President Joe Biden has blunted backlash from pro-Israel critics on both sides of the aisle for his handling of rising antisemitism in the United States, at least for now.
Biden condemned what he called a “ferocious surge” of antisemitism during a Holocaust remembrance ceremony Tuesday at the Capitol and reaffirmed his administration’s support for Israel amid rising tension with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
His remarks came after calls for weeks to more forcefully address antisemitism and hate speech in response to pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the country, some of which have been violent and included antisemitism.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), a staunch Israel supporter and critic of Biden, said the president “spoke with moral clarity on the scourge of antisemitism.”
“The president’s unequivocal condemnation of antisemitism — wherever it arises — underscores his fundamental decency,” Torres said in a statement. “We cannot allow antisemitism to fester in our society.”
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), a Jewish critic of Biden, praised him for a “powerful condemnation of antisemitism and your commitment to the safety of Jews worldwide.”
Biden’s speech was given for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Days of Remembrance to honor the memory of the 6 million Jews killed in the 1940s.
“The Jewish community, I want you to know: I see your fear, your hurt, your pain,” he said. “Let me reassure you, as your president, you’re not alone. You belong. You always have and you always will. And my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad even when we disagree.”
Many senators, Republicans and Democrats alike, said they were either unaware of the event or had not seen Biden’s remarks, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is Jewish. He has sided with pro-Palestinian voices and urged the administration to rethink its support of Israel because it could become Biden’s Vietnam as a foreign policy crisis.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) accused college administrators and local officials in towns facing unrest over demonstrations of failing to heed Biden’s calls for law and order.
“In the face of a mob that increasingly represents their political base, elected leaders have shrunk from their duty to ensure that the order President Biden referenced last week actually prevails,” McConnell said.
The Biden administration is reportedly withholding the delivery of U.S. ammunition to Israel as the ally prepares a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, that critics fear could worsen the humanitarian situation. The administration has not denied the move, fueling additional criticism from lawmakers.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who’s been saddled with names by progressives like “genocide promoter” for his staunch support of Israel, declined to “make a judgment” on Biden’s Holocaust remembrance speech but told the Washington Examiner that he “strongly disagrees” with withholding ammunition.
“That’s a mistake, and we should reverse that,” Fetterman said.
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Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) viewed Biden’s rhetoric on Israel and antisemitism as positive but said his “actions and words don’t jive.”
“He’s done this before, where he says he supports Israel but then he funds Iran,” Marshall told the Washington Examiner. “I appreciate the kind words, but I think his actions need to line up, and they don’t. The latest action is diverting weapons that should be going to Israel, most likely sending those to Ukraine, but we know for sure he stopped them.”
