Speaker 1 (00:00):
President Netanyahu and I discussed again yesterday, the critical need for Israel to operate by the laws of war. That means protecting civilians in combat as best as they can. The people of Gaza urgently need food, water in medicine. Yesterday, in discussions with the leaders of Israel and Egypt, I secured an agreement for the first shipment of humanitarian assistance from the United Nations to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. If Hamas does not divert or steal this shipment, these shipments, we’re going to provide an opening for sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians. And as I said in Israel, as hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace. We cannot give up on a two-state solution. Israel and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity, and peace. And here at home, we have to be honest with ourselves. In recent years, too much hate has given too much oxygen, fueling racism, the rise of antisemitism, Islamicphobia right here in America.
(01:07)
It’s also intensified in the wake of recent events that led to the horrific threats and attacks that both shock us and break our hearts. On October 7th, terror attacks have triggered deep scars and terrible memories in the Jewish community. Today, Jewish families worried about being targeted in school, wearing symbols of their face walking down the street, or going out about their daily lives. 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 and [inaudible 00:01:44], saying to yourselves, “Here we go again with Islamophobia and distrust we saw after 9/11.” Just last week, a mother was brutally stabbed. A little boy here in the United States, 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.
(02:13)
We can’t stand by and stand silent when this happens. We must, without equivocation, denounce antisemitism. We must also, without equivocation, denounce Islamophobia. And to all you hurting, those of you’re 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. In moments like these, when fear and suspicion, anger and rage run hard, then we have to work harder than ever to hold onto the values that make us who we are. We’re a nation of religious freedom, freedom of expression. We all have a right to debate and disagree without fear of being targeted in schools or workplaces or in our communities.
(03:01)
I must renounce violence and vitriol, see each other not as enemies but as fellow Americans. When I was in Israel yesterday, I said that when America experienced the hell of 9/11, we felt enraged as well. While we sought and got justice, we made mistakes. So I caution the government of Israel not to be blinded by rage. And here in America, let us not forget who we are. We reject all forms, all forms of hate, whether against Muslim, Jews, or anyone.