By Tara Subramaniam, Christian Edwards, Aditi Sangal, Eric Levenson, Adrienne Vogt, Matt Meyer, Tori B. Powell and Emma Tucker, CNN
The world cannot give up on a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, US President Joe Biden said in an address from the White House Thursday evening.
"As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace. We cannot give up on a two-state solution," Biden said. "Israel and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity and peace."
From CNN's Betsy Klein
US President Joe Biden made a sweeping argument for US support for Israel and Ukraine as both a national security imperative and a critical moment for the future of American leadership and democracies worldwide.
“American leadership is what holds the world together. American alliances are what keep us in America safe. American values are what make us a partner nation you want to work with. To put all that at risk – we walk away from Ukraine, we turn our backs on Israel – it’s just not worth it,” Biden said in a rare primetime address from the Oval Office Thursday.
He announced he would be submitting an “urgent budget request” for supplemental funding for Israel and Ukraine, among other national security priorities, to Congress on Friday.
US President Joe Biden said he will send an "urgent budget request" to Congress on Friday in order to "fund America's national security needs to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine."
"It's a smart investment that's going to pay dividends for American security for generations," he said Thursday evening during a speech from the Oval Office. "Help us keep American troops out of harm's way. Help us build a world that is safer, more peaceful, more prosperous for our children and grandchildren."
He called the request "an unprecedented commitment to Israel's security that will sharpen Israel's qualitative military edge, which we've committed to."
Remember: The House, which has been without a speaker for more than two weeks after Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster, currently remains effectively frozen. While committees may still operate, Rep. Patrick McHenry, as speaker pro tempore, cannot bring bills or even non-binding resolutions to the floor.
US President Joe Biden doubled down on the US assessment that Israel was "not responsible" for the deadly hospital blast this week in Gaza.
"I'm heartbroken by the tragic loss of Palestinian life, including the explosion at the hospital in Gaza, which was not done by the Israelis," he said Thursday evening from the Oval Office. "We mourn every innocent life lost. We can't ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians who only want to live in peace and have an opportunity."
US President Joe Biden condemned the actions of Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin in his Oval Office address Thursday night, saying the attacks on Israel and the invasion of Ukraine share common motivations.
"Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: they both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy, completely annihilate it," Biden said.
"I know these 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."
Biden said "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."
The president went on to argue that if the US doesn't help "stop Putin's appetite for power and control in Ukraine," he won't stop at the invasion, going on to other conquests in Poland or in Baltic nations.
And on the conflict with Hamas, supporting Israel is part of the US goal to "build a better future for the Middle East," he said. By holding the group accountable for terror attacks, Biden says the US can help prevent future conflicts from boiling over in the region.
"American alliances are what keep us, America, safe," Biden said. "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."
US President Joe Biden began a speech Thursday evening to Americans by saying that "we're facing an inflection point in history" amid the ongoing war in Israel.
He went on to renew his promise of getting American hostages home to America.
"As I told the families of Americans being held captive by Hamas, we're pursuing every avenue to bring their loved ones home," he said. "As president, there is no higher priority for me than the safety of Americans held hostage."
From CNN's Nic Robertson and Muhammad Darwish in Sderot, Israel
Israeli politicians have previewed what a potential ground invasion into Gaza would look like, as speculation heightens after more than 60 Hamas operatives were arrested early Thursday in the West Bank.
"The Israeli government made a decision, gave a green light to the army to wipe them out and now it’s in the hands of the army," said Nir Barkat, Israel's Minister of Economy.
Some politicians are preparing expectations for a long war.
Minister of Agriculture Avi Dichter, a former head of Israeli security, says Israel wants the level of security control they currently have in the West Bank, where they maintain complete access on their own terms.
"Today, whenever we have a military problem in every single place in the West Bank. We are there," Dichter told CNN.
Dichter said he envisions a margin along the Gaza border at the end of the conflict, which he called a "fire zone."
"No matter who you are, you’ll never be able to come close to the Israeli border," he said.
As casualties continue to grow on both sides of the conflict, Dichter said he rejects calls from the international community for a humanitarian pause to ease civilian suffering.
"We don’t activate against civilians," Dichter stressed to CNN. "In a war, a la guerre comme la guerre. And unfortunately, we have suffered."
From CNN staff
US President Joe Biden is delivering a speech to the American people from the Oval Office.
He is expected to make a direct appeal to continue funding Ukraine and Israel amid their war efforts, according to two administration officials.
The primetime address is taking place on the eve of the White House requesting north of $100 billion from Congress to deliver aid and resources to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the US border with Mexico. Biden is expected to make the argument that supporting Ukraine and Israel is a matter of US national security when the world is at an inflection point.
Biden’s remarks come on the heels of his wartime visit to the Middle East. The US, Egypt and Israel have all signaled readiness for aid to begin moving into Gaza, following Biden’s high-profile visit. However, the Rafah crossing from Egypt to Gaza is not expected to open Friday for a convoy of humanitarian aid to get into Gaza, multiple sources told CNN, despite expectations voiced by Biden and others that it would be open.
CNN's Kayla Tausche and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite
The risk of regional spillover from the Israel-Hamas war is real, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday, during a speech at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC.
"We have seen the Arab streets fill with rage, all across the region. The risk of a regional spill-over is real. This is exactly what Hamas was hoping to achieve. And this can derail the recent and historic rapprochement between Israel and its Arab neighbours," von der Leyen said.
"Russia and Hamas are alike. As (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky) has said their ‘essence is the same'. Both have deliberately sought out innocent civilians, including babies and children, to kill and take hostage. It is a barbaric way to fight. And left unchecked, this contagion has the potential to spread, from Europe, across the Middle East and to the Indo Pacific," von der Leyen said.
Von der Leyen went on to say that an escalation is not inevitable.
"Instability can be contained. Dialogue between Israel and its neighbors can and must continue," she said.
"This time of war must also be a time of unrelenting diplomacy. Europe, as the largest foreign investor in many countries across the region, has both leverage and a stake. The same is true for the US. This is a shared American and European interest. The pursuit of a world where freedom prevails is our common destiny," she said.
