Townhall has been covering ever since the October 7 terrorist attack that Hamas perpetrated against Israel how lacking White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been on her answers to do with the rise in anti-semitism and pro-Hamas sentiments the country has seen since. As it turns out, though, she's not the only one who is a problem. Vice President Kamala Harris gave a troubling response about the Israel-Hamas war when taking questions from reporters during her visit to the Vietnam War Memorial in South Carolina.
"This is obviously a time of significant unrest and angst for many Americans as we see war in the Middle East. What is your and the President's message to those, especially those we see protesting across the country right now," a reporter asked Harris.
"Well, first of all, people have a right to protest, we are a democracy and we should value the voices and listen to the voices. And so I start with that and there's no question that for most people who are aware of what's happening, our hearts are heavy," the vice president tellingly began her response with.
The pro-Hamas protests going on around the country and around the world have shown displays not only of vile anti-semitism, but criminal behavior. It was after Harris took this question that pro-Hamas agitators tried to storm Grand Central Station. Protesers also removed flags on the city streets--on Veteran's Day no less--to substitute the Palestinian flag.
But, the pro-Hamas protests that devolved into defacing statues in Lafayette Park and resulted in agitators trying to storm the White House gate did occur before Harris began by stressing the right to protest, as if these were peaceful people with peaceful goals in mind.
Harris continued her response by noting "it's very difficult, it's a very difficult time to see what has happened, particularly to innocent civilians. Be they the 1,200 or 1,400 that were slaughtered as a result of the terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel or the innocent Palestinian lives, and including obviously the children. So it's a very difficult time," she stressed.
Her remarks on the protests weren't the only troubling ones she made, though.
"And what I hope is that we can engage in conversation and discourse in a way that understands this is not binary, and that appreciates that we are talking about real human beings. Um, we're talking about real fear, not to mention what it means in our own country in terms of long standing issues with anti-semitism, which has been on the rise even before this happened, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate against people just simply based on who they are or how they pray. So, thank you."
Kamala Harris on recent anti-Israel protests: "What I hope is that we can engage in conversation and discourse in a way that understands this is not binary" pic.twitter.com/aQ8cwWSgt5
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 10, 2023
There's a lot to unpack there. First of all, most of these agitators who are anti-semitic, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas are not looking for a "conversation and discouse" and will likely not want to "understand" anything. Hamas terrorists have made it quite clear that their mission is to eradicate Jews and the state of Israel. Plus, plenty of anti-semitic people, whether they're marching in the streets, causing disruptions on college campuses, posting their garbage takes on social media or ripping down posters of Israelis held hostage, are completely ignorant about what's going on in the region, presently or ever since the state of Israel was founded.
It's actually a simple enough situation, in that Hamas attacked on October 7 and Israel is responding to get back the over 200 hostages and get rid of the terrorists so that this cannot happen again. Our ally in the Middle East has the right to exist and the right to defend itself.
And of course, Harris would mention Islamophobia to tie-in with anti-semitism, just as Jean-Pierre and this administration as a whole has done. A few weeks ago, an announcement was made as the Biden administration heralded the "First-Ever National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia." Jean-Pierre released a statement and Harris posted a video message.
The world is watching how President Joe Biden and his administration react, and so it's all been marred by slow reactions as well as a failure of priorities.
It's not just that people are outraged, though they certainly are. The NYPD crime statistics also don't support the narrative that hate crimes against Jews and Muslims need to be group together. As our sister site of Twitchy highlighted on Friday, the numbers for October showed that of the 101 recorded hate crimes, 69 targeted Jews. At this time in 2022, there had been 22 crimes targeting Jews, for an increase in 214 percent. There were 8 recorded hate crimes against Muslims in October.
The city needs an emergency Islamophobia commission, stat https://t.co/sWLAC6yBwu
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 10, 2023
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is in disarray when members, especially those in the Squad can't be bothered to have an honest take on the situation as they themselves spew anti-Israeli narratives. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was censured last week, in part for sharing a video where she called out Biden and which featured the genocidal call of "from the river to the sea," which she has doubled down on in sticking by.
Muslim-Americans, including and especially in Michigan--have threatened to withhold their support for Biden in 2024. The party risks alienating Jewish elected officials and voters though, even as Jews overwhelmingly consider themselves to be Democrats.
The Hill on Friday covered the disarray, "Emotional clashes over Israel torment House Democrats: 'It’s hell.'"
It's not a pretty picture right now, and Harris' answer provides zero confidence that the Demicratic Party can get its act together.
From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate. My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) November 3, 2023
Democrat Rashida Tlaib says the phrase "from the river to the sea" is actually about "peaceful coexistence" pic.twitter.com/vdw4Pe5TRV
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 9, 2023
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