Situation "heartbreaking"
Biden: Humanitarian aid not “leverage”
In his State of the Union address, US President Joe Biden commented on the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. He warned Israel against using humanitarian aid for the people in the Gaza Strip as "leverage". "Humanitarian aid must not be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip," said Biden. He wants to continue to stand up to Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin.
Biden promised the people in the Gaza Strip further aid and called on Israel's leadership to provide better protection for civilians. "More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom do not belong to Hamas," said Biden. Children have been orphaned, people have lost their homes and been displaced. Many are without food, water and medicine. "It is heartbreaking."
Biden on Israel: "Protecting innocent people must be a priority"
Biden urged the Israeli leadership to do its part to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian civilian population: "Israel must allow more aid deliveries to Gaza and ensure that humanitarian aid workers are not caught in the crossfire," the Democrat warned. "Humanitarian aid must not be secondary or used as a bargaining chip. The protection and rescue of innocent people must take priority."
Biden's government had announced before his appearance that the US military, together with international partners, wanted to set up a temporary port on the coast of the Gaza Strip. This would provide the civilian population in need with additional aid by sea. The implementation will take several weeks. Biden emphasized that no US soldiers would be needed on the ground for the project. The USA has been urging Israel for some time to strengthen the protection of the civilian population and provide more aid for the population in Gaza.
With regard to the war in Ukraine, Biden once again called on Congress to release further US aid for the country attacked by Russia. Putin would not stop after Ukraine, which is why Putin called for "standing by the attacked country and supplying weapons." He warned that his predecessor Donald Trump's statements on the NATO defense alliance were "dangerous and unacceptable". The 77-year-old Trump had recently made it clear during an election campaign appearance that he would not provide American support to NATO allies with low defense spending in the event of a Russian attack.
Biden clearly distanced himself from Trump on the issue of migration. "I will not demonize immigrants and say they are poison in the blood of our country." Democracy in the USA must be defended with all our might, he said. "My predecessor and some of you here are trying to bury the truth about January 6," said Biden, referring to Trump and the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the seat of parliament in Washington. The conspiracy to overturn the election result after the fact was the greatest threat to democracy since the American Civil War, Biden said.
Biden also responded to criticism of his age:
In the end, Biden also addressed his age. "Throughout my career, I've been told I'm too young and too old. Whether young or old, I've always known what lasts," said the 81-year-old - he also posted this statement on the short message platform X (see post above). Biden's age is considered his biggest liability in the current presidential election campaign.
The Democrat was the oldest president ever to enter the White House in 2021 and wants to run for another term in the election in November. If he is re-elected, he would be 86 years old at the end of his second term.
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