Joe Biden promises significantly expanded American military support to Israel, further declaring that the Jewish state has “a duty” to respond to Hamas’s “malicious attacks.”
At the same time, the US president chose not to comment at all on the bombings of Gaza or the Palestinian civilian casualties.
In a speech on Tuesday, the US president declared that they will increase military support to Israel, which after the weekend’s bloody Palestinian attacks has declared war on Hamas and has begun a full siege of Gaza. The president compared Hamas to the Islamic State and accused it of being a terrorist organization.
– This is what they mean by human tragedy, an atrocity on an appalling scale. We’re going to continue to stand united, supporting the people of Israel who are suffering unspeakable losses and opposing the hatred and violence of terrorism.
No details about the American support or the objective of Israel’s war were given. However, Biden insisted that the US supports what he described as Israel’s “duty to respond to these malicious attacks”.
– We’re surging additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish the Iron Dome… We will ensure that Israel does not run out of these essential assets to defend its cities and citizens, Biden promised.
Warns other countries
The US president demands that Congress take “urgent actions to finance the national security requirements of our critical partners – something that, according to Biden, is not about “party or politics” but about “the security of our world and the security of the USA”.
Joe Biden also noted that they “constantly” have close contact with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, that they have moved the world’s largest aircraft carrier and many fighter jets to the region, and that they are ready to “move in additional resources as needed”.
– Let me say again – to any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, I have one word: Don’t. Don’t. Biden warned.
“Duty to respond”
While the US president gave his full support to Israel’s war, he did not mention the Palestinian civilian losses at all, nor did he address the causes of the conflict.
– Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond – indeed has a duty to respond – to these vicious attacks.
– And let there be no doubt: The United States has Israel’s back. We will make sure the Jewish and democratic State of Israel can defend itself today, tomorrow, as we always have. It’s as simple as that, he added.
According to the White House, the US currently has no intention of participating in any ground invasion of Gaza. Israel already receives about 3.8 billion dollars in American military support annually.
