The United States “condemns all forms of hate,” President Joe Biden said Thursday during an Oval Office address on the Israel- Hamas war. During the address, the president urged Americans to denounce hate that is on the rise amid the war.
“We can’t stand by and say silent when this happens,” he said. “We must without equivocation denounce antisemitism. We must also without equivocation denounce Islamophobia.”
Biden also argued that the U.S. is obligated to help both Israel and Ukraine, who has fought against a Russian invasion during the last 20 months. The president said that he’s sending Congress an “urgent budget request” Friday to provide billions of dollars in military assistance to Israel and Ukraine, amid others.
“Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they both want to annihilate a neighboring democracy,” Biden said.
The address comes one day after his trip to Israel, where he helped secure a deal to allow some humanitarian aid into Gaza amid a mounting humanitarian crisis there. During the trip, the president also reiterated his support for a two-state solution in the Middle East.
“As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace,” Biden said. “Israel and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity and peace.”
This post was produced and edited by Yasmeen Alamiri, Timothy McPhillips, Dan Cooney and Steff Staples.
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