US President Joe Biden on Monday night hosted the annual Hanukkah celebration at the White House.
“Hanukkah is a timeliness story of miracles. But we know this year’s Hanukkah is different,” he said.
Noting his support for the Jewish people, Biden stated, “You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist and I’m a Zionist…folks, were there no Israel there wouldn’t be a Jew in the world who was safe.”
Biden stressed the US will "continue to provide military assistance to Israel until they get rid of Hamas, but we have to be careful—they have to be careful."
"The whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight, we can’t let that happen," he added.
“As I said after the [Hamas] attack, my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, and the security of Israel, its right to exist as an independent Jewish state, is unshakeable,” stated Biden.
On the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, he stressed, “We will not stop until everyone returns home.”
Biden denounced the recent surge in antisemitism in the US and around the world, saying, “I also recognize you’re hurt from the silence, and the fear and for your safety because the surge of antisemitism in the United States of America and around the world is sickening.”
“You know, we see it across our communities, and schools, and colleges, and social media. They surface painful scars from millennia of hate,” he added.
Biden alluded to disagreements he has had with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting he made an inscription on an old photograph of the two men.
"I wrote on the top of it, 'Bibi I love you but I don't agree with a damn thing you had to say,'" said Biden, adding, "It's about the same today. I've had my differences with some Israeli leadership."