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Biden speaks on Air Force One on Israel
President Biden, speaking in Israel Wednesday, said, "There's no higher priority than the release and safe return of all these hostages" captured by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden will deliver a prime-time foreign policy speech to the nation on Thursday night, White House officials announced in a press release on Wednesday afternoon.
The Oval Office address is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and will cover the administration's response and reaction to the deadly Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel as well as intentions to combat the terrorist organization.
Biden will also address the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and how the U.S. intends to continue its support in both regions.
The speech follows a visit from Biden in Tel Aviv on Wednesday where he pledged his support for Israel in the wake of the deadly attack carried out by Hamas militants earlier this month.
"I understand. Many Americans understand," Biden said as he wrapped up his stay in Tel Aviv, likening the Oct. 7 Hamas attack to the attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, that killed nearly 3,000 people. "You can’t look at what has happened here ... and not scream out for justice," he said.
"But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it," he said. "After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes."
Biden urged Israel to step back from the brink, not just to ease growing tensions in the Mideast that threaten to spiral into a broader regional conflict, but also to reassure a world rattled by images of carnage and suffering, in Israel and Gaza alike. One million people have been displaced in roughly 10 days, according to the United Nations.
The Associated Press contributed to this story. It was reported from Los Angeles.