The President of the United States, Joe Biden, spoke this Wednesday (October 18th) directly from Israel, where he has been since yesterday to monitor the situation of the conflict between Israel and the fundamentalist group Hamas, which began on October 7th.
In his speech, the president’s main message was that the United States stands with Israel and that the country is not alone. “When we got hit, we got up and started again,” he said. This position is consistent with the feeling that Americans view the recent conflict in the Middle East as something personal.
This was confirmed by Biden, who, as other American officials have already stated, compared the largest attack suffered by the United States, September 11, to the Hamas attacks. “It was like fifteen 9/11s. The extent may be different, but the awakened horrors, the feeling of shock, pain and deep anger are the same. I get it, a lot of Americans get it.”
The president also compared the attack to one of the largest genocides in modern human history, the Nazi Holocaust. “There is no excuse for this, period. The brutality we saw would be profound in any country in the world, but here, on a holy day for Jews, it became the saddest day since the Holocaust. We won’t stand by and we won’t do anything.
Hostages have priority
Biden sent a message of hope directly to the families of those held hostage by kidnappers and to loved ones murdered in the war. “For those waiting for news, you are not alone. We are working with partners in all regions and trying in every possible way to get the hostages held by Hamas. There is no higher priority for me than these hostages.”
The president also praised the efforts of volunteers who did not hesitate to help, including doctors and people who buried the victims according to Jewish tradition. “The State of Israel was born as a safe place. If it didn’t exist, we would have to invent it. We will do everything in our power to make this happen.”
Biden also announced that he would ask the American Congress for an unprecedented package to defend Israel and provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. “I am announcing $100 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza and the West Bank. We know the value of human life, Israelis, Arabs, Palestinians, Muslims, everyone, Israel is a miracle. In the face of tragedy, we must back down.” Go back to the beginning and remember that we are all human beings created in the image of God. You inspire hope for so many people in the world who want to destroy terrorists because they live in darkness, but not you, not Israel. Nations like Israel and the USA are judged by the greatness of your example. These attacks only strengthen my resolve, terror will not win, freedom will win. Israel, you are not alone, the United States is at your side. We will go in together in these difficult days and in the good days, and they will come. As they say in Hebrew: The people of Israel live.”
Palestinians and humanitarian aid
The American president also emphasized that the Palestinians are not Hamas and lamented the deaths in yesterday’s attack on a hospital in which around 500 people died. “The vast majority of Palestinians do not belong to Hamas, it does not represent the Palestinian people, it uses people as human shields and does not care about the wellbeing of Palestinians. I was very saddened by yesterday’s hospital losses caused by a rocket the terrorist group. The United States stands with the families who suffered from the tragedy. Today I spoke to the War Cabinet to agree to bring humanitarian aid from Egypt to Gaza. They want to ensure that the international community is unable to provide this assistance. We are doing everything we can to ensure that trucks can cross the border.”