--- title: Biden Pressures Israel in State of the Union Speech description: President promises aid pier to address humanitarian crisis in Gaza canonical: https://time.com/6898685/biden-israel-pressure-gaza-aid-pier-in-state-of-the-union/ author: Eric Cortellessa article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-03-08T05:17:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:40:22.805Z article:section: Politics og:title: Biden Pressures Israel in State of the Union Speech og:description: President promises aid pier to address humanitarian crisis in Gaza og:url: https://time.com/6898685/biden-israel-pressure-gaza-aid-pier-in-state-of-the-union/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e1afd44eae27f73/698a493909208f676c41ba68/biden-state-of-the-union-gaza-humanitarian-israel.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: President Biden Delivers State Of The Union Address og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Biden Pressures Israel in State of the Union Speech twitter:description: President promises aid pier to address humanitarian crisis in Gaza twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e1afd44eae27f73/698a493909208f676c41ba68/biden-state-of-the-union-gaza-humanitarian-israel.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Biden Pressures Israel, Promises Gaza Aid Pier in State of the Union Speech > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6a72383b-1049-4875-bbfa-aee258c71be2&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Biggest Moments From President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union Address [Watch (HLS stream): Biggest Moments From President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union Address](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/eRrTsAB1.m3u8) (5:44)  _Published 2024-03-08. President Joe Biden used his State of the Union address in Washington on Thursday to draw a sharp contrast between his administration's accomplishments and priorities and those of his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump._  by [Eric Cortellessa](https://time.com/author/eric-cortellessa/)  ## Eric Cortellessa Senior Correspondent Mar 8, 2024 5:17 AM UTC President Joe Biden used his State of the Union address in Washington on Thursday to draw a sharp contrast between his administration's accomplishments and priorities and those of his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump.  by [Eric Cortellessa](https://time.com/author/eric-cortellessa/)  ## Eric Cortellessa Senior Correspondent Mar 8, 2024 5:17 AM UTC When President Joe Biden wasn’t making his case for a second term, he was sending a message to Israel: Change your strategy in Gaza. With the eyes of the world on Biden Thursday night, the President capitalized on his annual State of the Union address to pressure the Israeli government to allow increased humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip and to pursue a two-state solution once the war is over. **Read More:** [_The Biggest Moments From Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union Address_](https://time.com/6898749/biden-state-of-the-union-biggest-moments-highlights-takeaways-border-gaza-trump/) That won’t be easy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has prosecuted an aggressive campaign against Hamas, the terrorist group that on Oct. 7 carried out the worst slaughter of Jewish civilians since the Holocaust. The Israeli offensive has produced a humanitarian catastrophe and killed and injured tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians. At the same time, Netanyahu has adamantly resisted entreaties from the Biden Administration and international community to embrace a post-war sovereign Palestinian state. “The only real solution,” Biden said, "is a two-state solution", as Democrats rose for a standing ovation. In the short term, the President pressed for a ceasefire and for Israel to provide immediate relief for Palestinians trapped in war-ravaged Gaza. “To the leadership of Israel I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,” Biden said. “Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority.” To that end, Biden said the U.S. military would construct a floating pier off the Gaza Strip to deliver tons of food and other aid desperately needed in the beleaguered coastal enclave. “A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day,” he said. “No U.S. boots will be on the ground.” The announcement comes as the Israeli offensive continues to inflict a grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza: More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, Biden said; an estimated 1.7 million people have been displaced; and there are severe shortages of food, water, and medicine, with at least 15 children [dying](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/factbox-what-is-humanitarian-situation-war-torn-gaza-2024-03-05/) over the last week of malnutrition and dehydration. Amid those scenes of suffering, the President has paid a political price. Facing a rebellion from progressives over his support for Israel’s war, Biden’s [approval ratings](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4365748-bidens-approval-rating-record-low-poll/) have hit an all-time low. A recent New York Times/Siena poll, found that [just 23%](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/us/politics/biden-trump-times-siena-poll.html) of Democratic primary voters said they were excited about him. Over the last five months, since Israel began its bombardment, he’s rarely been able to go anywhere in public without protestors calling for a ceasefire. Voters have found other ways to express their dissatisfaction. In Michigan, home to the nation’s largest Arab American community, more than 100,000 Democrats cast protest votes for “uncommitted” in last week’s presidential primary. Pundits saw that as a [potentially dire](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/minnesota-uncommitted-biden-protest-draws-jewish-muslim-young-voters-2024-03-05/) warning sign. Biden [clinched](https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-senate-elections-gary-peters-19decf3108373883409fae7e6e810ac6) the critical swing state in 2020 by roughly 150,000 votes. Some of those disaffected Democrats were in the House chamber Thursday night. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, and Summer Lee were each wearing a kaffiyeh, the scarf donned by the late Yasser Araffat that has morphed into a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. While Biden was addressing the Israel-Hamas war, Tlaib and Bush held up signs that read “Lasting Ceasefire Now” and “Stop Sending Bombs.” While Biden has struggled to convince Netanyahu to scale back Israel’s war effort, he has ramped up delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians. In some cases, that has entailed circumventing Israel and Egypt, who maintain security control over Gaza’s borders. Last week, the U.S. began air dropping aid into the Strip. On Thursday, hours before Biden’s address, the United States dropped 38,000 more military meals into Gaza. To Israel’s critics in Washington, that’s far from enough. They want America to exert its leverage over Israel by threatening to cut off military assistance unless the country halts its hostilities. The U.S. currently allocates $3.8 billion a year to the Jewish state based on a 2016 agreement between the Obama Administration and the Netanyahu government, and the White House recently asked Congress to approve a $14 billion aid package to help its ally defeat Hamas. “It’s time we stop _asking_ Israel to do the right thing and start _telling_ Israel what _must_ happen if they want the support of the United States,” says Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. To Israel and its allies, that would amount to a grievous betrayal. Israel launched the war after Hamas infiltrated the country on Oct 7, killing 1,200 people, including children and the elderly, taking hundreds of hostages, and committing atrocities including rape. The group has since vowed to repeat the attack. For that reason, Israel says, it needs to dismantle Hamas’s military infrastructure and remove the group from power or it’s only a matter of time until the next massacre. But as the Israel Defense Forces have waged a sustained war against Hamas, the civilian casualties have mounted. Israel has suffered an accelerating loss of global public support, and anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise worldwide. Even some of Israel’s fiercest defenders worry that the death and destruction caused by the Israeli campaign will turn the nation into an international pariah, posing an even deeper threat to its long-term security. The quagmire has dominated Biden’s Presidency for the last five months. After the Oct. 7 attack, he expressed unequivocal support for Israel’s war effort but warned the allied nation against repeating the same mistakes that the U.S. made after Sept. 11\. In November, the Biden Administration collaborated with the Qataris to broker a partial hostage release deal. More recently, Biden has since adopted a more critical tone against Netanyahu and has worked behind the scenes to secure a ceasefire agreement. “I’ve been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for six weeks to get all the prisoners released,” Biden said Thursday. Addressing the “gut-wrenching” Middle East conflict, Biden recognized the families of Americans held captive by Hamas. And while he used his bully pulpit to push Israel toward winding down the war, he defended its legitimacy. “Israel has a right to go after Hamas,” he said. Hamas could end the conflict "by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and surrendering those responsible for Oct. 7.” Biden’s posture only underscored the challenges as the war marked its fifth month. As Biden sees it, the longer it goes on the more likely it proves self-destructive for Israel. For now, the U.S. president is left upping the rhetorical pressure and trying to limit the humanitarian costs. ## Transcript [00:08] pretty girl [00:11] Putin of Russia signed the March invading Ukraine and sowing [00:15] chaos throughout Europe and Beyond [00:18] Is anybody in this room think spoon. [00:20] In Ukraine? I assure you he will not. [00:27] Walmart trailer accessories [00:30] a former Republican Presidential spoon quote do whatever [00:34] the hell you want. [00:36] That's a quote. [00:38] Former president actually said that bowing down the Russian [00:43] leader. I think it's outrageous is dangerous at is unacceptable. [00:47] We made no stronger than ever. [00:49] Welcome to the alliance last year. [00:54] Address this morning. [00:57] Sweden officially joined and their ministers here tonight. [01:01] Can I stand up? [01:05] Welcome history is watching. [01:09] Just like history watch 3 years ago on January 6th. [01:13] When is erection storm this very Capital place the dagger [01:16] the throat of American democracy man, you were here on that [01:21] darkest of days. [01:22] We all saw it with our own eyes. [01:24] The instructions were not Patriots. [01:27] They come to stop the peaceful transfer of power to overturn [01:31] the will of the people January six lies about the 2020 election and [01:37] the plot to steal the election posed a great gravest threat [01:41] to US democracy since the Civil War. [01:47] A threat to democracy must be defended. [01:50] My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth [01:53] about Universe 6. [01:55] I will not do that. [01:57] This is a moment to speak the truth in the berry lies. [02:01] There's a simple truth. [02:02] You can't love your country only when you win. [02:08] Girls bragging about overturning Roe v. [02:11] Wade have no clue about the power women, [02:14] but they found out when reproductive Freedom was on the ballot. [02:18] We won in 2022 and 2020 and again in 2024 and November my team [02:25] again serious negotiation of the bipartisan group of senators. [02:29] The result was a bipartisan bill with the toughest set of border [02:33] security forms we've ever seen. [02:36] Or you don't think so. [02:39] Oh, you don't like that bill, huh? [02:42] Black conservatives got together and said it was a good bill. [02:45] I'll be darned that's amazing that bike tire 1500 more security [02:53] agents and officers 100 more immigration judges help tackle [02:56] the back load of two men in cases 4003 in the more Asylum [03:00] officer instead of 6 years now and I station leading international [03:08] effort to get more humanitarian assistance to gossip tonight. [03:11] I'm directing the US military to lead and mercy mission to establish [03:16] a temporary pier in the Mediterranean coast of Gaza. [03:20] I can receive large shipments kind of food water medicine [03:24] in temporary shelters. [03:26] No, us boots will be on the ground a temporary. [03:30] Will enable a massive increase the amount of material assistance [03:33] getting in the Gaza everyday. [03:40] Israel must allow more Aiden the gods mnsure humanitarian [03:43] workers aren't caught in the crossfire. [03:48] We're going to call. [03:50] I have a cross in the northern Gaza. [03:52] Leadership is real. [03:54] I say this humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary [03:58] consideration or bargaining chip protecting and saving innocent [04:02] life has to be priority as we look to the Future the only real [04:07] solution to the situation is a two-state solution overtime. [04:13] I know it may not look like it but I've been around awhile. [04:19] Trying to get to be my age certain things become clearer [04:21] than ever. [04:23] I know the American story again. [04:26] And again, I seen the contest between competing forces in the [04:29] battle for the soul of our nation between those who want to pull [04:33] them back to the past those want to move American to the Future [04:37] Embrace freedom and democracy a future based on core values [04:44] the defined America honesty decency dignity and equality [04:49] expect everyone to give everyone a fair trial to give hate no [04:55] Safe Harbor. [04:58] Do the people my age see differently? [05:02] The American story of resentment revenge and retribution. [05:05] That's not me. [05:08] in my career [05:11] I've been told I was too young. [05:15] How do I get to let me on the central elevators for both? [05:17] Sometimes? It's not a joke. [05:21] I've been told I'm too old. [05:25] Whether young or old I've always been known. [05:28] I've always known what indoors I've known are Northstar [05:31] the very idea of Americans that were all created equal deserves [05:37] to be treated equally throughout our lives. [05:38] We've never fully lived up to that idea, [05:41] but we've never walked away from it either. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6898685/biden-israel-pressure-gaza-aid-pier-in-state-of-the-union/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6898685/biden-israel-pressure-gaza-aid-pier-in-state-of-the-union/"},"headline":"Biden Pressures Israel, Promises Gaza Aid Pier in State of the Union Speech","datePublished":"2024-03-08T05:17:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:40:22.805Z","description":"President promises aid pier to address humanitarian crisis in Gaza","url":"https://time.com/6898685/biden-israel-pressure-gaza-aid-pier-in-state-of-the-union/","keywords":["Biden Administration","Israel-Hamas War"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e1afd44eae27f73/698a493909208f676c41ba68/biden-state-of-the-union-gaza-humanitarian-israel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Cortellessa","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eric-cortellessa/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e1afd44eae27f73/698a493909208f676c41ba68/biden-state-of-the-union-gaza-humanitarian-israel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Biden Delivers State Of The Union Address","caption":"President Biden Delivers State Of The Union Address","creditText":"Shawn Thew—EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/biden-administration/","name":"Biden Administration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6898685/biden-israel-pressure-gaza-aid-pier-in-state-of-the-union/","name":"Biden Pressures Israel, Promises Gaza Aid Pier in State of the Union Speech"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Biggest Moments From President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union Address","description":"President Joe Biden used his State of the Union address in Washington on Thursday to draw a sharp contrast between his administration's accomplishments and priorities and those of his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/eRrTsAB1/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-03-08T06:32:24.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/eRrTsAB1.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/6898685/biden-israel-pressure-gaza-aid-pier-in-state-of-the-union/","duration":"PT5M44S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/6898685/biden-israel-pressure-gaza-aid-pier-in-state-of-the-union/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```