English subtitles for clip: File:President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Terrorist Attacks in Israel - Oct. 10, 2023.webm

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The President: Good afternoon.

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You know, there are
moments in this life --

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and I mean this literally
-- when the pure,

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unadulterated evil is
unleashed on this world.

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The people of Israel lived
through one such moment

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this weekend.

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The bloody hands of the
terrorist organization Hamas --

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a group whose stated purpose
for being is to kill Jews.

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This was an act of sheer evil.

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More than 1,000
civilians slaughtered --

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not just killed,
slaughtered -- in Israel.

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Among them, at least 14
American citizens killed.

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Parents butchered
using their bodies

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to try to protect
their children.

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Stomach-turning reports of
being -- babies being killed.

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Entire families slain.

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Young people massacred

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while attending a musical
festival to celebrate peace --

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to celebrate peace.

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Women raped, assaulted,
paraded as trophies.

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Families hid their fear
for hours and hours,

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desperately trying to keep
their children quiet

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to avoid drawing attention.

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And thousands of wounded,
alive but carrying with them

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the bullet holes and
the shrapnel wounds

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and the memory of
what they endured.

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You all know these
traumas never go away.

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There are still so many
families desperately

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waiting to hear the fate
of their loved ones,

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not knowing if they're
alive or dead or hostages.

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Infants in their mothers' arms,
grandparents in wheelchairs,

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Holocaust survivors abducted
and held hostage --

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hostages whom Hamas has now
threatened to execute

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in violation of every
code of human morality.

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It's abhorrent.

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The brutality of Hamas --
this bloodthirstiness --

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brings to mind the worst --
the worst rampages of ISIS.

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This is terrorism.

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But sadly, for the Jewish
people, it's not new.

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This attack has brought to
the surface painful memories

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and the scars left by a
millennia of antisemitism

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and genocide of
the Jewish people.

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So, in this moment, we
must be crystal clear:

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We stand with Israel.
We stand with Israel.

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And we will make sure Israel
has what it needs to take care

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of its citizens, defend itself,
and respond to this attack.

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There is no justification
for terrorism.

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There is no excuse.

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Hamas does not stand for
the Palestinian people's

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right to dignity and
self-determination.

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Its stated purpose
is the annihilation

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of the State of Israel and
the murder of Jewish people.

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They use Palestinian civilians
as human shields.

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Hamas offers nothing but
terror and bloodshed

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with no regard to
who pays the price.

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The loss of innocent
life is heartbreaking.

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Like every nation in the world,

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Israel has the
right to respond --

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indeed has a duty to respond
-- to these vicious attacks.

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I just got off the phone with --

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the third call with Prime
Minister Netanyahu.

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And I told him if the
United States experienced

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what Israel is experiencing,

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our response would be swift,
decisive, and overwhelming.

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We also discussed how
democracies like Israel

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and the United States are
stronger and more secure

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when we act according
to the rule of law.

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Terrorists purpo- --

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purposefully target
civilians, kill them.

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We uphold the laws of
war -- the law of war.

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It matters. There's
a difference.

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Today, Americans across
the country are praying

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for all those families
that have been ripped apart.

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A lot of us know how it feels.

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It leaves a black hole in your
chest when you lose family,

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feeling like you're
being sucked in.

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The anger, the pain,
the sense of hopelessness.

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This is what they mean
by a "human tragedy" --

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an atrocity on an
appalling scale.

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But we're going to s- --
continue to stand united,

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supporting the people of Israel

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who are suffering
unspeakable losses

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and opposing the hatred
and violence of terrorism.

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My team has been in near
constant communication

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with our Israeli partners and
partners all across the region

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and the world from the
moment this crisis began.

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We're surging additional
military assistance,

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including ammunition
and interceptors

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to replenish Iron Dome.

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We're going to make sure

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that Israel does not run out
of these critical assets

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to defend its cities
and its citizens.

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My administration has consulted

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closely with Congress
throughout this crisis.

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And when Congress returns,

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we're going to ask them
to take urgent action

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to fund the national
security requirements

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of our critical partners.

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This is not about
party or politics.

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This is about the
security of our world,

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the security of the
United States of America.

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We now know that
American citizens

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are among those
being held by Hamas.

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I've directed my team
to share intelligence

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and deploy additional experts
from across the United States

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government to consult with
and advise the Israeli

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counterparts on hostage
recover- -- recovery efforts,

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because as president I
have no higher priority

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than the safety of Americans

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being held hostage
around the world.

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The United States has also
enhanced our military force

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posture in the region to
strengthen our deterrence.

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The Department of Defense
has moved the USS Gerald R.

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Ford Carrier Strike Group
to the Eastern Mediterranean

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and bolstered our fighter
aircraft presence.

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And we stand ready to move
in additional assets as needed.

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Let me say again --

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to any country,
any organization,

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anyone thinking of taking
advantage of this situation,

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I have one word: Don't. Don't.

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Our hearts may be broken,
but our resolve is clear.

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Yesterday, I also spoke
with the leaders of

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France, Germany, Italy,

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and the UK to discuss
the latest developments

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with our European allies and
coordinate our united response.

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This comes on top of days
of steady engagement

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with partners across the region.

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We're also taking steps at home.

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In cities across the
United States of America,

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police departments
have stepped up

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security around centers
for -- of Jewish life.

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And the Department
of Homeland Security

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and the Federal Bureau
of Investigation

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are working closely with state
and local law enforcement

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and Jewish community partners
to identify

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and disrupt any domestic threat
that could emerge in connection

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with these horrific attacks.

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This is a moment for the United
States to come together,

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to grieve with those
who are mourning.

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Let's be real clear: There is no
place for hate in America --

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not against Jews, not against
Muslims, not against anybody.

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We reject -- we reject --
what we reject is terrorism.

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We condemn the
indiscriminate evil,

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just as we've always done.

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That's what America stands for.

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You know, just over
50 years ago --

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I was thinking about
it this morning,

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talking with the
Secretary of State,

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the Vice President
in my office and --

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over 50 years ago,
as a young senator,

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I visited Israel
for the first time,

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as a newly elected senator.

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And I had a long, long trip --

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or meeting with Golda
Meir in her office

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just before the Yom Kippur War.

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And I guess she could see
the consternation on my face

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as she described
what was being faced --

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they were facing.

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We walked outside in that --

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that sort of hallway outside
her office to have some photos.

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She looked at me and w- --
all of a sudden and said,

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"Would you like to
have a photograph?"

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And so, I got up
and followed her out.

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We were standing there silent,
looking at the press.

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She could tell, I
guess, I was concerned.

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She leaned over
and whispered to me --

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she said, "Don't
worry, Senator Biden.

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We have a secret weapon
here in Israel" --

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my word this is what she said --
"We have no place else to go."

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"We have no place else to go."

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For 75 years, Israel has stood
as the ultimate guarantor

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of security of Jewish
people around the world

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so that the atrocities of the
past could never happen again.

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And let there be no
doubt: The United States

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has Israel's back.

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We will make sure the Jewish
and democratic State of Israel

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can defend itself today,
tomorrow, as we always have.

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It's as simple as that.

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These atrocities
have been sickening.

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We're with Israel.
Let's make no mistake.

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Thank you.