Biden faces huge test with anti-Semitism speech at Holocaust remembrance ... trends now
President Joe Biden will condemn anti-semitism during a speech at a Holocaust remembrance ceremony on Capitol Hill Tuesday, as he tries to balance his support for Israel's war with concern for the citizens of Gaza.
Biden's speech comes at a critical time: Israel has sent tanks into Rafah and taken control of the Gaza side of a crossing to Egypt that is a major conduit for humanitarian aid. And, in the U.S., college campuses have been rocked by pro-Palestinian protests with some schools canceling commencement addresses as the demonstrates grow anti-semitic.
'You can expect the president to make clear that during these sacred days of remembrance, we honor the memory of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust and recommit to heeding the lessons of this dark chapter. Never again,' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday.
Israeli tanks cross into Rafah in the Gaza strip
The president has struggled to balance his support for Israel after the October 7th attack by Hamas - the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust - with his efforts to protect the civilian population of Palestine.
About a million refugees have crowded into Rafah. Biden on Monday warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against a full-scale assault on the area but Israeli forces moved forward anyway.
Progressives have urged the president to do more to help the Palestinian refugees.
And young voters, a key constituency for Biden, have expressed their dissatisfaction with the war.
As the issue grows more contested, some protests on campuses have started to feature antisemitic chants and threats toward Jewish students.
Biden will address the issue.
The president 'will speak to how since October 7th, we´ve seen an alarming rise in antisemitism in the U.S. and our cities, our communities and on our campuses,' Jean-Pierre said.
About 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to health authorities. And many of the area's 2.3 million people on the brink of starvation, with the UN worried about famine conditions.
Biden himself has faced protesters at his public events with many of them calling him 'Genocide Joe.'
He has spoken little on the protesters that follow him and those who have been disrupting college campuses. More than 2,000 people have been arrested on university campuses since April 18.
'There's the right to protest but not the right to cause chaos,' he said last
