After initial silence, President Joe Biden condemned the attacks against Jewish communities in the U.S., calling for an end to the violence Monday.
The rise in anti-Semitic attacks across the country coincided with an explosion of conflict between Israel and militants in Gaza earlier in May. The Biden administration spent time pushing “quiet, intensive diplomacy” with the Middle East in an effort to end the violence, the White House noted at the time.
At the same time, the president appeared to initially neglect addressing violence within his own country. He finally referred to the violence Monday and called the attacks “despicable” while urging Americans “to give hate no safe harbor.”
“The recent attacks on the Jewish community are despicable, and they must stop,” Biden tweeted. “I condemn this hateful behavior at home and abroad — it’s up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor.” (RELATED: Joe Biden Remains Silent On Wave Of Anti-Semitic Crimes In US)
The recent attacks on the Jewish community are despicable, and they must stop. I condemn this hateful behavior at home and abroad — it’s up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 24, 2021
The White House initially referred the Caller to tweets from Domestic Policy Adviser Susan Rice when asked about the president’s silence May 21. In tweets written after the publication of an article examining the president’s lack of response, Rice wrote that “we don’t tolerate hate in America” and cited the recent COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act as an opportunity “to prevent and respond to hate crimes of all kinds.”
Critics the Caller spoke to previously expressed frustration at Biden’s lack of response. Michael Makovsky, president and CEO of the D.C.-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), said he believes “a lot of Jews are starting to feel that their lives are seen as cheap in recent years” and said Biden should “absolutely” speak out.
John Hannah, JINSA’s senior fellow and former security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney, called on Biden “to speak out forcefully” and said the administration’s silence “has been disappointing and a missed opportunity.”