Biden links Israel, Ukraine wars in rare Oval Office speech

President Biden gave the second prime-time Oval Office speech of his presidency on Thursday night, making a full-hearted appeal for Congress to approve tens of billions of dollars in aid for Israel and Ukraine. Biden also made his case for the American public to support both allies at this "inflection point in history" as they fight wars that are different but, he argued, intertwined.

Hamas, which "unleashed pure unadulterated evil in the world" when it massacred hundreds of Israelis this month, and Russian President Vladimir Putin "represent different threats, but they share this in common," Biden said: "They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy." He noted that Russia and Hamas are both backed by Iran in their fights.

"I know these conflicts can seem far away," Biden acknowledged, but aiding the two allies is both the right thing to do and "a smart investment that's going pay dividends for American security for generations" and "help us keep American troops out of harm's way."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Here in America, Biden said, we unequivocally reject "all forms of hate, whether against Muslims, Jews or anyone. That's what great nations do. And we are a great nation." He condemned recent threats against Jews and Arab-Americans and Muslims, especially the murder of 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume, "a proud Palestinian American," outside Chicago. Biden also reiterated his advice that Israel resist being consumed with rage, urged rapid humanitarian aid to Gazans, and said the U.S. "remains committed to the Palestinian people's right to dignity and to self-determination."

"Thursday’s address marked a striking effort by Biden to link two global crises that have consumed much of his presidency," The Washington Post said, but "the immediate political question for Biden" is "whether he can successfully link a terrorist assault in the Middle East with a slogging ground war in Eastern Europe, keeping up public support for both efforts," and get a massive funding package through a Congress without a functioning House.