Biden’s wrong: It’s not Islamophobic to condemn jihadist terrorism | Opinion

President Joe Biden showed strength in some areas In a televised Oval Office address Thursday night on the war in Israel, condemning Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But he spent a lot of time warning Americans against Islamophobia, demonstrating a lack of empathy for the devastating reality in Israel.

“Today, Jewish families worried about being targeted in school, wearing symbols of their faith walking down the street or going out about their daily lives,” Biden said in a rare primetime address from the Oval Office. “And I know many of you in the Muslim-American community, the Arab-American community, the Palestinian-American community, and so many others, are outraged, saying to yourself, here we go again with Islamophobia and distrust we saw after 9/11.”

Of course, it’s important that Americans beware of and call out any bigotry, including Islamophobia and blatant xenophobia, but that’s not largely what’s circulating in the U.S. right now. Anti-Israeli sentiment and, in many cases, downright antisemitism are the bigger problems.

More groups on college campuses have refused to condemn terrorists, more donors are pulling their funding from reputable universities propping up antisemitism, and there’s been more marches supporting Palestine, with people chanting “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free” than there have been the reverse — groups denouncing the blatant antisemitism on display through Hamas.

America and the world just watched as Hamas, self-dubbed jihadists, systematically raped Israeli women, beheaded Israeli babies, abducted Israeli children and burned Israeli homes. The death toll is now at 1,400 Israelis. At least 13 Americans are hostages in the Gaza Strip. Americans are right to condemn this, and doing so should not be confused with Islamophobia.

Israel just experienced its own 9/11, many times over in fact, when accounting for its much smaller population. Imagine people telling Americans after 9/11 that after more than a dozen or so jihadists targeted the World Trade Center towers, the White House, and the Pentagon, they shouldn’t seek to go after those responsible. Of course, only the deranged wanted to target innocent Muslims, but Americans were rightfully angry with the Taliban and al-Qaeda. That wrath was rooted not in bigotry but righteous indignation. And so it is with the people of Israel.

There’s nothing wrong with encouraging Americans to be mindful of bigotry and to respect other people’s beliefs, but a few days after Israel’s worst terrorist attack since the Holocaust, that should be the focus. Politicians are often masters of the art of appeasement, but this effort made Biden look like a man trying to serve two masters.

It’s especially surprising given that Biden condemned Hamas within 24 hours of the attack. As Ecclesiastes says, there is a time for everything under the sun: Now isn’t the time to scold Americans for wanting to condemn antisemitism and terrorism.

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