WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used a prime-time address to the nation Thursday to make the case that sending tens of billions of dollars in wartime aid to Israel and Ukraine is in America’s interest.
“We’re facing an inflection point in history, one of those moments where the decisions we make today are going to determine the future for decades to come," Biden said in a rare speech from the Oval Office.
He pledged an "unprecedented commitment to Israel's security" following the deadly cross-border attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7. The assault killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, including at least 32 Americans, and prompted a retaliatory Israeli air campaign in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
Biden sought to draw a link between the wars in Israel and Ukraine, where he said Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin "both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy."
