President Joe Biden has said the United States of America is the most powerful country in history and that it has the capacity to back Israel and Ukraine in their ongoing wars at the same time.
Ukraine is fighting Russia while Israel is in a conflict with Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has resulted in the pounding of Gaza by Israeli forces.
“We’re the United States of America for God’s sake. The most powerful nation in the history of the world,” the president told Scott Pelley in CBS News magazine 60 Minutes set to air on Sunday night.
“We can take care of both of these and still maintain our overall international defence. We have the capacity to do this and we have an obligation to, we are the ‘essential nation’ to paraphrase the former Secretary of State. And if don’t then who does?”
Biden has insisted that Israel has a right to defend itself following deadly incursions made by Hamas militants into Israel on October 7, which led to the killing of hundreds of people and the abduction of many people.
On Sunday, the Gaza health ministry said at least 2,670 Palestinians had been killed and 9,600 wounded since Israel launched its retaliatory attack on the enclave.