Joe Biden’s warning: Fight to protect the free world

Joe Biden has warned that the free world is at a tipping point in its fight for survival against terrorists and tyrants who would destroy democracy in Israel, Ukraine and around the world.

US President Joe Biden addresses the nation on the conflict between Israel and Gaza and the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Friday (AEDT). Picture: AFP

Joe Biden has warned that the free world is at a tipping point in its fight for survival against terrorists and tyrants who would destroy democracy in Israel, Ukraine and around the world.

In a historic and powerful ­endorsement of America’s role as a global policeman for freedom, the US President pledged to defend democracy wherever it was threatened, declaring “we are facing an inflection point in history”.

Mr Biden’s comments came as the Israeli military made final preparations for a massive ground invasion of Gaza that will seek to destroy the terror group Hamas after its murderous attacks on ­Israel that killed more than 1400.

The imminent assault comes as tensions across the Middle East reached a flashpoint, with Arab nations furious at Israel’s two-week bombardment of Gaza, which has killed at least 2500 ­people and led to a humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory.

In comments aimed at calming rising anger in the Arab world, Mr Biden said he was “heartbroken by the tragic loss of Palestinian life” and said “Israel and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity and peace”. “As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace; we cannot give up on a two-state solution,” he said

In an address to the nation, Mr Biden said America must be “a beacon to the world” by making the Hamas and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin pay a price for the horrors they had unleashed.

“History has taught us when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction,” Mr Biden said from the Oval Office.

“They keep going. And the cost and the threat to America and the world keep rising.”

Israeli military exchanged fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah troops in southern Lebanon and with Palestinian demonstrators in the West Bank amid fears that these growing clashes could escalate into full-blown conflict, forcing Israel to fight a war on several fronts at once.

A US navy warship also shot down three cruise missiles and several drones launched from Yemen that the Pentagon said might have targeted Israel.

They are believed to have been fired by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, fuelling concerns that the Israel-Hamas war could easily become a regional conflict.

Mr Biden’s speech urged Americans to back US involvement in and support for Israel and Ukraine, saying that “these conflicts can seem far away” but that they remain “vital for America’s national security”.

“American leadership is what holds the world together. American alliances are what keep us, America, safe. American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with,” Mr Biden said. “To put all that at risk and walk away from Ukraine and turn our backs on Israel – it’s just not worth it.”

He said Hamas and Mr Putin represented different threats, but they both wanted to “completely annihilate a neighbouring democracy”.

“And if we walk away and let Putin erase Ukraine’s independence, would-be aggressors around the world would be emboldened to try the same,” Mr Biden said.

“The risk of conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world: in the Indo-Pacific, in the Middle East, especially in the Middle East.”

The President is expected to ask congress for $US14bn in emergency assistance for Israel and $US60bn for Ukraine in its war with Russia. His speech was also aimed at winning the support of conservative Republicans in congress who are opposed to further US military and financial support for Ukraine.

Anthony Albanese has dismissed opposition calls for him to visit Israel as an expression of solidarity, saying the country was not a safe travel destination.

The Prime Minister, who is trying to keep Labor’s messaging on Israel consistent amid mounting anger at the deaths of Palestinian civilians, said the conflict in the Middle East was “complex” and the government’s priority ­remained to maintain the “harmonious community” in Australia.

Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, vowed that his country would ­“depose the Hamas regime, ­destroy its military capabilities and remove the terrorist threat”.

The first humanitarian supplies are expected to enter Gaza in the next day or so as the situation on the ground becomes increasingly desperate. Israel cut off supplies of water, food and fuel to Gaza on October 7 after the attack by Hamas that left more than 1400 Israelis dead, and hospitals in Gaza are also struggling to treat the wounded after numerous air strikes over the past two weeks.

More than 600,000 people have left their homes in northern Gaza to seek safety in the south ahead of the expected Israeli ­attack.

The UN has warned that the situation in Gaza is growing increasingly desperate.

Twenty trucks filled with ­humanitarian aid will be allowed into Gaza at its border with Egypt and, so long as Hamas does not try to intercept those trucks, more will be allowed in as part of an agreement brokered between ­Israel, the US and Egypt.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told troops near the Gaza border that they would soon see the Palestinian enclave “from ­inside”, suggesting an expected ground invasion was imminent.

Shortly after Mr Gallant’s statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video of himself with troops near the border and told them, “we will deal harsh blows to our enemies in order to achieve victory”, according to his office.

Additional reporting: Ben Packham, Rhiannon Down