WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden declared it “vital for America’s security” for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars, making the case for Congress to approve billions in military aid for those nations in a speech that highlighted the death of a Plainfield-area Palestinian American youth, Wadea Al-Fayoume.
“Just last week, a mother was brutally stabbed, and a little boy who had just turned 6-years-old was murdered in their home outside Chicago,” Biden said.
“His name was Wadea. Wadea. A proud American. A proud Palestinian American family. We can’t stand by and stand silent when this happens. We must without equivocation denounce antisemitism. We must also without equivocation denounce Islamophobia.”
After the speech the White House said Biden and first lady Jill spoke to the “father of Wadea Al-Fayoume, as well as Wadea’s uncle. The President and First Lady expressed their deepest condolences to the Al-Fayoume family as they mourn; their prayers that Wadea’s mother, Hanan Shaheen, makes a full recovery; and their commitment to keep speaking out against anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim hate and violence.”
Biden said if international aggression is allowed to continue, “conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world.”
“Hamas and Putin represent different threats,” Biden said. “But they share this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy.”
What Biden is asking Congress to fund
He said he would send an urgent funding request to Congress, which is expected to be $105 billion for the next year.
“It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations,” Biden said.
Biden hopes that combining all of these issues into one piece of legislation will create the necessary political coalition for congressional approval. His speech comes the day after his high-stakes trip to Israel, where he showed solidarity with the country in its battle against Hamas and pushed for more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Biden faces steep challenges as he tries to secure the money. The House remains in chaos because Republicans have been unable to select a speaker.
There will be resistance on the other side of the political spectrum when it comes to military assistance for Israel, which has been bombarding the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack Oct. 7.
Critics have accused Israel of killing civilians and committing war crimes by cutting off food, water and fuel.
In Tel Aviv, Biden told Israel that “we will not let you ever be alone.” However, he cautioned Israelis against being “consumed” by rage as he said the U.S. was after 9/11.
The Senate plans to move quickly on Biden’s proposal, hoping to put pressure on the Republican House to return to legislating.
However, there are disagreements in the Senate on how to proceed. Eight Republicans, led by Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, do not want to combine assistance for Ukraine and Israel.
North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer said he was fine with the proposal as long as there is also an effort to address border issues. But he said “it’s got to be designed to secure the border, not to facilitate travel through the border.”
Palestinian rights protesters occupy Schakowsky office
On Thursday afternoon, 25 Palestinian rights protesters occupied the Skokie office of Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., police said.
Once the office closed, police said seven remained “and were informed they would be cited for criminal trespass.” When they refused to leave, they were taken into custody, cited and released.
They demanded to meet with Schakowsky, who was in Washington. Schakowsky’s district includes Evanston, the home of Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 and being held hostage.
In a statement Schakowsky said, “Today, from my Washington D.C. office, I spoke on the phone with protestors occupying my Skokie District Office. We discussed the horrifying situation in Israel and Gaza. The past two weeks have been absolutely heart wrenching. Israelis experienced the worst perpetration of violence inflicted on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. We have also seen thousands of civilians in Gaza killed and even more displaced. Families have been torn apart. My heart is with all those who were tragically killed, and I pray for the safe return of all hostages, including some from my own district.”
Schakowsky noted she led 55 colleagues in a letter to Biden “urging the US to ensure that innocent civilians in Gaza are protected from violence and attacks.
“That includes following international law, delivering food and water to Gaza, providing safe passage, humanitarian assistance, and ensuring the safe return of hostages. We must guarantee that all civilians, Palestinians, and Israelis are protected. I am doing everything in my power to end the violence as quickly as possible. We cannot achieve lasting peace and security for Israelis without addressing the humanitarian crises in Gaza and the West Bank and ending the occupation.”
Contributing: Lynn Sweet
