Biden, Harris denounce hate crime killing of Palestinian-American boy on one-year anniversary

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have marked the one-year anniversary of the murder of six-year-old Palestinian-American boy Wadee Alfayoumi, who was tragically killed in a hate crime.  

The incident occurred amid rising anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment in the US at the beginning of the ongoing war on Gaza.  

On Monday, the two leaders released separate statements denouncing the killing of Alfayoumi, as well as the attack on his mother Hanan Shaheen who was critically wounded. 

"On this day, let us all take steps that honour Wadee’s memory and reaffirm together that there is no place for hate in America, including hatred of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims," Biden said. 

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential nominee Harris reaffirmed the importance of combating hate and discrimination in all its forms. 

"Over the past year, we have seen a rise in Islamophobic and anti-Arab incidents in America, such as bullying, online harassment and hate crimes,” she wrote. 

"These hate-fuelled attacks are unacceptable and stand against our fundamental values." 

Last month, the US Senate passed a resolution officially recognising that Wadee Alfayoumi's death was the result of a hate crime, highlighting the growing concerns over racially aggravated violence, particularly targeting Arab and Palestinian communities. 

Muslim civil rights group the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported that it received nearly 5,000 complaints of alleged Islamophobia from January to June of this year—an increase of over two-thirds compared to the same period the previous year.  

The spike in incidents was particularly pronounced since 7 October 2023, when the Gaza war broke out  

In the final three months of 2023, CAIR recorded over 3,500 complaints, representing an almost 180 percent rise compared to the same period in 2022.  

US Muslim and Arab American groups have also raised concerns over the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the Gaza war and Israel’s actions in Lebanon, coinciding with the rising levels of discrimination across the country. 

On Monday, the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) announced it would not endorse either Harris or Republican candidate Donald Trump, citing their "blind support" for Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon.  

This marks the first time since its founding in 1998 that AAPAC has not endorsed a candidate, having traditionally backed Democrats.  

"Both candidates have endorsed genocide in Gaza and war in Lebanon. We cannot, in good conscience, support either Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump, who blindly support the criminal Israeli government," AAPAC said in a statement. 

This decision adds to the pressure on Harris to distance herself from President Biden’s policies on Israel, as more Arab American groups in Michigan, a key swing state, refuse to endorse any presidential candidate.  

Meanwhile, the Uncommitted Movement has also refrained from backing Harris, though it urged voters last month not to support Trump.