By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday separately met US leaders from the Jewish as well as Arab and Palestinian-American communities amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, according to a statement by the State Department.
THE TAKE
Blinken’s community outreach comes in response to growing concerns about increased instances of Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Palestinian threats and hate speech in the United States due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
President Joe Biden, in his Oval Office address on Thursday night, called on Americans to actively reject such sentiments.
KEY QUOTES
Blinken “strongly condemned racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic, and anti-Palestinian incidents” during his meetings on Monday, as stated by the State Department. He emphasized that there is no place for hate in America or anywhere else.
Furthermore, he condemned Hamas for its attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people. He reiterated the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.
In addition, Blinken made it clear during the meetings that Washington supports the Palestinian people and the two-state solution, and emphasized that Hamas does not represent the Palestinians, according to the State Department.
CONTEXT
In response to the ongoing conflict, Israel has launched heavy airstrikes on Hamas-governed Gaza, with local officials reporting over 5,000 Palestinian fatalities. Gaza is a narrow strip of land, 45 km-long (25-mile), housing a population of 2.3 million people, and has been under the political rule of Hamas, an Iran-backed Islamist group, since 2007. The region also faces a blockade by Israel.
The U.S. Justice Department has noted an increase in reported threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities.
Earlier this month, the FBI announced an investigation into the stabbing death of 6-year-old Muslim boy Wadea Al-Fayoume in Illinois, treating it as a hate crime. Authorities stated that the boy and his mother were targeted due to their Palestinian American background.
Last week, a North Carolina man was charged with sending a threatening message to a Jewish organization.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Michael Perry)
