President Biden postponed a planned trip to Colorado on Monday, opting to remain in Washington due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Biden, 80, was scheduled to travel to far-right Rep. Lauren Boebert’s congressional district and tout his administration’s environmental record at the world’s largest wind tower manufacturing plant.
“It will be rescheduled,” an administration official said of the planned visit. “The president will remain at the White House to participate in national security meetings.”
It was not immediately clear whether the president would make any public statements on Monday.
Israel is expected to launch an invasion of the Gaza Strip following the death of more than 1,300 people on October 7 in a Hamas terrorist attack.
The carnage has heightened tensions between Israeli and Palestinian supporters in the United States, highlighted by the brutal killing Saturday of a six-year-old Muslim boy in Illinois.
President Biden canceled his trip to Colorado on Monday to attend national security meetings, but plans to reschedule it for a later date. Ting Shen/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A suspect identified as Joseph Czuba, 71, allegedly stabbed 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume 26 times and injured the child’s mother.
Czuba shouted: “You Muslims must die!” before the deadly attack, text messages sent to Wadea’s father indicated.
The alleged killer used a large military-style knife, and detectives believe the family was “targeted by the suspect due to their being Muslims and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Hamas and the Israelis,” according to the Office of the Will County Sheriff.
Owner Joseph Czuba was arrested for allegedly stabbing the 6-year-old boy and his mother. Will County Sheriff’s Office
In a statement Sunday night, Biden said he was “shocked and sickened” to learn of the murder.
“This horrible act of hate has no place in America and goes against our core values: freedom without fear for how we pray, what we believe, and who we are,” the president continued.
“As Americans, we must unite and reject Islamophobia and all forms of intolerance and hatred. I have said repeatedly that I will not remain silent in the face of hate. We must be unequivocal. “There is no place in America for hate against anyone,” Biden added.
Wadea Al-Fayoume had recently celebrated his sixth birthday before he was stabbed. Council on American-Islamic Relations
At least 30 Americans were killed in the Oct. 7 attack, while 13 remain missing, according to the State Department.
Hamas is believed to be holding a total of 199 people hostage in Gaza, including some Americans.
Czuba has since been charged with two counts of hate crimes, first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the sheriff’s office.
President Biden has strongly supported Israel’s attempt to take down Hamas, which has long carried out sporadic terrorist attacks against the Jewish state. AFP via Getty Images
Biden has publicly insisted that Israel has the right and duty to respond with military force to the October 7 attack, while pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu behind the scenes to minimize Palestinian civilian casualties.
In public, the president also warned against any prolonged occupation of Gaza, something Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog has said the Jewish state has no intention of doing.
“Look, what happened in Gaza, in my opinion, is that Hamas, and the extremist elements of Hamas, do not represent all of the Palestinian people,” Biden told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview broadcast Sunday. “It would be a mistake… for Israel to reoccupy Gaza.”
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