Biden Compares Hamas To Putin As He Urges US Aid For Israel

Insider

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.

Transcript

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]

07:20 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended