Palestinian Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin want to “destroy” both democracies, Joe Biden said on Thursday evening in a very celebratory address to the nation in which he announced that he would ask the American Congress to “urgently” provide aid for Israel and to finance Ukraine.
The United States would be safer “for generations” if it helped these two warring countries, the American president emphasized in a rare speech in the Oval Office of the White House.
“Hamas and Putin pose different threats, but they have one thing in common: they both want to completely destroy a neighboring democracy,” added the 80-year-old Democrat, who has just returned from Tel Aviv, where he assured Israeli first minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the United States stands with his country.
That’s why he will ask Congress on Friday to “urgently” fund aid to Israel and Ukraine, “our essential partners.”
With this address to the nation, which is only the second he has given from the famous “Resolute Desk”, Joe Biden, candidate for re-election, wants to convince his opponents on the hard right, but also voters tired of the conflict in Ukraine the need for a huge transshipment in Kiev and Israel.
By linking Israel’s defense to Ukraine’s, he hopes he will be able to find the consensus he has been lacking in Congress to fund additional military aid to Kiev.
Divided democracy in the United States
It’s also an opportunity for the Democrat to draw a contrast with a Republican Party that has been upended by some elected officials loyal to Donald Trump – whom Joe Biden may well face again in the November 2024 presidential election could.
The Democrats have held the Senate, while the conservatives have controlled the House of Representatives since the beginning of the year.
However, the right-wing fringe of the Republican Party has not only fired the leader of the House of Commons, but has also so far failed to place one of its members in the speaker’s chair. The institution is therefore in crisis and is currently unable to pass even the slightest bill.
According to a source close to the discussions, the White House plans to ask Congress for a whopping $100 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the migration crisis at the border with Mexico.
A few hours before his speech, the American president spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, who had already thanked him on the phone for the “vital support” from the USA.
Although Joe Biden’s Republican opponents are hesitant about military aid to Ukraine, they are the first to call for massive support for Israel, a strong stance on immigration and a firm stance against China.
Joe Biden, whose country has spent tens of billions on Ukraine, must overcome fatigue not only among some elected officials but also among American public opinion in the face of an ongoing conflict.
The American president knows that time is running out: If Congress fails to pass an annual budget, the United States will go straight into budget paralysis, the “shutdown,” on November 17th.