“Would the U.S. respond?” ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked repeatedly as the president walked away after the end of an unrelated event. He paused, thought for a moment and then returned to the lectern.
“We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said.
According to one U.S. defense official, the assets being moved to the region include both “ships and aircraft.”
There are two major issues here:
Joe Biden’s diplomatic job is to try to prevent things from descending into a full-scale regional war, try to protect Gaza civilians, try to reduce tensions, try to keep Israel as an ally… Notice how some of those have come into contradiction with each other? Yeah. He’s trying to thread a very difficult needle.
I’m not saying he’s succeeding, either, but he’s at least trying.
The US doesn’t arbitrarily choose to make and keep allies. Israel represents a huge geopolitical strategic advantage in the region, given its position on the Mediterranean and its proximity to trade routes and oil pipelines. They’re willing to put up with an ally committing genocide not just on principle but because they don’t actually care about that as much as their own power in the region.
80% of Israelis support the war in Gaza. Netanyahu is a convenient fall guy to what is a PR nightmare (and nothing more). If tomorrow they vote in a new government, nothing fundamentally changes for Palestinians, except perhaps fewer bombs drop on their heads. They face genocide through Israel’s blockade and remain in an apartheid state.
The US has geopolitical interests in the region: that didn’t change when Israel went full genocide.
I tried to find backing for that 80% statistic you cited, and couldn’t. Could you provide a link? I’d also be interested in the details of how that support breaks down. Is that 80% fully in support of the genocide in Gaza? Or is that 80% support destroying Hamas, while the particulars of the war are much more varied in their support?
88% of all Jewish Israelis think the number of killed or injured Palestinians is justified by the war
Edit: Here’s the actual poll that isn’t behind paywall
Thanks, I’ll look into both.
I don’t disagree but we should be careful with polls. This 80% pole is being spammed everywhere now. If you think back after 9/11 support for the Iraq invasion was high initially then it tapered off. I’m just saying: polls aren’t indicative of a sharp picture. I take them as a pulse of the people at a snapshot in time.
Israel was founded on a zionist mission, which has always been in contradiction with the existence and independence of the Palestinian people. I’m not sure I see a reason to doubt a poll showing support for a war against Palestine, except possibly a poll that shows support for the means of that war, but then again that’s the US’s stance too: they support the war, but disagree with the optics and methods used.
So what? And America was founded on manifest destiny. It doesn’t mean Americans born today want to wipe out the native Americans. We can’t ascribe the sins of our grandfathers to our children. A great deal of Israeli people were actively against settlements and for a two state solution before Oct 7. This is a fact that has to be contended with and can’t be ignored.
America already did wipe out the Native Americans
Try saying this back when western expansion was still happening.
You’re missing the point of my comment because you’re fixated on the suffering and expansion. I’ll repeat myself in case it wasn’t clear: we cannot ascribe the sins of the grandfathers to the children. A big percentage of Israeli population already vehemently opposes settlements and expansion.
I’m fixated on the suffering and expansion because it’s currently happening
I’m not ascribing the sins of a past generation onto a new one, I’m pointing to the sins of the current generation
Ok. You’re getting lost in the sauce and you’re doing it on purpose at this point. In talking about the significant contingent of Israeli people that oppose settlements.