US President Joe Biden laid out his vision for asking for more financial support from Congress and the American public to support Israel’s fight against Hamas militants, and Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
In a speech behind the Resolute Desk, Biden said he won’t let “terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin win.” If international aggression is allowed to continue, Biden said, “conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world.”
“Hamas and Putin represent different threats,” Biden said. “But they share this in common. They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy.”
Biden will present a request for a $100 billion (€94 billion) emergency aid package to Congress tomorrow. The big portion of the funding, according to media reports, is for Ukraine’s war efforts against Russia.
Other parts of the package include funds for Israel’s fight against Hamas and defense in the Indo-Pacific region. “It’s a smart investment, that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations,” Biden said in his speech.
He said it was “vital for America’s national security” for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars.
At the time time, Biden denounced a rise in hate crimes, given the particularly volatile situaton in the Middle East. “We reject all forms of hate,” Biden said, whether that was against Jews or Muslims.
Biden’s speech came a day after he visited Israel, where he met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden has reiterated US commitment to Israeli security and underlined the need to ensure humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza Strip.
In Israel, he secured the cooperation of Israel and Egypt to allow aid to enter Gaza and pledged $100 million in humanitarian aid.
