President Joe Biden will deliver a prime-time foreign policy speech on Thursday night, White House officials announced Wednesday.
The address will take place from the Oval Office and is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
According to the White House, Biden will address the administration’s response to Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Biden is expected to call for $100 billion from Congress to deliver aid and resources to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the U.S. border with Mexico, CNN reported that sources had told the network.
The address comes after the president spent eight hours in Israel on Wednesday, meeting with government officials and some of the families of those taken hostage during Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct.7. Israel declared war against Hamas after the attack.
Biden promised America’s support of Israel, saying that America would stand next to Israel in its fight against terrorism.
“Israel was born to be a safe place for the Jewish people in the world,” he said. “While it may not feel that way today, Israel must again be a safe place for the Jewish people.”
Biden also spoke to the Palestinian people who are “suffering greatly” due to the actions of Hamas.
“The vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people,” he said. “Hamas uses innocent families in Gaza as human shields, putting their command centers or weapons or communications tunnels in residential areas.”
The White House has not revealed how the $100 billion would be divided between the four areas.
The Kiel Institute for the World Economy reported that since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House and Congress have provided more than $75 billion in funding to Ukraine. That number does not include all war-related U.S. spending, such as aid to allies.
The United States has given Israel more than $260 billion in combined military and economic aid since the country was established in 1948, according to a U.S. News analysis. The U.S. has provided another $10 billion to fund missile defense systems like the Iron Dome.
