President Joe Biden laid out his case for wartime aid to Israel and Ukraine in a prime-time address from the Oval Office on Thursday night, shortly after returning from the Jewish state to pledge his support in the war against Hamas.
Biden is seeking more than $100 billion from Congress to bolster Taiwan and the U.S. border, as well as Israel and Ukraine. But on Thursday night, he emphasized the two countries at war.
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Biden called the terrorist group Hamas “pure, unadulterated evil” and talked about the mass graves Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s forces dug in Ukraine.
“Hamas and Putin represent different threats,” he said. “But they have this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy.”
“American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with. To put all that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine, we turn our backs on Israel. It’s just not worth it,” he continued.
Biden called for the rejection of antisemitism and Islamophobia “without equivocation” at home while pledging support for Israeli security and Ukrainian sovereignty.
“We must denounce violence and vitriol,” he said.
The president’s remarks came against the backdrop of dysfunction in the House of Representatives, which has been without a speaker for over two weeks as the Republican majority has failed to coalesce around a replacement for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
McCarthy was removed from the position last month after eight House Republicans revolted and pushed a motion to vacate that won the support of all Democrats in the lower chamber.
A functioning House would be necessary for the passage of a supplemental along the lines of what Biden is proposing.
Biden has long been a proponent of aid to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022. He has managed to keep congressional Democrats together on the issue, even as Republicans have shown a limit to how involved they want to be in funding the war. He emphasized that the weapons being built in the United States.
Israel has fractured Biden’s coalition a bit more, as polling shows Democrats tiling more toward the Palestinians in recent years. Even after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, a handful of House progressives have pushed back against what they regard as Biden’s one-sided approach to the conflict.
Nevertheless, Biden has remained steadfast. “In the wake of Hamas’s appalling terrorist assault — it was brutal, inhumane, almost beyond belief what they did — this Cabinet came together and — standing strong, standing united,” Biden said alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week. “And — and I want you to know you’re not alone. You are not alone.”
Republicans, especially those seeking the 2024 nomination to challenge Biden for reelection, have still been critical of the president. They point to his unfreezing of $6 billion in Iranian funds, noting Tehran backs Hamas, as well as the pledging of humanitarian aid to Gaza before the return of American hostages.
“The horrific catastrophes taking place in Israel as well as the chaos on our southern border and in hot spot after hot spot around the world, all have one thing in common: they were caused by Crooked Joe Biden’s deadly combination of incompetence, radicalism, and weakness,” former President Donald Trump‘s 2024 campaign said in a statement shortly before Biden spoke from the White House. “When Biden gives his Oval Office address tonight, he is desperately hoping Americans will forget that it’s Biden himself who is responsible for these disasters.”
Biden and his team reject these criticisms.
“I’m hopeful we can get some Americans out as well of Gaza, and I’m — hopefully, we will continue to work towards getting other Americans out through other means as well,” Biden told reporters.
“The Israelis have made it clear that they don’t want any of this humanitarian assistance, this material to get into Hamas’s hands,” National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said at the same press briefing. “We share that concern. And so, that’s — that’s part of the process here that’s been worked out.”
Biden has reportedly revised remarks prepared by his White House staffers that he regards as insufficiently strong in support of Israel. Yet his has made some muted calls for Israeli restraint following the Hamas attack.
“I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it,” he said. “I know the choices are never clear or easy for the leadership. There’s always a cost, but it requires being deliberate, requires asking very hard questions. That requires clarity about the objectives and an honest assessment about whether the path you’re on will achieve those objectives.”
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Biden referenced political polarization at home toward the end of his speech. “We cannot let petty, partisan, angry politics get in the way of our responsibilities as a nation,” he said.
“We cannot — and will not — let terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin win,” Biden said. “I refuse to let that happen.”
