周四晚上，美国总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)罕见地在椭圆形办公室向全国发表讲话，向美国人民表明，这对全球和美国国家安全都至关重要协助以色列和乌克兰解决各自的冲突这威胁到欧洲和中东更大范围的混乱。
“我知道这些冲突可能看起来很遥远，人们很自然会问:为什么这对美国很重要?”拜登说。“因此，让我与你们分享为什么确保以色列和乌克兰的成功对美国的国家安全至关重要。你知道，历史告诉我们，当恐怖分子不为他们的恐怖付出代价时，当独裁者不为他们的侵略付出代价时，他们就会造成更多的混乱、死亡和更多的破坏。”
奥巴马总统在讲话中始终保持严肃，强调了他眼中美国作为民主捍卫者和“世界灯塔”的角色，同时寻求在哈马斯对以色列发动恐怖袭击以及以色列在巴勒斯坦领土加沙对哈马斯发动战争后，愤怒、悲伤和动荡不断上升的时期安抚美国。
“对于你们所有受到伤害的人，那些正在受到伤害的人，我想让你们知道:我看到了你们。你属于，”总统说。"我想对你们说:你们是美国的全部."
拜登发表上述言论的前一天，他对特拉维夫进行了战时访问，这是对他个人外交和美国在危机中的世界领导力的一次高风险考验。
在以色列，他在哈马斯袭击造成约1400人死亡后表示了坚定不移的支持，并获得了以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡(Benjamin Netanyahu)及其战争内阁的同意，允许人道主义援助进入加沙。但是他也敦促官员们在加沙加强对哈马斯的行动时保持克制，到目前为止，已经有数千人在冲突中丧生。
拜登警告以色列不要重复他所说的美国在9/11之后犯下的“错误”——周四晚上，他在白宫重申了这一信息。
“我警告以色列政府不要被愤怒蒙蔽双眼，”拜登在椭圆形办公室说，这是他在那里的第二次讲话。“在美国，让我们不要忘记我们是谁。我们拒绝一切形式的仇恨，无论是针对穆斯林、犹太人还是任何人。伟大的国家都是这样，我们是一个伟大的国家。”
拜登直接谈到了犹太社区对成为目标的恐惧，他谴责了上周在芝加哥杀害6岁巴勒斯坦裔美国男孩Wadea Al-Fayoume的事件。当局怀疑这是一起仇恨犯罪。白宫说，在他演讲后不久，拜登与男孩的父亲和叔叔进行了交谈。
“当这种情况发生时，我们不能袖手旁观和保持沉默，”拜登说。“我们必须毫不含糊地谴责反犹太主义。我们还必须毫不含糊地谴责伊斯兰恐惧症。”
拜登的讲话为他将向国会提交的一项支持以色列和乌克兰的大规模外国援助提案奠定了基础，他说，特别是为了增强他们的国防能力。在发表讲话之前，他与乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽伦斯基(Volodymyr Zelenskyy)进行了交谈，泽伦斯基感谢美国的持续援助。
在讲话中，拜登花了一点时间回顾了他今年早些时候对乌克兰的突然访问，首先抵达波兰，然后乘坐10个小时的火车前往基辅，以纪念俄罗斯战争爆发一周年。拜登说，他将“把美国的承诺带给今天正在为250年前我们为之奋斗的那些人。”
“哈马斯和普京代表着不同的威胁，但他们有一个共同点:他们都想彻底消灭邻国的民主，”拜登说，他指的是极端组织和俄罗斯总统，后者在2022年初入侵乌克兰。
熟悉草案的消息人士告诉ABC新闻，总统的援助提案仍在变动中，可能达到约1000亿美元，其中包括对乌克兰的600亿美元。
虽然拜登没有提到他即将向国会提出的请求的具体数字，但他称之为“一项明智的投资，将为几代人的美国安全带来红利，帮助我们让美国军队远离危险，帮助我们为我们的子孙后代建设一个更安全、更和平、更繁荣的世界。”
白宫的援助提案草案还将包括向以色列提供100亿美元，以及用于美墨边境的资金，这可能是对那些表示反对向乌克兰提供更多援助的保守派的一种呼吁。
但这一请求将落在瘫痪的国会身上，自两周多前凯文·麦卡锡被历史性地驱逐以来，众议院没有议长。到目前为止，共和党人还无法就继任者达成共识，这让众议院陷入了混乱。
以色列的恐怖袭击激发了一些填补空白的紧迫感。俄克拉荷马州众议员汤姆·科尔(Tom Cole)提名俄亥俄州的吉姆·乔丹(Jim Jordan)担任该职位，当他援引以色列的自卫权时，受到了共和党人和民主党人的起立鼓掌。但截至周四，传递议长议事槌的途径仍不明朗。
拜登正处于明年竞选连任的早期阶段，他周四表示，是时候克服国内分歧，确保国外秩序了。
“我们不能让狭隘的、党派的、愤怒的政治妨碍我们作为一个伟大国家的责任，”他说。“我们不能也不会让哈马斯这样的恐怖分子和普京这样的暴君获胜。我拒绝让这种事情发生。在这样的时刻...我们必须记住我们是谁。我们是美利坚合众国。”
“我们是至关重要的国家，”他说。
“美国的领导力是维系世界的力量。美国的联盟是我们美国安全的保障。美国的价值观使我们成为其他国家希望与之合作的伙伴。如果我们离开乌克兰，如果我们背弃以色列，将所有这些都置于危险之中，这是不值得的。”
Biden, in rare Oval Office speech, says US 'holds the world together' amid wars in Israel and Ukraine
In a rare address to the nation from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden on Thursday night made the case to Americans that it's vital to both global and U.S. national securityto assist Israel and Ukraine in their respective conflicts, which threaten broader disruptions in Europe and the Middle East.
"I know the conflicts can seem far away and it's natural to ask: Why does this matter to America?" Biden said. "So let me share with you why making sure Israel and Ukraine succeed is vital for America's national security. You know, history has taught us that when terrorists don't pay a price for their terror, when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction."
Solemn throughout his remarks, the president stressed what he saw as America's role as a defender of democracy and as a "beacon to the world, still," while seeking to reassure the nation amid a time of rising anger, grief and unrest in the wake of Hamas' terror attack on Israel and Israel's resulting war on Hamas in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
"To all of you hurting, those of you who are hurting, I want you to know: I see you. You belong," the president said. "And I want to say this to you: You're all America."
Biden's remarks came one day after his wartime visit to Tel Aviv, a high-stakes test of his personal diplomacy and U.S. world leadership in a crisis.
In Israel, he expressed unwavering support in the wake of Hamas' attacks, which killed some 1,400, and secured an agreement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But he also urged officials to practice restraint as they ramp up operations against Hamas in Gaza, where thousands have been killed so far in the conflict.
Biden warned Israel not to repeat what he called the "mistakes" made by the United States in the aftermath of 9/11 -- a message he echoed from the White House on Thursday night.
"I cautioned the government of Israel not to be blinded by rage," Biden said in the Oval Office, his second speech there. "And here in America, let us not forget who we are. We reject all forms, all forms of hate, whether against Muslims, Jews or anyone. That's what great nations do, and we are a great nation."
Biden directly addressed the fear in Jewish communities of being targeted, and he denounced the killing of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy, in Chicago last week. Authorities suspect it was a hate crime. Shortly after his speech, Biden spoke with the boy's father and uncle, the White House said.
"We can't stand by and stand silent when this happens," Biden said. "We must, without equivocation, denounce antisemitism. We must also, without equivocation, denounce Islamophobia."
Biden's speech laid the groundwork for a large foreign aid proposal he will be sending to Congress in support of Israel and Ukraine, he said -- specifically to shore up their defense capabilities. He spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of his remarks, and Zelenskyy thanked him for the ongoing U.S. assistance.
In his address, Biden took a moment to reflect on his surprise visit to Ukraine earlier this year, first arriving in Poland and then taking a 10-hour train ride to Kyiv, to mark one year since the start of Russia's war. Biden said he was bringing "the promise of America to the people who today are fighting for the same things we fought for 250 years ago."
"Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy," Biden said, referring to the extremist group and Russia's president, who launched an invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
The president's aid proposal, still in flux, could amount to some $100 billion, including a whopping $60 billion more for Ukraine, sources familiar with the draft have told ABC News.
While Biden did not mention a specific number for his forthcoming request to Congress, he called it "a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations, help us keep American troops out of harm's way, help us build a world that is safer and more peaceful and more prosperous for our children and grandchildren."
The White House's draft aid proposal would also include $10 billion for Israel, as well as money for the U.S.-Mexico border -- likely an appeal to conservatives who've expressed opposition to sending more assistance to Ukraine.
But the request will fall on a paralyzed Congress, with the House without a speaker since the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy more than two weeks ago. Republicans have, so far, been unable to come to a consensus on a successor, leaving the chamber in chaos.
The terror attacks in Israel have prompted some sense of urgency to fill the void. Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, while nominating Ohio's Jim Jordan for the post, received a standing ovation from Republicans and Democrats alike when he invoked Israel's right to defend itself. But as of Thursday, the path forward to handing down the speaker's gavel remained unclear.
Biden, who is in the early stages of his own reelection bid in next year's election, said Thursday that it was time to get past the divisions at home to ensure order abroad.
"We can't let petty, partisan, angry politics get in the way of the way of our responsibilities of as a great nation," he said. "We cannot and will not let terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin win. I refuse to let that happen. In moments like these ... we have to remember who we are. We are the United States of America."
"We are the essential nation," he said.
"American leadership is what holds the world together. American alliances are what keep us, America, safe. American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with. To put all that at risk -- if we walk away from Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel -- it’s just not worth it."
