‘I am a Zionist,’ says Biden at Hanukkah event, promises continued military assistance to Israel

US President Joe Biden is hosting a White House reception tonight to mark Hanukkah, celebrating the festival of lights as he has continued to denounce rising antisemitism in the US and abroad amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Speaking at the reception, the president says the US will “continue to provide military assistance to Israel until they get rid of Hamas, but we have to be careful — they have to be careful. The whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight, we can’t let that happen.”

“As I said after the [Oct.7] attack, my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, and the security of Israel, its right to exist as an independent Jewish state, is unshakeable.

“Were there no Israel, there wouldn’t be a Jew in the world who is safe,” says the president, to loud applause.

“The warmth and connection I feel to the Jewish community is unquestionable.” Biden added that “I ran into trouble and criticism when I said a few years ago that you don’t have to be Jewish to be a Zionist, and I am a Zionist.”

First lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff are also attending the event with nearly 800 guests. Invitees include Holocaust survivors, members of Congress, state and local officials, entertainers, and leaders from across the Jewish religious denominations, the White House says.

Earlier Monday, a group of protesters staged a demonstration outside the White House, as nearly 20 women describing themselves as “Jewish elders” chained their bodies to the fence guarding the White House. Wearing black T-shirts that read “Not In Our Name,” the women chanted “Biden, Biden, pick a side! Cease-fire not genocide!” while reading the names of those killed in Gaza, along with their ages.