VICTOR JOECKS: Biden puts ‘Death to America’ crowd over Israel

To win re-election, Joe Biden is pandering to those chanting “Death to America.” If only that were an exaggeration.

In early April, a crowd gathered for Al Quds Day, which is an event created by Iran to attack Israel. From the podium, Tarek Bazzi, quoting Malcom X, denounced America as “ ‘one of the rottenest countries that has ever existed on this Earth.’ ” Further, he said, “It’s not Genocide Joe that has to go, it’s the entire system that has to go.”

At one point, some people in the crowd chanted, “Death to America. Death to America.”

America’s supposed crime is its support for Israel, our best ally in the Middle East. It’s an outpost of Western civilization in an area that’s generally hostile to it. Many Muslims in the countries surrounding Israel hate Jews and would gleefully murder any Jew if they had the chance.

That isn’t hyperbole. Those in the Gaza Strip celebrated Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, which slaughtered around 1,200 Israelis. A March poll of those in the Gaza Strip and West Bank found 71 percent supported the attack. A majority of respondents also said they wanted Hamas to remain in power.

A video of this chant would be disturbing enough if it came out of Iran. But it didn’t. Those screaming “Death to America” stood in Dearborn, Michigan.

That should set off alarm bells. On 9/11, Islamic terrorists motivated by that sentiment murdered almost 3,000 Americans. Subsequent Islamist terror attacks haven’t been as deadly, but they’ve resulted in dozens of murdered Americans. Let’s hope the FBI spends at least as much time investigating these Islamist radicals as it did probing parents speaking out at school board meetings.

But direct physical violence isn’t the only concern. The United States elects its leaders by popular vote. A group that wants “Death to America” could use political pressure to achieve its goals electorally. Notice this is one time when Democrats don’t mention the need to separate church and state.

It’s happening. In an alliance of convenience, many Muslim activists and critical race theory adherents are attacking Biden for his support of Israel. Anti-Israeli hecklers regularly interrupt Biden’s campaign events. Large anti-Israel protests have taken place in numerous major cities. Muslims leaders are refusing to meet with Biden.

The place this matters most is Michigan. It’s a must-win state for Biden that he won by fewer than 155,000 votes in 2020. It’s home to more than 200,000 Muslim voters. Muslim activists are running an “Abandon Biden” campaign over his support for Israel.

Instead of brushing aside these radicals, Biden is actively trying to appease them. He recently called for Israel to agree to a weekslong cease-fire with Hamas. Only later did White House officials clarify that it had to include the release of hostages. He has attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, especially after the Israeli military mistakenly killed seven aid workers. That’s the type of tragedy that happens when terrorists hide among civilians. It’s not unprecedented either. Recall when a U.S. drone strike mistakenly killed 10 people in Kabul in 2021.

What’s happening in the Gaza Strip is the fault of Hamas, not Israel. The war wouldn’t have started if Hamas didn’t attack. The war would be over if Hamas surrendered and released the hostages. Hamas chooses to hide among civilian populations, in part knowing Western governments will use the resulting civilian deaths to pressure Israel to relent.

And if all that wasn’t enough, the pro-Hamas side is literally chanting “Death to America” — in America.

If Biden believes his re-election chances rest on getting votes from that crowd, he should run for office in Gaza, not the United States.

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.