“I condemn the antisemitic protests…” President Joe Biden told reporters after days of anti-Jewish demonstrations at Columbia University and other Ivy League schools. “I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians…”
Any morally clearheaded American already has a very good idea of what’s going on. Biden is bothsidesing the actions of keffiyeh-wearing terror cheerleaders on Columbia’s Gaza Quad — who target American Jews who have absolutely no bearing on Israel’s actions — with those who refuse to accept the blood libel of “genocide” in Gaza. It is the kind of odious moral relativism one expects to hear from a “Squad” member or clout-chasing far-right “influencer,” not the president.
Hamas, the governing authority in an autonomous Gaza — still supported widely by the Palestinian people — flooded over the border on Oct. 7, 2023, raping, murdering and kidnapping more than a thousand men, women and children in Israel, including American citizens. Afterward, Hamas retreated and hid among civilians to generate as many Palestinian martyrs as possible. The Israelis retaliated against this nihilistic death cult, keeping the civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio lower than perhaps any other instance of modern urban warfare.
That’s what’s going on. But because a not-insignificant contingent on the contemporary Left is now both antisemitic and anti-“colonialist,” the president demanded Israel stop before the job was done. And he is willing to sell out a longtime ally and forsake the lives of American hostages to try to entice the votes in Jew-hating enclaves like Dearborn, Michigan, Yale University and The Washington Post newsroom.
A number of people have pointed out the similarities between Biden’s condemnations and former President Donald Trump’s post-Charlottesville, Virginia, march “very fine people” comment. It’s a good gotcha. After all, Biden has risibly claimed that Trump’s comments impelled him to run for president (for the third time).
There is, however, a key difference. Trump’s garbled line was almost surely not aimed at tiki-torch neo-Nazis. Believe what you like about Trump’s motivations, but he also later unequivocally condemned the white supremacists on more than one occasion. Biden, on the other hand, can’t even get himself to call out brownshirts without throwing them a bone.
Also, incidentally, unlike the nuts in Virginia, these people will be working at our top law firms, in media organizations and in the State Department. Oh, the president also wants you to pay their loans.
Earlier, The Washington Post, like most outlets, claimed that “Biden denounces antisemitism on college campuses amid Yale, Columbia protests.” While technically true, the framing ignores the president’s equivocation. The denouncement was a pro forma White House Passover press release that spent as much space prattling on about a two-state solution as it did the “protests.” For comparison, Biden’s Ramadan press release noted the “terrible suffering on the Palestinian people,” repeated fake Hamas causality numbers and condemned “Islamophobia,” but said nothing about the widespread outbreak of antisemitism.
Then again, Democrats are increasingly incapable of even talking about antisemitism without diluting any condemnation with mention of “Islamophobia.”
You might recall a few years back a certain Democratic congresswoman was going on about “Benjamin”-grubbing rootless cosmopolitans hypnotizing the world for their evil. After a handful of Jewish Democrats complained about her rhetoric, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally agreed to pass a resolution condemning Rep. Ilhan Omar. By the end of debate, of course, the resolution was teeming with platitudes and condemnations of a rainbow of thought crimes, with references to Alfred Dreyfus, Leo Frank, Henry Ford and “anti-Muslim bigotry,” but not Omar.
“We all have a responsibility to speak out against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and all forms of hatred and bigotry, especially as we see a spike in hate crimes in America,” is how Sen. Kamala Harris whitewashed the rising anti-Jewish pronouncements of her party. Which is to say, for years now, Democrats have been downplaying antisemitism as it creeped into college campuses, Congress, the Women’s March, Black Lives Matter, and now the mainstream.
And now, here we are. We have a president who can’t make a moral distinction between bigots and their targets.
David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of five books — the most recent, “Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent.” His work has appeared in National Review, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reason, New York Post and numerous other publications. Follow him on Twitter @davidharsanyi.
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With about 2 billion people following Islam, why would they have a problem with such a tiny fraction of Jews (only 15 million) inhabiting the earth? Bullies…
Biden listens to the likes of AOC, so it’s no wonder he’s all over the place on whom to support or how to do it. He can’t think clearly no matter who’s whispering in his ear. As far as I’m concerned, Netanyahu should proceed without haste in destroying the evil Hamas. The fact that Palestinians will lose their lives is a consequence of war, and a consequence of whom they voted for to represent them. There is no peaceful resolution to this conflict if Hamas is still alive.
Two more cents (before AMAC censors me?)–college campuses letting Hamas supporters continue to protest and harass Jews should be defunded. No more “48 hours” to vacate–get the police and the National Guard to escort them off the campuses NOW. This is intolerable! And charge George Soros with whatever it takes to prevent him and his groups from causing this kind of disruption ever again.
HEY DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE!! How about investigating these protestors like you did High School parents at local school board meetings? … yea … we know why. MAGA2024!
Speaking of oct 7
i want to congratulate the IDF on leveling Gaza. Now you can go after hamas lol
There are some “very fine people” who understand that we all would be safer with “President” Biden in a straight-jacket.
When Trump said that about the “white supremes” v the “anti-white supremes” he was almost drummed off the plane especially by the so-called media and all their alphabets!!
Same thing Trump said about the Charlottesville debacle, except murderous terrorism wasn’t involved as it is with the genocidal terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which was all one sided. So, who exactly is running the country, and did they orchestrate Charlottesville and the genocidal terrorist attack on Israel as well?
Does anyone care what Joe Buttkisser thinks??? His brain is dead and he no longer thinks!
Time for this illegitimate clown and his administration to vacate the office and find shelter at GTMO!! We cannot get Trump back in office soon enough. Thank God, he is still our Commander In Chief!
The American People know what’s going on over there, Joe. There is a war going on. And in any war, there is sadly and unfortunately collateral damage. Isreal gave those people weeks to evacuate the area of conflict , but Hamas preferred they stay as human sheilds., and social fodder for the liberal idiots (in the states and elsewhere) to control them to , and the narrative in the states.
Biden doesn’t want to lose the Muslim vote. Why would anyone care what biden says based on his history of lying over the decades? Why would any Jewish person be a democrat?
Hmmm, when Trump said that he was called a racist. So now Joe Biden is a racist.Interesting…….
Goes Both ways OK
I’m at the point with this administration and government overall to say there are NOT good people on both sides. Congress is full of money grubbing, power hungry jackals and the current administration is hell bent on destroying the nation.
Failing to reboot the entire federal government in Nov/Jan will be a disaster.
Hamas has no goo people on that side when you look at the atrocities they committed on Oct 7th. Their goals do not follow the Ten Commandments.
Since when are terrorists “good people”, Joe?????
He’ll take votes from terrorists, communists, nazi’s, etc. This administration and the left have no shame.
Yeah I’m sure people that do armed robberies have a similar sob story to tell as well, huh, Joe? Better not lock them up; they’re victims!
That demented idiot needs to be in a rest home. Kyle L.
When President Trump said the exact same thing almost word for word. Trump was crucified by the main stream media.
There’s no such thing as fine a fine person that supports rape and kidnapping and toucher.
Palestinians are not treated with respect and kindness by the Jew. (Israel) This treatment poorly the Palestinian has created this anti-Jewish demonstrations here in America and the world. The Jew has brought the hate against themselves by their treatment of the Palestinian people since the Jewish state was created in 1948 What you sow will come back to you. Vet and Christian.