Rabat – US President Joe Biden has expressed his strong support for a proposal from Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
The proposal aims to secure $95 billion in funding for these allies, amid escalating tensions, particularly following Iran’s first ever direct attack on Israeli soil last week.
“The House must pass the package this week, and the Senate should quickly follow,” Biden said on Wednesday, AP reported.
He added, “I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.”
The aid package allocates significant sums for each ally. Ukraine is set to receive approximately $61 billion for purchasing weapons and ammunition from US defense manufacturers, along with $9 billion in economic assistance.
Israel is set to receive $26 billion, while $8 billion is allocated for allies in the Indo-Pacific region.
However, the package is not without controversy. Many Democrats have voiced deep concerns about providing aid to Israel, particularly in light of its devastating war on Gaza.
Meanwhile, some Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have threatened to oust Speaker Johnson from his position, citing dissatisfaction with his leadership.
Many members of the American public are also outraged at the increase in US support, especially in month six of the brutal war. This past week, protestors across America participated in the “Economic Blockade for Palestine,” in which they refused to work and took to the streets. In one notable public demonstration, over 38 protestors shut down accessible entry through the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Monday.
Biden’s remarks come days after Washington distanced itself from any potential retaliatory attack Israel plans against Iran after Tehran’s unprecedented aerial assault involving hundreds of drones and missiles.
“We believe Israel has freedom of action to protect itself and defend itself,” a senior US administration official was quoted as saying in an official White House press briefing. They continued that the US position is “a longstanding policy and that remains” but that to directly support a retaliation against Iran is not something they could “envision themselves participating” in. The briefing was released after a phone call between Biden and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iran’s unprecedented assault came in response to a direct attack on its consulate in Damascus on April 1, which killed seven of Iran’s senior commanders and military personnel.
Israel is widely believed to have been behind the attack though it has not officially claimed responsibility.
As of today Palestinian death toll from the Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) brutal war on the besieged enclave has reached nearly 34,000 casualties.
