• Maggoty@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    There’s been a lot of FUD about it and .ml has been running wild denying anything even remotely pro peace from her.

    At any rate literally all we need at this point is a president that tells Netanyahu he either accepts a negotiated return of remaining hostages and withdraws or he loses our weapons support.

    But Biden is also doing his best to pump up their ammo supply so the next president actually doesn’t have the influence Biden could have had. It’s 2024 and I’m ashamed we didn’t learn from supporting South Africa and Iran into the flames. They’ve been shamelessly giving Israel our best military technology with no regard to their political situation. College students called this as the most likely path 2 decades ago, and here we are appearing to be caught by surprise.

    • chaogomu@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Fun fact, there’s a 2008 law that specifically forces the president to give Israel all the best military hardware.

      It was passed by W on his way out the door, and due to the Democratic party being compromised as hell, there’s never been enough votes to get rid of it, and any time the president might want to hold things back, they get sued under that law.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        Biden and Obama both could have used the leahy law on day one. We have evidence going that far back that Israel systematically commits war crimes, including occupying Palestine in an illegal manner. To be clear there is a way they could have done it legally. But things including extending their own, civilian, legal system into the occupied areas preclude it being legal.

      • nednobbins@lemm.ee
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        7 days ago

        Fun fact, there’s a 2008

        What law is that? I keep hearing about it but I can’t find that law.

        I did find several that prohibit the US from providing aid to countries that commit human rights violations but nothing that requires the US to give anyone any military hardware.

        • LePoisson@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          PDF warning but anyone wanting to peep the law - it’s here.

          https://www.congress.gov/112/statute/STATUTE-126/STATUTE-126-Pg1146.pdf

          There’s actually very explicit language that Congress wrote into the law basically ensuring the president, or the executive at large, has to support Israel militarily.

          So there isn’t really an easy way for a president to unilaterally untangle us from our military alliance with Israel even if they want to. It will take a literal act of Congress to change the course of the State Dept when it comes to Israel as a lot of what is wrong is prescribed by law as necessary.

          • nednobbins@lemm.ee
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            6 days ago

            I just read that law and it’s far from clear that it requires any aid to Israel at all.

            Section 1 just defines the title.
            Section 2 provides a statement of findings.
            Section 3 covers US policy towards Israel. This is the closest I could find to something requiring assistance. Policy statements don’t bind the president. At best they serve as guidelines for future legislation.
            Section 4 talks about actively defending Israel but brackets the whole thing in “should”. That has a specific legal definition that includes, “but it’s not required.”
            Section 5 simply extends some deadlines that were going to expire.
            Section 6 mandates some reports.
            Section 7 defines terms.

            The language in the Leahy Act is considerably stronger and more explicit. “No assistance shall be furnished under this chapter…”

      • LePoisson@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        PDF warning but anyone wanting to peep the law - it’s here.

        https://www.congress.gov/112/statute/STATUTE-126/STATUTE-126-Pg1146.pdf

        There’s actually very explicit language that Congress wrote into the law basically ensuring the president, or the executive at large, has to support Israel militarily.

        So there isn’t really an easy way for a president to unilaterally untangle us from our military alliance with Israel even if they want to. It will take a literal act of Congress to change the course of the State Dept when it comes to Israel as a lot of what is wrong is prescribed by law as necessary.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      It’s 2024 and I’m ashamed we didn’t learn from supporting South Africa and Iran into the flames.

      We did learn. Just all the wrong lessons. Iran taught us that you can ride a wave of hate for 50 years. South Africa taught us that you crack down on the BDS movement day one and keep the media on lock for your Apartheid friends.