President Joe Biden addressed the nation Thursday night following a trip to Tel Aviv as the Israel-Hamas conflict drags into its second week.
Biden said he’ll be sending Congress an “urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine.“
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel’s conflict with Palestinian militant group Hamas will not be a short-term engagement.
Standing alongside British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as the Israel-Hamas conflict enters its 13th day, Netanyahu said, “This is a long war, and we’ll need your continuous support.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian militant group Hamas said an Israeli airstrike in the north of Gaza City killed the head of its Hamas-led security forces. CNBC was not able to independently verify the report.
Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi reached an agreement to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, according to Egypt’s readout of the leaders’ phone call — lending hope to the civilians of the besieged enclosure.
The U.S. Department of State also issued a worldwide caution advisory, asking U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution due to increased tensions in various locations around the world.
That news comes as at least 32 Americans have died in the ongoing war.
In a rare prime-time Oval Office address, President Joe Biden urged Israel “not be blinded by rage.”
“When I was in Israel yesterday, I said that when America experienced the hell of 9/11, we felt enraged as well,” Biden said. “While we sought and got justice, we made mistakes. So, I cautioned the government of Israel not to be blinded by rage.”
Biden also said that “Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people.”
“The U.S. remains committed to the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and to self-determination,” President Biden says. “The actions of Hamas terrorists don’t take that right away … We can’t ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians who only want to live in peace.”
President Joe Biden vowed to hold the Iranian regime to account for supporting both Russia, Hamas and other malign actors as the U.S. works to support Israel and Ukraine on two different war fronts.
“Iran is supporting Russia, Ukraine and supporting Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region and will continue to hold them accountable,” Biden said.
The Biden administration has previously warned Iran to not further escalate the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Source: CNBC
