The bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus and storming of Mexico’s embassy in Quito breaks with accepted diplomatic norms − and could spell trouble.
Like, it’d be one thing if this was an existential threat, but it isn’t. It’s selling fighter bombers to fight malnourished people who are essentially in the stone age. Additional arms won’t impact the outcome at all. At all.
And yet it’s still “emergency measures” to get them weapons they don’t even need.
Within this context… I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say the actions thus far have been incredibly hollow.
“Don’t tell me what you value; show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value” is something that Biden has said repeatedly over his career.
I can’t really hear people talking about asking people to exercise restraint while pulling out all the stops to send them weapons.
Not to the same degree. Last big one I heard from the US was jets, but they were air superiority fighters, which isn’t useful against Palestine. They will be useful against Iran if something happens with that.
I can’t really hear people talking about asking people to exercise restraint while pulling out all the stops to send them weapons.
Again, we have changed the degree to which we are selling them weapons. Yeah, it’s still going and it almost certainly always will. If they’re defensive weapons only, I’m good with that as a place to start.
According to Times of Israel, the jets are F-15IA (Israeli-variant F-15EX), which are quite capable of carrying over a dozen bombs equipped with the JDAMs also being provided.
To stop the killing in Gaza? Israel has all the bombs it needs right now to level Gaza and the West Bank multiple times over within about 90 minutes, if it wanted. So the idea that Israel needs US weapons to continue prosecuting the war in Hamas is made up nonsense. So stopping weapons sales to Israel will have literally zero effect whatsoever on the future of Gaza or anyone in it, but it does have the effect of giving away our leverage for nothing in return.
Israel has the luxury of operating as a regional belligerent based on the perception that the USA has given them carte blanche. There is no reason for Israel to engage in any good faith diplomacy with anyone in the region. This is a major reason for the reality that exists now.
So, yeah, I wholly disagree with you on this one. Communicating (through demonstration) that there exist limits to military support would necessarily force Israel to retool their foreign policy.
That’s logical and all, and they would certainly have to retool, again though, to what end? Israel is surrounded by people who view democratic government as infidelity to God for which the punishment is death. The widely popular idea throughout the Arab world, especially among the bigger powers, i.e. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran, is that governments should suspend diplomatic relations with Israel and stop recognizing its rights to exist, if they even do recognize it right now.
If the US pulls out support for Israel, what incentive do those nations have not to obliterate Israel and steal back all the holy piles of rocks they think are so important?
Israel is surrounded by people who view democratic government as infidelity to God for which the punishment is death
This is plainly put not true. I’m honestly at a loss of how to even respond to this statement, because it is completely unteathered from reality.
If the US pulls out support for Israel, what incentive do those nations have not to obliterate Israel and steal back all the holy piles of rocks they think are so important?
It’s not a binary state.
If I walk into a bar with my buddy, the two statements of
“You’re the king and any fight you want to start I’ll finish” and “If we get into trouble I have your back, but don’t go looking for a fight” are obviously two completely different things.
Now this is just plain racism toward Arabs. Your reasoning suggests that they are incapable of organising democratic forms of government, and that only enlightened Israelis are able to achieve that.
It has zero effect on Israel’s posture as to Gaza, which Israel views essentially as a local police matter, but it has an obvious and massive effect on Israel’s posture as to Iran.
I mean, arms sales continue? Arms sales circumventing congressional approval, even.
Like, it’d be one thing if this was an existential threat, but it isn’t. It’s selling fighter bombers to fight malnourished people who are essentially in the stone age. Additional arms won’t impact the outcome at all. At all.
And yet it’s still “emergency measures” to get them weapons they don’t even need.
Within this context… I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say the actions thus far have been incredibly hollow.
“Don’t tell me what you value; show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value” is something that Biden has said repeatedly over his career.
I can’t really hear people talking about asking people to exercise restraint while pulling out all the stops to send them weapons.
Not to the same degree. Last big one I heard from the US was jets, but they were air superiority fighters, which isn’t useful against Palestine. They will be useful against Iran if something happens with that.
Again, we have changed the degree to which we are selling them weapons. Yeah, it’s still going and it almost certainly always will. If they’re defensive weapons only, I’m good with that as a place to start.
According to Times of Israel, the jets are F-15IA (Israeli-variant F-15EX), which are quite capable of carrying over a dozen bombs equipped with the JDAMs also being provided.
Stop sending weapons to what end?
To stop the killing in Gaza? Israel has all the bombs it needs right now to level Gaza and the West Bank multiple times over within about 90 minutes, if it wanted. So the idea that Israel needs US weapons to continue prosecuting the war in Hamas is made up nonsense. So stopping weapons sales to Israel will have literally zero effect whatsoever on the future of Gaza or anyone in it, but it does have the effect of giving away our leverage for nothing in return.
Israel has the luxury of operating as a regional belligerent based on the perception that the USA has given them carte blanche. There is no reason for Israel to engage in any good faith diplomacy with anyone in the region. This is a major reason for the reality that exists now.
So, yeah, I wholly disagree with you on this one. Communicating (through demonstration) that there exist limits to military support would necessarily force Israel to retool their foreign policy.
That’s logical and all, and they would certainly have to retool, again though, to what end? Israel is surrounded by people who view democratic government as infidelity to God for which the punishment is death. The widely popular idea throughout the Arab world, especially among the bigger powers, i.e. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran, is that governments should suspend diplomatic relations with Israel and stop recognizing its rights to exist, if they even do recognize it right now.
If the US pulls out support for Israel, what incentive do those nations have not to obliterate Israel and steal back all the holy piles of rocks they think are so important?
This is plainly put not true. I’m honestly at a loss of how to even respond to this statement, because it is completely unteathered from reality.
It’s not a binary state.
If I walk into a bar with my buddy, the two statements of
“You’re the king and any fight you want to start I’ll finish” and “If we get into trouble I have your back, but don’t go looking for a fight” are obviously two completely different things.
Now this is just plain racism toward Arabs. Your reasoning suggests that they are incapable of organising democratic forms of government, and that only enlightened Israelis are able to achieve that.
Not really. Hamas really is part of an ideological pan-Islamist alliance who literally does believe in killing all the non believers.
If it has zero effect, why are we selling the weapons to them?
It has zero effect on Israel’s posture as to Gaza, which Israel views essentially as a local police matter, but it has an obvious and massive effect on Israel’s posture as to Iran.