Washington - "Jerusalem" dot com - Saeed Erekat - President Joe Biden called, during his "State of the Union" speech, on Tuesday evening, Republican and Democratic members of Congress to work together, and reminded of the economic successes achieved by his administration in two years, and also praised the strength and solidity of American democracy.

President Biden used his State of the Union address, his first address to both parts of the US Congress since the Republican Party won a simple majority in the House of Representatives last November, to urge the newly divided Congress to "finish the job" to help the nation through a series of historic trials.

But his plea for bipartisanship was also accompanied by an implicit contradiction to the radical elements of the Republican Party.

Biden devoted most of his speech to talking about the US economy, internal matters, and his recipes to keep the United States the strongest power in the world. He did not mention the foreign policy that he singled out for the Russian-Ukrainian war, and competition with China, except at the end of the speech and for minutes on the fingers of one hand.

On the Russia-Ukraine war, Biden said: "I spoke from this room one year ago, just days after Vladimir Putin unleashed his brutal war against Ukraine...a murderous attack that evokes images of the death and destruction that Europe suffered in World War II."

"Putin's invasion was a test for the ages. A test for America... a test for the world... Do we stand for the simplest principles? Do we stand for sovereignty? Do we stand for the right of people to live free from tyranny? Do we stand for democracy?" Biden added. Because such a defense matters to us because it keeps the peace and prevents an open season for potential aggressors to threaten our security and prosperity. One year later, we knew the answer; yes, we would and yes, we did."

"Together, we've done what America always does best: We united NATO, forged a global coalition, and we stood against Putin's aggression. We stood with the Ukrainian people. America is united in our support of Ukraine, no matter how long it takes, as our nation works for more freedom," he said. And more dignity, and more peace, not only in Europe, but everywhere."

On rivalry with China, Biden said: "Before I took office, the story was about how the People's Republic of China increased its power and America's landing in the world; but not anymore, and I made it clear with President Xi Jinping that we seek competition, not conflict."

"I will make no apologies because we are investing to make America strong... investing in American innovation, in the industries that will define the future, and China's government is bent on hegemony... investing in our alliances and working with our allies to protect our advanced technologies so they are not used against us," he added.

"Today, we are in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world, and I am committed to working with China to advance American interests and benefit the world," he said.

On the downing of the Chinese balloon last Saturday, Biden said, "But we make no mistake, as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will work to protect our country, as we have done."

He pledged to modernize the US armed forces to maintain stability and deter aggression.

And Biden, the president, began his speech by joking with the Speaker of Parliament, Republican Kevin McCarthy, saying, “I congratulate you, Kevin McCarthy, on your victory in the presidency of the House of Representatives, and although I do not want to discredit you, I look forward to cooperating with you.” He also praised former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying that she was “ The best president in the history of Congress."

Biden mentioned the state of the economy when he assumed the presidency two years ago, stressing, "The economy was faltering, but in two years we created 12 million jobs, which no president has achieved in four years."

"We are the only nation that emerges from crises stronger in a stronger position than it was before," he continued.

"We have restored jobs and dignity after four years of economic chaos," he said.

On Covid, Biden said, "Covid does not control our lives as it used to, when it disrupted factories and stole a lot from the experience of studying in schools."

"And our democracy was threatened two years ago, and now we have proven that the roots of our democracy did not bend or break," he added.

The President praised the successes achieved by the cooperation of the Democrats and the Republicans, and called on the Republicans to work and cooperate, adding, saying: "We worked together in the last Congress, and there is no reason why we should not do that in this Congress."

"Conflict for the sake of conflict, and power for power's sake, will not achieve any results," he said, calling for restoring the nation's spirit and building "the backbone of the nation, which is the middle class."

In his speech, which lasted more than 75 minutes, the US President did not mention the devastating earthquake that afflicted Syria and Turkey, or the issues of the Middle East.