2023-10-20 01:28:04
Agence France-Presse reported that U.S. President Biden gave a rare prime-time speech to the nation from the Oval Office on the 19th, explaining the reasons for U.S. assistance to Ukraine and Israel. He said that both the Palestinian armed group Hamas and Russia wanted to “Destroy” democracies.
U.S. President Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office on the 19th, explaining the reasons for the United States to provide assistance to Ukraine and Israel. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Biden has just concluded a whirlwind visit to Israel. This is the second time since taking office that he has sat at the historic “Resolute Desk” to deliver a national address to seek support from war-weary voters and hardline Republicans.
Biden sought to draw parallels between Hamas, the Palestinian armed group that attacks Israel, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine. “Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they have one thing in common: they want to completely destroy neighboring democracies,” he said.
Hamas militants launched an attack from the Gaza Strip on the 7th of this month and killed 1,400 people in southern Israel, shocking the world. Biden made a whirlwind visit to Israel to show his support, and delivered a national address regarding 20 hours following returning home.
Biden’s message carries a certain urgency. Israel is preparing to launch a ground offensive to eradicate Hamas from the Gaza corridor; tensions have intensified following an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City on the 17th caused serious casualties.
Biden said Israel was not responsible for the explosion as Hamas claimed, but he also said: “We cannot lose sight of the humanity of innocent Palestinians who simply want to live in peace and have opportunity.”
Some Americans wonder why supporting the war is important to the United States, and Biden has expressed concern regarding this. “I know these conflicts may seem far away,” he said, but U.S. adversaries are watching how these two conflicts develop and might stir up trouble elsewhere in the world depending on the outcome.
At the same time as Biden was speaking, Washington was in political chaos. Republicans who control the House of Representatives have been unable to determine a successor following ousting Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House of Representatives. At one point, Biden’s speech took direct aim at bickering Republicans, saying: “We cannot let narrow, partisan, angry politics get in the way of our responsibilities as a great nation.”
CNN reported that Biden also said: “We cannot and will not let terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin win. I refuse to let that happen.”
The Associated Press reported that Biden said he would submit an “emergency budget request” to Congress to fund the United States’ national security needs, calling it a “smart investment” that would bring benefits for decades to come.
According to Archyde.com, U.S. officials said that the emergency spending requested by Biden totals approximately US$100 billion (approximately NT$3.236 billion), which will be used to assist Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and U.S.-Mexico border security in the next year. That might include $60 billion for Ukraine, $10 billion for Israel and billions for border security in Asia and the United States, sources said.
The Associated Press report mentioned that most of the $60 billion provided to Ukraine in the plan will be used to replenish weapons stocks already provided by the United States. In addition, $14 billion is for Israel, $10 billion for humanitarian operations, $14 billion for managing the U.S.-Mexico border and combating the smuggling of the powerful opioid fentanyl, and $7 billion for countries including Taiwan. the Indo-Pacific region. The information comes from three people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named before the plan is officially announced.
Any measure to provide funding would have to pass the Democratic-majority Senate and Republican-controlled House of Representatives. In the Senate, the reinforcements have received cross-party support; in the House of Representatives, the position of speaker has been vacant for 17 days. Archyde.com pointed out that Biden has packaged these priorities in a package and is trying to persuade Republican lawmakers to put aside their objections and agree to spend money on Ukraine.
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