The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios.

Why it matters: It is the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military. The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said. President Biden is facing sharp criticism among Americans who oppose his support of Israel. The administration in February asked Israel to provide assurances that U.S.-made weapons were being used by Israel Defense Forces in Gaza in accordance with international law. Israel provided a signed letter of assurances in March.

  • 3volver@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Great, now stop all money and weapons to Israel entirely. Every day Biden doesn’t do this we get closer to a criminal orange man as president.

    • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.worldOP
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      6 months ago

      While I’d love to see that, it would be unprecedented in the history of US-Israel relations. If it does happen at all, it will definitely come slowly.

      Also, you may want to stop putting election abstinence out there as a consequence. We’re all aware that Trump will make things worse for Palestinians as well as everyone who isn’t a rich white American industrialist male.

      • 3volver@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        I’m just making sure everyone knows what the consequence is, whether I like it or not. It’s Biden’s job to do right by the people who voted for him no matter how bad the alternative may be.

        • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.worldOP
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          6 months ago

          His job is to represent all Americans, not just Democrats. Many Republicans and Evangelicals believe in supporting Israel in eradicating Palestinians.

          • 3volver@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            So is Trump’s job to represent all Americans, even Democrats? Sure as hell doesn’t fucking feel so.

            • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.worldOP
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              6 months ago

              That’s the funny thing about being President. They tend to do a better job when they’ve held office before. It turns out that real estate con men and actors do a pretty terrible job of representing the average American.

            • spidermanchild@sh.itjust.works
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              6 months ago

              It’s in the job description for president, so yeah in theory. We just all know, based on years of actions and rhetoric, that Trump has no intention of representing anyone other than himself. He doesn’t even care about his own supporters. Don’t let that cloud what the job is supposed to entail though.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        it would be unprecedented in the history of US-Israel relations

        Not unprecedented. Ronald Reagan used the threat of halting arms exports to Israel in '83, in order to end PM Menachem Begin’s terror bombing of Beirut.

        • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.worldOP
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          6 months ago

          Yes. He then sold arms to Iran, known as the Iran-Contra scandal, which in turn went to Hezbollah, inciting the Israel-Iran proxy war we’re protesting today. Then he provided military aid to Israel under agreement that they use it to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon. He literally is the father of this proxy conflict. Do not glorify his actions.

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            Do not glorify his actions.

            I don’t think I’m glorifying anything. Merely pointing out a moment in history in which a President threatened arms sales to Israel, prior to this one.

            • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.worldOP
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              6 months ago

              He withheld all aid, not just military, and then provided exclusive military aid with directive for application. He wasn’t “being tough” on Israel. He was telling them where to point the guns. It’s not an example of what we need from Biden, or any president for that matter.

          • Count042@lemmy.ml
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            6 months ago

            How is this the response to a post directly pointing out what you said is wrong.

            “Yes I was wrong, but he was horrible so it doesn’t count.”

            Ronald Reagan was a piece of shit. He also did the thing you said no one had done before.

            • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.worldOP
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              6 months ago

              No, again, he didn’t. He only withheld aid in order to direct the use of the subsequent military aid. That’s not being “tough on Israel.” It’s telling them where to shoot.

              • Count042@lemmy.ml
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                6 months ago

                No, he didn’t. The saturation bombing of Beirut was a step too far, especially as it was fucking with the US’s attempts to broker peace in Lebanon. It also actually pissed Reagan off who described it in the phone call as ‘a holocaust’

                You have the weirdest, most demented, view of American history as it relates to Israel I think I’ve ever seen.

    • PoliticalAgitator@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      But what about the profits? You can’t go around not profiting just because a few thousand children are being killed, disfigured and orphaned! It’s like you don’t understand neoliberalism at all.

      Sarcasm aside, stopping the money and weapons isn’t enough to stop the genocide because Israel never needed any of it in the first place. But if you funnel hundreds of billions of dollars to defence contractors, there’s nothing the US government won’t consent to.

      Orange man won’t be any different. He’s not even trying to pretend it’s not a genocide, just coming out and saying Israel should “finish the problem”.

      • 3volver@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        stopping the money and weapons isn’t enough to stop the genocide

        “This thing isn’t good because it doesn’t do the thing all the way, so the thing isn’t worthwhile”.

        Have a nice day political agitator, now get blocked.

    • Wiz@midwest.social
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      6 months ago

      It’s a sticky wicket, because Israel is the USA’s only ally in the Middle East. All options are terrible.

      • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.worldOP
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        6 months ago

        That was true when Israel was created after WWII. It’s no longer the case. The US is also allied with Saudi Arabia and Egypt as non-NATO nations, and also with the NATO partners UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

        • Enkrod@feddit.de
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          6 months ago

          and also with the NATO members UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

          ??? Those are not NATO members!

          • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.worldOP
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            6 months ago

            You’re correct. They’re partners in NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. I mistyped. I’ll correct it.

      • randon31415@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        We spent how much money and how many lives to make Iraq our ally, and people STILL pull this “only ally” b.s.?

        • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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          6 months ago

          Eh. I’m not sure if most Iraqis would agree that they’re out “ally”. We kinda fucked the dog on that one. And in Afghanistan.

          We’re pretty good at regime change, not so great at lasting change.