WASHINGTON, DC: Reaffirming his support for Israel in its ongoing ground offensive in Gaza against the Hamas terrorists, United States President Joe Biden has said that Washington will continue to stand with the country and affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international humanitarian law.
Biden made his stand clear in a meeting with President Gabriel Boric of Chile at the White House on Thursday.
“President Biden made clear that the United States will continue to stand with Israel and affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international humanitarian law. President Biden also reaffirmed our continued efforts to urgently increase and sustain the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance – including food, water, and medical care – to civilians in Gaza,” the White House press release said.
The two leaders also discussed the importance of the international community to come in support of inclusive elections in Venezuela which will take place in 2024.
“The two leaders underscored the importance of the international community uniting in support of competitive and inclusive elections in Venezuela in 2024. They also discussed issues of shared concern, including our shared commitment to combat the climate crisis,” the release read.
“President Biden also stressed the importance of continuing to support Ukraine and expressed concern about the global effects of Russia’s war against Ukraine, particularly on food and energy security,” it added.
The two leaders met in order to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the United States and Chile.
President Biden and his Chilean Counterpart Boric discussed how the US and Chile can continue to extend their economic engagement, to support economic progress between the US and Chile, while also creating high-quality employment and defending labour rights.
The US House on Thursday passed a bill to provide USD 14.3 billion in aid to Israel amid the ongoing war with Hamas, however, it is expected to set up a clash with the Democratic-led Senate, CNN reported.
The episode is an early leadership test for newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson, according to CNN.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called the House GOP bill a “deeply flawed proposal” that the Senate will not take up. Democrats are objecting to the absence of aid for Ukraine and have called for aid to Israel to be paired with additional security assistance for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Notably, in the Senate, there is bipartisan support for aid to Israel and further aid to Ukraine. But in the House, many Republicans are opposed to sending more aid to Ukraine, putting the two chambers at odds, CNN reported.
In an attempt to offset the cost of the $14.3 billion in Israel aid, the House bill would rescind $14.3 billion in funding for the Internal Revenue Service. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said, however, that the proposal to offset aid to Israel by cutting IRS funding would add to the deficit and result in roughly $26.8 billion in lost revenue over 10 years.
Schumer added that the Senate “will not be considering this deeply flawed proposal from the House GOP. Instead, we will work together on our own bipartisan emergency aid package that includes aid to Israel, and Ukraine, competition with the Chinese government and humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
The deep divide between the House and Senate comes as government funding is set to expire on November 17 and the threat of a potential government shutdown looms, CNN reported.
The new House speaker has defended his decision to make Israel aid conditional on IRS spending cuts and signalled he would not support an emergency supplemental package if doesn’t include offsets. (ANI)