Posted on 10/24/23
| News Source: The Hill
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday emphasized the need to speak out against antisemitism one day after she drew criticism for responding to a question about the administration’s concern about a rise in antisemitism due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In response to that question, Jean-Pierre on Monday said officials have “not seen any credible threats” before speaking about crimes targeting Muslims and Arab Americans.
On Tuesday, Jean-Pierre took to the podium at the top of the daily press briefing to address the matter.
“I want to make something clear at the top because I understand how important moral clarity is, especially at this time,” Jean-Pierre said.
“When Jews are targeted because of their beliefs or their identity, when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that is antisemitism, and that is unacceptable,” she continued. “There is no place for antisemitism full stop, period. This is important to the president, it’s important to me personally and to everyone in the administration.”
“We must all do our part and forcefully, forcefully speak out against antisemitism, and we must ensure there is no place for hate in America,” Jean-Pierre added. “Not against Jews, not against Muslims, not against Arab Americans, not against Palestinian Americans. Not against anyone.”
The press secretary’s comments appeared to be a response to some of the criticism she received over an answer during Monday’s briefing.
Jean-Pierre was asked then about the president’s level of concern with the potential rise in antisemitism in light of the terrorist attacks in Israel earlier this month. She responded that there has not been any indication of credible threats before speaking about the “disproportionate number of hate-fueled attacks” Muslims, Arab Americans and Palestinian Americans are dealing with.