Good afternoon.
You know, there are moments in this life.
I mean this
literally when the pure unadulterated evil
is unleashed
on this world,
the people of Israel
live through one such moment. This weekend,
the bloody hands of the terrorist organization, Hamas,
a group who stated purpose for being
is to kill Jews.
This is an act of sheer evil.
More than 1000 civilians slaughtered.
I just go slaughtered
in
Israel.
Among them. At least 14 American citizens killed
parents butchered using their bodies to try to protect their Children,
stomach turning, reports of babies being killed,
entire family slain
young people massacred while attending a musical festival to celebrate peace,
to celebrate peace,
women raped, assaulted paraded as trophies.
Families
hid their fear for hours and hours desperately trying to keep their Children quiet
to avoid drawing attention
and thousands of wounded
alive but carrying with them the bullet holes
and the shrapnel wounds and the memory of
what they endured.
You all know these traumas never go away.
There are still so many families desperately waiting
to hear the fate of their loved ones
not knowing if they're alive or dead or hostages,
infants in their mother's arms, grandparents in wheelchair,
holocaust survivors abducted
and held hostage
hostages whom Hamas has now threatened to execute
in violation of every code of human morality.
It's abhorrent,
the brutality of Hamas.
His blood thirstiness brings to mind
the worst, the worst rampages of ISIS,
this is terrorism,
but sadly for the Jewish people,
it's not new.
This attack has brought to the surface, painful memories
and the scars left by a millennia of anti-semitism
and genocide
of the Jewish people.
So in this moment,
we must be crystal clear.
We stand with Israel,
we stand with Israel
and we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens,
defend itself
and respond to this attack.
There's no justification for terrorism.
There's no excuse.
Hamas does not stand for the Palestinians people's right to
dignity and self determination.
The state of purpose is the annihilation of the state of Israel.
On the murder of Jewish people.
They use Palestinian civilians as human shields.
Mas
offers nothing but terror and bloodshed with no regard,
who pays the price?
The loss of innocent life is heartbreaking
like every nation in the world.
Israel has the right to respond indeed has a duty to respond
to these vicious attacks.
I just got off the phone with a
third call with
Prime Minister Netanyahu
and I told him
the United States experience with Israel are experiencing.
Our response would be swift, decisive and overwhelming.
We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger
and more secure when we act according to the rule of law,
terrorists
pur
purposely target civilians,
kill them.
We uphold the laws of war, the law of war,
it matters. There's a difference
today,
Americans across the country are praying for all
those families that have been ripped apart.
A lot of us know how it feels. It leaves a black hole in your chest when you lose family,
feeling like you're being sucked in
the anger, the pain,
the sense of hopelessness.
This is what they mean by a human tragedy,
an atrocity
on an appalling scale.
We're going to continue to stand united,
supporting the people of Israel who are suffering unspeakable losses
and opposing the hatred
and violence of terrorism.
My team has been in near constant communication with our Israeli partners and
partners all across the region and the world
from the moment this crisis began,
we're surging additional military assistance including ammunition
and interceptors to replenish iron dome
to make sure that Israel does not run out of these critical assets
to defend its cities and its citizens.
My administration
has consulted closely with Congress throughout this crisis
and when Congress returns,
we're gonna ask them to take urgent action
to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners.
This is not about party or politics,
it's about the security of our world,
the security of the United States of America.
We now know
that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas.
I have directed my team to share intelligence and
deploy additional experts from across the United States government
to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts
hostage recovery recovery efforts.
Because as president,
I have no higher priority than the safety
of Americans being held hostage around the world,
the United States has also enhanced our
military force posture in the region to strengthen
our deterrence.
The Department of Defense has moved the US S Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group
to the Eastern Mediterranean and bolstered our fighter aircraft presence
and we stand ready to move in additional assets as needed.
Let me say again
to any country,
any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of the situation?
I have one word. Don't,
don't,
our hearts may be broken but our resolve is clear.
Yesterday, I also spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the UK
to discuss the latest developments with our
European allies and coordinate our United Response.
This comes on top of days of steady engagement with partners across the region.
We're also taking steps at home
in cities across the United States of America.
Police departments have stepped up security around centers for of Jewish life.
The Department of Homeland Security and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation are working closely
with state and local law enforcement and Jewish community partners to
identify and disrupt any domestic threat that could emerge in connection
with these horrific attacks.
This is a moment for the United States to come together
to grieve with those who are mourning.
Let's be real clear.
There is no place for hate in America,
not against Jews,
not against Muslims,
not against anybody. We reject, we reject what we reject is terrorism.
We condemn the indiscriminate evil
just as we've always done.
That's what America stands for.
You know, just over 50 years ago, I was thinking about it this morning talking to
the Secretary of State, the vice president of my office
over 50 years ago.
As a young senator,
I visited Israel for the first time
as a newly elected senator
and I had a long, long trip,
a meeting with Golda
Mayer in her office
just before the Yom Kippur War.
I guess you could see
the consternation on my face as she described what was being faced,
there were faces,
we walked outside in that, that sort of hallway outside our office
have some photo. She looked at me all of a sudden said,
would you like to have a photograph?
And so I got up and followed her out.
We're standing there silent looking at the press.
She could tell, I guess I was concerned.
She leaned over and whispered to me. She said,
don't worry, Senator Biden,
we have a secret weapon here in Israel.
My word is what she said.
We have no place else to go.
We have no place else to go
for 75 years. Israel stood as the only guarantor
of the security of Jewish people around the world
so that the atrocities of the past could never happen again.
Let there be no doubt
the United States has Israel's back.
We will make sure the Jewish and Democratic State of
Israel can defend itself today tomorrow as we always have.
It's as simple as that
these atrocities.
I've been sick of me.
We're with Israel. Let's make no mistake. Thank you.
What was your reaction?
No
reason,
Mr
President.