Biden Pledges to Combat Antisemitism and Islamophobia Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict

President Joe Biden pledged on Monday to fight against Antisemitism and Islamophobia in the U.S. amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“To those Americans worried about violence at home, as a result of the evil acts of terror perpetrated by Hamas in Israel, we see you,” Biden said in a statement. “We hear you. … My Administration will continue to fight Antisemitism and Islamophobia.”

Biden said he has ordered Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas and Attorney General Garland to prioritize preventing threats that could harm Jewish, Muslim or Arab Americans.

A six-year-old Palestinian-American boy was killed in Illinois over the weekend. The boy, and his mother, were allegedly attacked by their landlord at their home in Plainfield, Ill. The mother survived the attack. 

The local sheriff's office said the family was targeted "due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis."

Biden's also comments came on the heels of a new annual FBI report Monday that showed a rise in Antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes.

Antisemitic hate crimes rose 25 percent from 2021 to 2022, according to statistics released by the FBI. Antisemitic hate crimes also accounted for over half of all reported religion-based hate crimes.

Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes also rose 16 percent, and Biden noted that Muslim Americans and African Americans were overrepresented among victims.Anti-Black hate crimes comprised nearly a third of the reported total hate crimes for 2022.

“The data is a reminder that hate never goes away, it only hides,” Biden said in a statement. “Any hate crime is a stain on the soul of America.”