President Joe Biden expressed his disturbance over reports of an alleged attempt to drown a Palestinian-American child at a pool in Texas. The incident occurred in May but gained national attention over the weekend. The accused, Elizabeth Wolf, 42, faces charges of capital murder following the attack at a suburban apartment pool near Dallas.
According to reports, Wolf approached a mother wearing a hijab, asking if her six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter were her children while making racial remarks. Wolf then allegedly grabbed the boy, who managed to escape, before pushing the girl underwater. The attack has sparked outrage, with Biden emphasizing that no child should endure such violence and extending his support to the affected family.
The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held a press conference on Saturday, calling for a hate crimes investigation. The mother, speaking through CAIR, identified her family as American citizens of Palestinian origin. This incident occurs amidst heightened tensions in the United States due to the ongoing war in Gaza, which has triggered numerous protests and acts of violence, particularly on university campuses.
The climate of heightened tensions has led to several anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents nationwide. In November, three students of Palestinian descent were shot and injured in Vermont, and in early October, a six-year-old Muslim boy was fatally stabbed near Chicago, a crime linked to the conflict in Gaza.
The attempted drowning in Texas is the latest in a series of hate-fueled attacks, underscoring the rising intolerance and violence amid geopolitical conflicts.