The leaders of the US Congressional Task Force Against Anti-Semitism are introducing legislation condemning rising trends in anti-Semitic activity in the United States and throughout the world. Congressmen Ron Klein (Democrats) and Mike Pence (Republicans) introduced this week their bill, to coincide with Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day. It calls on the secretary of state to reaffirm the United State's national commitment to fighting anti-Semitism as a foreign policy priority and to raise the topic and discuss its concerns in bilateral meetings with foreign ministers.
"The Holocaust serves as a tragic reminder that vigilance is of the utmost importance in guarding against the cancerous spread of hate," said Pence in a statement. "In light of recent cases which hearken back to our troubled past, let us recommit ourselves to combating anti-Semitism in all its forms."
The United States needs to see genocide prevention "not just as a moral imperative," but also as a "national security priority," said US vice-president Joe Biden. In a speech Wednesday at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's National Tribute Dinner in Washington, Joe Biden added that he and President Obama believe that "preventing genocide is not only a representation of who we are as a people but also a very high national priority." Responding to genocide was not only required in a moral context, but also "strategically necessary," he said. "When genocide goes unchecked, America's credibility and leadership is tarnished."
