Joe Biden's 'Zionist' Declaration Sparks Backlash

Joe Biden has been met with criticism and support alike after reaffirming his commitment to Zionism.

The president held a Hanukkah reception for some 800 people at the White House on Monday night to celebrate the eight-day Jewish festival, which this year began on December 7 and is observed with a nightly lighting of a menorah.

There, he pledged to continue supporting Israel in its war with Hamas and said that a "surge of antisemitism" around the globe "is sickening."

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, which prompted the Israelis to carry out extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive against the militants in Gaza. Incidences of anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate alike have since increased.

Biden said he was a Zionist, defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as "an international movement originally for the establishment of a Jewish national or religious community in Palestine and later for the support of modern Israel," adding: "You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist and I'm a Zionist."

He was met by loud cheers in the room in response.

While he doesn't always agree with Israel's policies, he added: "Were there no Israel, there would not be a Jew in the world who is safe."

"We continue to provide military assistance until they get rid of Hamas but we have to be careful," Biden said. "The whole world, public opinion can shift overnight. We can't let that happen."

After his remarks were reported, people on X, formerly Twitter signaled their disagreement.

Newsweek has contacted representatives for Biden by email to comment on this story.

One X user, Joel Fischer, wrote: "Good. Maybe he should go live in Israel and leave us alone."

Another wrote: "A United States president openly declared he is a Zionist publicly is baffling to me."

The president also received support, with one X user writing: "So am I, Mr. President and proud of it too."

Another wrote: "Love my President."

The sense of division on social media reflects wider division over Biden's response to the war in Israel.

The U.S. has long been an ally of Israel and, following the attack, Biden reiterated Washington's support. He said that Israel has the right to defend itself, proposing $14 billion in aid and providing weapons. He has also resisted calls for a ceasefire.

But in a letter first obtained by NBC News, more than 40 interns who work at the White House and other branches of the executive office called for Biden to support a ceasefire, accusing him of having "ignored" the "pleas of the American people" by not calling for an end to the war.

However, a poll published by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research earlier this month showed that fifty-nine percent of Democrats now approve of Biden's approach to the conflict, up from 50 percent in November.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.