President Joe Biden addressed the people of the United States on Thursday evening from the Oval Office, sending a message that all
Americans make up this country.
During his speech, Biden addressed the events that have unfolded in the wake of Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, in which thousands of rockets were fired and more than 250 people attending a music festival near the Gaza border were left dead. Over 1,000 more civilians were tortured and murdered, including babies and children
Biden addressed how a rise in “too much hate” in the U.S. in “recent years” has fueled “racism” and added that it was important to denounce both antisemitism and Islamophobia.
“We must without equivocation denounce antisemitism,” Biden said. “We must also without equivocation, denounce Islamophobia. To all of you hurting, those of you hurting, I want you to know: I see you. You belong. And, I want to say this to you, you’re all America. You’re all America.”
During his speech, Biden addressed the recent events and how many Israeli and Jewish Americans have been left feeling scared to go to school or even about their daily lives in the wake of recent events and also addressed how many Muslim Americans have been left feeling “outraged and hardened” by the recent events.
“Today, Jewish families worry about being targeted in school. Wearing symbols on their face walking down the street or going about their daily lives,” Biden said. “I know many of you in the Muslim American community, Arab American community, Palestinian American community, and so many others are outraged and hardened, saying, ‘Here we go again with Islamophobia and distrust we saw after 9/11.'”
Biden addressed recent news reports of a 6-year-old boy, Wadea Al-Fayoume from Chicago who was fatally stabbed to death by his landlord.
Wadea was stabbed 26 times and his mother suffered injuries after being stabbed roughly a dozen times, due to their Muslim faith as a result of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“A little boy, here in the United States,” Biden said. “A little boy who just turned six years old was murdered in their home outside of Chicago. His name was Wadea. Wadea, a proud American. A proud Palestinian American family.”
Biden pointed out that both Israelis and Palestinians “equally deserve to live in safety, dignity and peace.”