President Joe Biden has sought urgent budget funding for Israel and Ukraine to strengthen their security needs.<\/p>\n
“I’m going to send to Congress an urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs, to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine,” Biden said in an address to the nation Thursday night. <\/p>\n
Biden made the speech from the Oval Office within hours of returning from his brief visit to the Israeli war zone.<\/p>\n
A deal that he reached with Egypt and Israel to allow the badly needed humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing to Gaza has not yet materialized, reports said.<\/p>\n
“The security package I’m sending to Congress and asking Congress to do is an unprecedented commitment to Israel’s security that will sharpen Israel’s qualitative military edge”, Biden said.<\/p>\n
He said Washington is going to make sure Iron Dome continues to guard the skies over Israel, and other hostile actors in the region know that Israel is stronger than ever and prevent this conflict from spreading.<\/p>\n
On Ukraine, Biden said he is asking Congress “to make sure we can continue to send Ukraine the weapons they need to defend themselves and their country without interruption so Ukraine can stop Putin’s brutality in Ukraine.”<\/p>\n
He warned,”If we walk away and let Putin erase Ukraine’s independence, would-be aggressors around the world would be emboldened to try the same”. The risk of conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world \u2014 in the Indo-Pacific, in the Middle East \u2014 especially in the Middle East, according to him. <\/p>\n
He also touched upon a rise in fueling racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the United States In recent years.<\/p>\n
The chances for Biden’s request for billions of funding to pass through the Congress is said to be uncertain with the functioning of the House of Representatives remains paralyzed for a second week without a Speaker. <\/p>\n