"For months, Netanyahu and his government have consistently ignored American counsel as to how to prosecute the war in Gaza against Hamas after the Oct. 7 terror attacks. Biden and his aides were repeatedly frustrated by Israel’s widening war aims within Gaza — with a devastating impact on Palestinian civilians — even at the cost of a deal to free the remaining hostages.
Biden deemed Israel’s response “over the top” and did stop one shipment of American arms to Israel. But even as pressure grew from fellow Democrats to create distance from Netanyahu, Biden’s reflexive instinct was to support Israel despite the swelling humanitarian crisis. As his influence over Netanyahu shrunk, the president’s anger grew. Phone calls between the two men were increasingly turned into shouting matches, according to one of the officials and one other senior official not authorized to discuss private conversations. Biden told confidants that he did not believe his Israeli counterpart wanted a cease-fire deal, arguing that Netanyahu was trying to perpetuate the conflict to save his political future and assist Trump in November’s election, the officials said."
He’s tried (almost) nothing and he’s all out of ideas. He’s most definitely not even tested the limits of his influence over Israel. He just doesn’t want that influence to involve anything more serious than “c’mon bucko!”.
Yeah, Imagine how different Israeli aggression would be if the flow of American Money and Weapons stopped.
But he doesnt want to do that, because Israel holds some weird fucking power over America.
It’s called AIPAC.
Their lobbying power is perfectly legal and immense.
It’s also all the weapons producers who are making money like they won the lotto selling those weapons. They have a ton of influence as well.
I agree but they are not as influential as AIPAC regarding supporting the mass punishment and murder of civilians in the middle east.
Weapons manufacturers will be busy for years resupplying stocks that were provided to Ukraine.
I’m not sure which has the stronger lobby. But even 1 of them by itself would probably been enough to keep US support for suppling Isreal going in the government.
It gotta take something more than a lobbying group to get America to offer up its tongue for use as TP, cause thats basically the stage that America is at with regards to servicing Israel.
Any politician that stands up to AIPAC gets millions (if not tens of millions) raised for their political opponents.
The vast majority of politicians are far too frightened to anger this lobby in an election year.
Didn’t one politician this year try to stand up to AIPAC and end up losing to an incredibly well-funded opponent? If so it would definitely have a chilling effect.
They have spent $100 million dollars this cycle.
Not like they have bilateral signed and legally binding defense pacts or anything.
I’m not saying the US shouldn’t be twisting those levels levers and at least warning of decreased investment (which I believe is probably going on now for a few months privately) but immediately breaking ties, probably illegally breaking a defense treaty, and creating an immediate and huge power vacuum doesn’t seem like it’s going to save any more lives. I’d guess it would embolden Iran and full on war rather than this intensifying skirmishes would be happening.
You don’t turn around 75 years of investment on a dime.
I personally think there needs to be stabilization and the US/NATO work on improving relations with iran using divestment with Israel as the carrot over the next 10 years. Work to re-establish the nuclear deal and start to pull money from Israel over time.
It’s not like the US has laws banning the delivery of weapons to states that are guilty of breaking humanitarian law, either
Yep, international law be like that sometimes. It’s complicated.
It’s actually extremely uncomplicated in this case. That’s why they had to present counterfactual evidence to congress to evade the explicit restrictions spelled out by the law.
I swear there was actually a name for that… pur… purge… perjury? Is it perjury? Wow i’m having some wild dejavu, has this happened before?
You’ll have to be more specific. I’m not sure what you’re talking about.
In fairness to you it has happened quite a few times.
Here’s the one i’m referring to, though.
It’s neat how it’s always complicated in favor of things that centrists want to do.
Removed by mod
If you are a centrist, yes. I believe you do.
Ahh yes more of this garbage. Does it hurt knowing you can’t make the big tent work and you’re ineffective at making any change?
Yeah, you’re right.
It’d totally be uncouth to step in and do anything to prevent the slaughter of tens of thousands, if not more, innocent civilians.
We should really drag it out and make no substantive efforts until Israel’s genocide is complete, Then we can “punish” them by giving them all the land they’ve cleansed.
I do think that more Palestinians will die if Iran and Israel go to full scale war.
More Palestinians will also die if Iran and Israel don’t go to full scale war, especially if the western world keeps shrugging their shoulders as Israel keeps expanding the conflict unilaterally.
I don’t think that’s true in a full scale war. I think it is likely they cease to exist. I feel for them. I do not think immediately and rapidly pulling out will reduce civilian death.
Israel has already destroyed more than 60% of Gaza and has not shown any signs of stopping. If nothing is done to stop Israeli aggression Gaza will cease to exist anyway.
A full scale war with Iran would be catastrophic for everyone in the region, no question - but portraying it as somehow worse for Palestine specifically is adjacent to denying/understating the genocide they are already enduring under Israeli occupation.
There’s not like a super court states can sue each other in to enforce a treaty. It’s just words. We can do whatever we want and people will keep making treaties with us because we’re the superpower and most of them agree it’s genocide.
Oh okay I guess things like the Iran treaty being broken Willy nilly is good for politics.