© Baz Ratner/Politico/Pool
US President Joe Biden • Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
Massive politically motivated effort will impact on free speech and association...
As promised, the White House hosted a virtual event followed by the issuance of a fact sheet and detailed strategic report last Thursday that described in some detail
a sweeping plan that will be implemented to confront what it describes as
surging antisemitism. I
reported last week how the
US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, who participated in the ceremony, has articulated the Biden Administration's somewhat hyperbolic view that
"Antisemitism is not a niche issue...it is an existential threat to democracy." She had also regretted that "America has never done something like a national plan to fight antisemitism." It should be noted that Lipstadt's brief as ambassador is to confront
what she perceives to be antisemitism all around the world, though it is likely that her role will expand to include domestic authorities under whatever new arrangements emerge as the Biden plan is implemented.
The plan that was unveiled was developed by
an interagency task force created by Joe Biden last December, which was headed by "Second Gentleman" Doug Emhoff, who is both Jewish and has the misfortune to be married to Kamala Harris. It reportedly incorporates contributions and insights from claimed discussions with no less than "more than 1,000 community leaders" including various Jewish religious denominations and also representing both Jewish and non-Jewish civic organizations in the United States. Prior to the virtual event and press release, President Biden promised that the plan would
"include more than 200 measures that government agencies, social media platforms and elected officials can adopt to counter rising antisemitism." The measures
will reportedly include at least 100 "provisions" that will require congressional action.
Comment: See also: