In a primetime speech, President Joe Biden compared the Ukraine war to the war between Hamas and Israel, as he urged Congress to support an upcoming aid package.
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00:00 Good evening, my fellow Americans.
00:02 We're facing an inflection point in history,
00:05 one of those moments where the decisions we make today
00:07 are going to determine the future for decades to come.
00:11 More than 1,300 people slaughtered in Israel,
00:14 including at least 32 American citizens.
00:18 Scores of innocents, from infants
00:20 to the elderly grandparents,
00:22 Israelis, Americans taken hostage.
00:24 We're pursuing every avenue to bring their loved ones home.
00:27 As President, there is no higher priority for me
00:30 than the safety of Americans held hostage.
00:34 The terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure,
00:36 unadulterated evil in the world.
00:38 But sadly, the Jewish people know perhaps better than anyone
00:42 that there is no limit to the depravity of people
00:44 when they want to inflict pain on others.
00:47 I also spoke with President Abbas,
00:49 the Palestinian Authority, and reiterated
00:51 that the United States remains committed
00:53 to the Palestinian people's right to dignity
00:56 and to self-determination.
00:58 Like so many others, I'm heartbroken
01:01 by the tragic loss of Palestinian life,
01:03 including the explosion at the hospital in Gaza,
01:06 which was not done by the Israelis.
01:09 We mourn every innocent life lost.
01:11 We can't ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians
01:14 who only want to live in peace and have an opportunity.
01:18 Hamas and Putin represent different threats,
01:20 but they share this in common.
01:22 They both want to completely annihilate
01:24 a neighboring democracy,
01:25 completely annihilate it.
01:27 Hamas' stated purpose for existing
01:30 is the destruction of the state of Israel
01:31 and the murder of Jewish people.
01:34 Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people.
01:36 Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields,
01:40 and innocent Palestinian families
01:42 are suffering greatly because of them.
01:44 I know these conflicts can seem far away,
01:47 and it's natural to ask, why does this matter to America?
01:50 So let me share with you why making sure Israel
01:53 and Ukraine succeed is vital for America's national security.
01:57 You know, history has taught us that when terrorists
01:59 don't pay a price for their terror,
02:01 when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression,
02:04 they cause more chaos and death and more destruction.
02:08 They keep going, and the cost and the threats to America
02:12 and the world keep rising.
02:14 And if we walk away and let Putin erase
02:16 Ukraine's independence, would-be aggressors
02:18 around the world be emboldened to try the same?
02:22 The risk of conflict and chaos could spread
02:24 in other parts of the world --
02:26 in the Indo-Pacific, in the Middle East,
02:28 especially in the Middle East.
02:31 Iran is supporting Russia in Ukraine,
02:35 and it's supporting Hamas and other terrorist groups
02:37 in the region,
02:39 and will continue to hold them accountable, I might add.
02:42 That's why tomorrow I'm going to send to Congress
02:44 an urgent budget request to fund America's
02:47 national security needs,
02:49 to support our critical partners,
02:50 including Israel and Ukraine.
02:53 It's a smart investment that's going to pay dividends
02:56 for American security for generations,
02:58 help us keep American troops out of harm's way,
03:02 help us build a world that is safer, more peaceful,
03:04 more prosperous for our children and grandchildren.
03:08 In Israel, we must make sure that they have what they need
03:11 to protect their people today and always.
03:15 The security package I'm sending to Congress
03:17 and asking Congress to do is an unprecedented commitment
03:20 to Israel's security
03:22 that will sharpen Israel's qualitative military edge,
03:26 which we've committed to -- the qualitative military edge.
03:30 We're going to make sure Iron Dome continues
03:33 to guard the skies over Israel.
03:35 We're going to make sure other hostile actors in the region
03:38 know that Israel is stronger than ever
03:40 and prevent this conflict from spreading.
03:43 Look, at the same time, President Netanyahu
03:47 and I discussed again yesterday
03:49 the critical need for Israel to operate by the laws of war.
03:53 That means protecting civilians in combat as best as they can.
03:57 The people of Gaza urgently need food, water, and medicine.
04:02 Yesterday, in discussions with the leaders of Israel and Egypt,
04:06 I secured an agreement for the first shipment
04:09 of humanitarian assistance from the United Nations
04:11 to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
04:15 If Hamas does not divert or steal this shipment --
04:18 these shipments -- we're going to provide an opening
04:20 for sustained delivery of life-saving
04:22 humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians.
04:25 As I said in Israel, as hard as it is,
04:28 we cannot give up on peace.
04:31 We cannot give up on a two-state solution.
04:34 Israel and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety,
04:38 dignity, and peace.
04:40 You know, and here at home,
04:42 we have to be honest with ourselves.
04:44 In recent years, too much hate has given too much oxygen,
04:47 fueling racism, the rise of anti-Semitism,
04:49 Islamic phobia, right here in America.
04:53 It's also intensified in the wake of recent events
04:56 that led to the horrific threats and attacks
04:58 that both shock us and break our hearts.
05:01 On October 7th, terror attacks have triggered deep scars
05:06 and terrible memories in the Jewish community.
05:09 Today, Jewish families worried about being targeted in school,
05:14 wearing symbols of their face, walking down the street.
05:17 Or going out about their daily lives.
05:20 You know, I know many of you in the Muslim American community,
05:23 the Arab American community,
05:25 the Palestinian American community,
05:27 and so many others are outraged and hearty,
05:31 saying to yourselves, "Here we go again with Islamophobia
05:36 and distrust we saw after 9/11."
05:39 Just last week, a mother was brutally stabbed.
05:43 A little boy -- here in the United States,
05:44 a little boy who just turned six years old
05:46 was murdered in their home outside of Chicago.
05:50 His name was Wadiha.
05:53 Wadiha, a proud American,
05:56 a proud Palestinian American family.
05:59 We can't stand by and stand silent when this happens.
06:02 We must, without equivocation, denounce anti-Semitism.
06:07 We must also, without equivocation,
06:09 denounce Islamophobia.
06:11 And to all you hurting, those of you hurting,
06:14 I want you to know I see you.
06:16 You belong.
06:17 When I was in Israel yesterday,
06:20 I said that when America experienced the hell of 9/11,
06:23 we felt enraged as well.
06:25 While we sought and got justice, we made mistakes.
06:29 So I caution the government of Israel
06:31 not to be blinded by rage.
06:33 Tonight, there are innocent people all over the world
06:35 who hope because of us,
06:37 who believe in a better life because of us,
06:40 who are desperate not to be forgotten by us
06:44 and are waiting for us.
06:46 But time is of the essence.
06:49 I know we have our divisions at home.
06:52 We have to get past them.
06:53 We can't let petty, partisan, angry politics
06:56 get in the way of our responsibilities
06:57 as a great nation.
06:59 We cannot and will not let terrorists like Hamas
07:02 and tyrants like Putin win.
07:04 I refuse to let that happen.
07:07 In moments like these, we have to remember who we are.
07:10 We are the United States of America.
07:13 And there is nothing, nothing beyond our capacity
07:16 if we do it together.
07:18 [end]
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