages. I have not forgotten, nor have you and we will not forget,” he declared.

Biden stated, “My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad, even when we disagree.”

In October of last year, Biden discredited the terror group's death toll data from inside Gaza as propaganda, but in February, he seemed to embrace those figures as he increased pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, nearly 35,000 people have died in the territory of 2 million.

Biden publicly criticized the Israeli operation in Gaza, calling it "over the top," and warned Netanyahu not to invade Rafah, where officials believe more than 1 million Gaza residents are living.

Polling suggests that Biden's re-election is at risk due to pushback from key Democratic constituencies, such as younger voters, Arab Americans, and Muslim Americans, while Netanyahu has consequently been pushing back on Biden's growing criticism against the Israeli Defense Forces’ offensive in Gaza.

Internet slams Joe Biden for delayed response to rise of antisemitism in campuses

One X user remarked, "Can't keep playing both sides, eventually law and order will have to be restored."

Another user said, "Haha. What a spineless coward. He's only saying this now because Israel already went into Rafa even though he asked them not to. He knows he looks impotent."

Another user wrote, "Sure he does... Biden just realized the Jews have turned on him and his Democrats."

One X user claimed, "He betrayed them, and then he sticks up for them! Wow!"

Another user remarked, "It’s about time. Guess he’s terrified about losing the Jewish vote."

Finally, this user tweeted, "He says he’s with Israel, but won’t send the aid. I don’t believe anything this administration says. They tried to pull a fast one on Israel yesterday about Hamas accepting the hostage deal."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.