The President of the United States, Joe Biden, announced this Thursday during a speech from the Oval Office of the White House that he will ask Congress to approve an emergency aid package for Ukraine and Israel “which has never happened before. ”
“I am sending Congress an urgent plea to support Israel and Ukraine,” Biden said. “These conflicts may seem distant but they are very important to the national security of the United States.”
The president emphasized that this aid will keep US troops out of conflicts while contributing to the defeat of “Hamas terrorists” and the “tyrant (Vladimir) Putin,” who he believes wants to “end of democracies.”
He also addressed the families of Americans held by Hamas, telling them: “We are using every resource to bring them home.”
Biden highlighted the differences between Hamas and the Palestinian people and reiterated his commitment to achieving peace and a two-state solution to the conflict.
Biden explained that the financial package he requested from Congress will help Israel improve its defense situation so that other neighbors in the region will know that that country is “stronger than ever.”
However, Biden expressed Washington’s desire to protect civilians in Gaza, where food and water are needed, while Israel prepares a ground invasion to hold the aggressors accountable. “Hamas does not represent all Palestinians,” the president said.
Indeed, he was “deeply moved” by the deaths of Palestinians after the Al Ahli hospital attack in Gaza, but dissociated the Israeli Army from its alleged responsibility for the bombing.
“No matter how difficult it is, we cannot abandon peace. We cannot abandon the two-state solution. Israel and the Palestinians alike deserve to live in security, dignity, and peace,” the president added.
In that sense, he explained that a stronger and better-connected Middle East, with more job opportunities and more predictable markets, benefits the United States.
On the other hand, he insisted on the importance of continuing to help the Ukrainians so that Russia “does not eliminate Ukraine.”
“Kyiv is still standing because of the help of the US-led coalition…I know we have divisions at home, but we have to overcome them. We will not allow terrorists like Hamas or tyrants like Putin to win. We have to remind the world who we are. No. Nothing is impossible if we put our minds to it,” Biden said.
