It’s a simple question: Will Democrats in leadership, particularly President Joe Biden , ever hold some House members to account for their hatred of Israel and their antisemitism?

We know that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) caved to pressure in 2019 when they were going to confront Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) for several antisemitic tweets and statements. While initially drafting a resolution that specifically condemned antisemitism without naming Omar , even that was too much for the far-left wing of the party. Ultimately, the House passed a watered-down version of the original resolution that was a blanket denunciation of “hate in all forms.”

The same voices within the Democratic Party largely remained silent in the days following the horrific Oct. 7 terrorist slaughter by Hamas against Israel. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who probably twitches like a heroin addict after a day of not using X, formerly known as Twitter, didn’t do so until Oct. 10. On Oct. 11, she accused Israel of war crimes.

AOC, like her fellow left-wing House colleagues such as Reps. Omar, Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Cori Bush (D-MO), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), complains any condemnation of her remarks is unfair because they are merely a criticism of Israeli “policies.” That is hall-of-fame gaslighting because the “policies” these progressives are criticizing do not exist. “Occupation” is not an Israeli policy. Neither is “oppression.” The Israeli government is not an “apartheid” government. Israel is not engaging in “genocide.” It is not engaging in a campaign of “ethnic cleansing,” and Israel’s military is not committing “war crimes.”

Yet they continue to repeat these claims. While some of their House colleagues have issued rebukes, where is leadership? House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has said nothing. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has said nothing. Biden has said nothing.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) floated the idea of censuring Tlaib for highlighting a false report about Israel destroying a hospital in Gaza that supposedly killed 500 people. Following the release of more information , she repeated the charge again outside the Capitol just before protesters illegally entered the Capitol rotunda. Moskowitz has since gone silent over the censure. CNN anchor Jake Tapper went on a diatribe about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) censure resolution , accusing her (fairly) of playing politics with the issue, but where is his full-throated condemnation of Tlaib? Or any other member of the “Squad” perpetuating antisemitism masked as “criticism”?

The events in Charlottesville in August 2017 were a watershed moment in American politics. White supremacists marched at the University of Virginia with Tiki torches, shouting, “Jews will not replace us!” It was on the eve of the “Unite the Right” rally that ultimately descended into violence and resulted in the death of Heather Heyer when a self-identified white supremacist drove his car into the crowd, killing Heyer and injuring 35 other people. It was a reprehensible historical moment.

What we’re witnessing now is not all that different. High school and college students marching and yelling, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” are engaging in an antisemitic trope that translates to the desired destruction of the state of Israel and the elimination of the Jewish people. Flyers and posters of people kidnapped by Hamas are getting torn down. Authorities and organizations are telling Jewish people to stay in their homes and their dorm rooms. People aren’t just making excuses for the actions of Hamas. They are openly celebrating them. This is the United States of America in 2023.

Someone has to step up and call it out. Biden’s milquetoast “hate in any form is bad” posts designed to offend no one and blame all won’t cut it anymore. He has to be specific and call out people by name. The image of Biden given to voters in 2020 was that of a decent, empathetic, and principled man. It is time for him to step up, even if it means alienating some in his own party.

Jay Caruso is a writer and editor residing in West Virginia.