Joe Biden’s celebratory speech was a mission impossible the day after his trip to Israel because the political, community and diplomatic constraints were so strong. In fifteen minutes on Thursday, October 19, from the Oval Office of the White House, the Democratic president challenged an increasingly isolated America about its global responsibilities: “American leadership unites the world,” he said.
In order to convince and for internal reasons, it was necessary to link the war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, namely the vote by Congress on a package of external financial aid worth more than 100 billion dollars (95 billion euros ). . Republican elected officials, who have the majority in the House of Representatives, no longer want to finance Ukraine ($60 billion planned), but can hardly shy away from the Jewish state ($14 billion).
Joe Biden, who partially artificially united the two conflicts, presented himself as a courageous president after he again went to a war zone, as he did on his secret train trip to Kiev in February 2023. He described the atrocities of both enemies – the abductions of Ukrainian children by the Russian army and the crimes of Hamas terrorists. And he concluded the need for action: “History has taught us that when terrorists do not pay the price for their terror, when dictators do not pay the price for their aggression, they cause more chaos, death and destruction.” »
Also read: War in Ukraine, live: In a celebratory speech, Joe Biden links the financing to Kiev and this to Israel
Joe Biden condemned the Russians who view the Baltic states as their provinces and the eastern part of Poland as a gift. “These are NATO territories [l’Alliance atlantique]“We will defend every inch of NATO territory,” he said, making it clear that there was no question of deploying American soldiers in Ukraine.
Biden’s America is back, but not down. The trade-off is to arm allies: “It is a smart investment that will pay dividends for America’s security for generations and help us keep American troops out of harm’s way.” » Lacking a Republican speaker in the House of Representatives, the legislative process is due to currently blocked by divisions in the “Grand Old Party” (GOP).
Preventing a conflagration in the Middle East
The second diplomatic issue is finding a balance between supporting the Israelis while giving hope to the Palestinians. Joe Biden once again called on the former not to repeat the mistakes made by Americans after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
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