Biden ‘disturbed’ by alleged drowning attack on US-Palestinian child

WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden said on June 24 that he was “deeply disturbed” by reports that a woman had allegedly attempted to drown a Palestinian-American child at a pool in Texas.

The woman has been charged with capital murder, court records show, following the May incident, which gained national attention over the weekend.

The 42-year-old, identified as Elizabeth Wolf, allegedly approached a mother who was wearing a hijab at a suburban apartment pool near Dallas.

She then asked whether the mother’s six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter belonged to her and also made racial statements, according to US media reports.

The woman reportedly grabbed the boy, who was able to wrangle free, then grabbed the girl, whom she pushed underwater.

“No child should ever be subjected to a violent attack, and my heart goes out to the family,” Mr Biden said on messaging platform X on June 24.

“I am deeply disturbed by the reports of an attempted drowning of a three-year-old Palestinian-American at a neighbourhood pool,” he said.

On June 22, the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has called for a hate crime probe, held a press conference on the incident.

In a statement from CAIR, the mother said her family members were American citizens of Palestinian origin.

The episode comes with the war in Gaza igniting fierce passions in the United States, particularly on university campuses, where there have been numerous protests.

It has also led to a number of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic acts across the country.

In November, a man shot and injured three students of Palestinian origin in the north-east state of Vermont.

In early October, a six-year-old Muslim boy was stabbed to death near Chicago in a crime linked directly to the war in Gaza, according to police. AFP