The US will build a temporary port in the Gaza Strip

2024-03-08 17:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, collected points for the electoral campaign with a combative speech in front of both houses of Congress. He placed special emphasis on foreign policy.

To better feed the hundreds of thousands of starving Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, the US is launching a special aid project. "Tonight I will order US forces to begin an emergency mission to establish a temporary port off the coast of Gaza that can accommodate large ships loaded with food, water, medicine and emergency shelter," declared US President Joe Biden. in his State of the Union address to Congress in Washington.

The US military will establish the temporary port in cooperation with "allies" on the ground, as well as the UN and humanitarian organizations. Aid shipments will be sent from a port in Cyprus. The small EU state in the Mediterranean is located about 370 kilometers west of the Gaza Strip. Given the great need that exists in Gaza, the US had a few days ago started providing air aid to the starving civilian population in the area.

In his speech to deputies and senators, Biden urged the Israeli government to "allow more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip." Humanitarian aid should not be a secondary consideration or a means of pressure, the American president emphasized.

Biden reiterated his call for an immediate six-week ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, listed as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, the EU and other countries.

Biden calls on Hamas to release hostages

The US president also stressed that Israel was right to attack Hamas in response to its October 7 terrorist attack. Hamas can end this conflict today by releasing the hostages taken in the Gaza Strip, Biden continued.

The US president also addressed Russian aggression in Ukraine and once again called on Congress to unblock military aid to Ukraine, blocked for months. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not stop in Ukraine, he said. "But Ukraine can stop Putin if we support him and provide him with the weapons he needs for his defense," he said.

Under pressure from Donald Trump's election campaign, Republicans in the House of Representatives are blocking a new $60 billion (about €55.7 billion) aid package for Ukraine. In exchange for his approval, they want tougher measures to secure the US border with Mexico so that no more immigrants can enter the country.

Biden was energetic and combative in his speech, which lasted more than an hour. He devoted much space to domestic policy issues that concern many Americans: inflation, jobs, drug prices, rents, taxes and crime.

The issue of immigration, the focal point of the election campaign, was a hot topic. Republicans interrupted the president several times with jokes, to which Biden countered. "I'm not going to separate families," the Democrat said. "And I'm not going to stop people from coming into the country because of their faith." In this context, Biden once again asked Republicans and Democrats to work together.

The 81-year-old candidate spoke openly about his advanced age. He also said, "When you're my age, some things become clearer than ever. I know American history." "Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under as much attack in our country as they are today," Biden said. What is different, however, is that both values ??are now under attack both at home and abroad. country. Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked Democrat Biden on Truth Social, a platform he co-founded. Biden referred to his Republican opponent in the November presidential election several times during his speech, but without mentioning Trump by name. He simply named him as his ancestor.

The American president has serious image problems. Despite growth and low unemployment, many voters believe the US economy is in bad shape./ DW