President Joe Biden announced during an Oval Office address Thursday evening that he will ask Congress to pass an urgent budget request to fund Ukraine and Israel.
Biden addressed the nation after returning from a trip to Israel to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to the country while it is at war with the terrorist organization Hamas. The package the president touted has been reported to total $100 billion in foreign aid, according to ABC News. (RELATED: White House Appears To Reveal Identities Of Special Operators In Israel In Social Media Post)
“American alliances are what keep us, America, safe. 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. That’s why tomorrow I’m going to send to Congress an urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine,” Biden said.
“It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations. Help us keep American troops out of harm’s way. Help us build a world that is safer, more peaceful and more prosperous for our children and grandchildren.”
Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his trip to Israel that he “wanted to personally come” to show his support, including that the American people were grieving with the country. The president told Netanyahu, which he emphasized again in his Oval Office speech, that the United States will continue to give Israel what it needs to keep fighting its war against Hamas.
American leadership is what holds the world together.
Our alliances are what keep us safe.
And our values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with.We put all of that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine or turn our back on Israel.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 20, 2023
Biden added in his Oval Office speech that he urged Netanyahu to follow the “laws of war” while discussing a funding package for the country.
“At the same time, President Netanyahu and I discussed again, yesterday, the critical need for Israel to operate by the laws of war. That means protecting civilians in combat as best as they can,” Biden said.
“And the people of Gaza urgently need food, water and medicine. Yesterday in discussions with the leaders of Israel and Egypt, I secured an agreement for the first shipment of humanitarian assistance from the United Nations to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Hamas does not divert or steal this shipment,” Biden continued.
The president announced $100 million in United States aid to the West Bank and Gaza on Wednesday, even after the United Nations organization reported that its fuel and medical supplies meant for Palestinian refugees were reportedly stolen by Hamas, according to The Times of Israel. Biden was supposed to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Majesty King Abdullah II, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during a trip to Jordan, though the plans were canceled after a bombing near a hospital in Gaza. (RELATED: Arab Leaders Cancel On Biden After Devastating Hospital Bombing)
“Tonight there are innocent people all over the world, who hope because of us, who believe in a better life because of us, who are desperate not to be forgotten by us and are waiting for us,” Biden said. “But time is of the essence.”