Joe Biden declares support for Israel and Ukraine is 'vital' for US security
The US President delivered a rare Oval Office address Thursday night to ask for additional billions of dollars in military assistance for Israel and Ukraine, deepening American involvement in two very different, unpredictable and bloody foreign conflicts.
Joe Biden used his rare speech from the Oval Office to argue that the United States has an obligation — and a national security interest — to send around $100 billion over the next year to Israel and Ukraine.
The funding request, expected to be formally unveiled on Friday, also includes some money for Taiwan’s defense and for managing the flow of migrants at the southern border with Mexico.
President Biden said that he hopes that combining all of these issues into one piece of legislation will create the necessary political coalition for congressional approval.
His speech comes the day after his high-stakes trip to Israel, where he showed solidarity with the country in its battle against Hamas and pushed for more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
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President Biden declared it is “vital for America's national security” for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars, making the case Thursday night for deepening US involvement in two unpredictable foreign conflicts as he prepared to ask for billions of dollars in military assistance for both countries.
If international aggression is allowed to continue, Biden said in a rare Oval Office address, “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.”
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Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, Aaron Dusso, told Daily Express US it would be a sign of weakness if Biden did not send aid to Israel.
He said: "The US is looking to project strength and stability in this time of crisis. The US spends more on its military than the next seven countries combined. Of course, the US is not the sole supporter of these efforts either. Thus, the entire bill won’t fall at the US’s feet.
"In addition, politically, the Biden administration would not be able to simply turn its back on these efforts. That would be perceived as weakness both at home an abroad and would not help him as we move into the 2024 reelection campaign."
Biden said he would send an urgent funding request to Congress, which is expected to be roughly $100 billion over the next year.
The proposal, which will be unveiled on Friday, includes money for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, humanitarian aid and border management, according to people familiar with the deliberations who declined to speak publicly ahead of the announcement.
“It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations," Biden said.
Biden hopes that combining all of these issues into one piece of legislation will create the necessary political coalition for congressional approval. His speech comes the day after his high-stakes trip to Israel, where he showed solidarity with the country in its battle against Hamas and pushed for more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
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