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Biden walks back sanctions on Israeli settlers following Smotrich's threat (archive.ph)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Biden administration dramatically softens the sanctions it imposed on the seven Israelis from the Israel Defense Forces and makes it clear that they will be able to use their bank accounts.

Original article in Hebrew

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)

The PA is pretty much entirely controlled by the Israeli military now. It being shut down might actually allow orgs that actually serve Palestinian interests to take power.

Regardless, this is obviously just an excuse to stop the sanctions. Israel is entirely dependent on the US and these "threats" are toothless. If Biden gave a fuck at all, he would simply threaten to cut off funding to Israel in return.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

The "might" in that sentence is doing some heavy lifting. I think the collapse of the PA would lead to worsening chaos in the West Bank, especially financially, and would directly harm Palestinians.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Not at all. You can remove that first paragraph entirely and my point comes across just fine.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

There wasn't a second paragraph when I responded lol.

I still seriously disagree with you, a disruption of the Palestinian Authority would 100% be worse for the Palestinian people in the West Bank. Which "orgs" do you think are suddenly going to step in and be better?

[–] nomous 1 points 7 months ago

Israel is entirely dependent on the US

Israel has a robust economy and is quite capable of conducting the war it wants all on its own.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Israel

[+] [email protected] -7 points 7 months ago (2 children)

[removed by mod]

[–] vind 12 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Not in the west bank

[–] [email protected] -3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yes, it is. Hamas absolutely has a presence in the West Bank, and the fact that they would likely win democratic elections is the reason why there haven't been elections in the West Bank in ages.

Hamas isn't able to accumulate meaningful military force there due to the constant presence of the IDF, but they are there. The PA must be reformed, but if you simply abolish it, it's Hamas that fills the power vacuum.

[+] vind -1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago

When did I say that the PA and Hamas are the same?

I did not say that Hamas has legal authority in the West Bank. I said that they have a presence, which is simply true. Terrorist attacks are not at all unheard of in the West Bank; do you really think they're completely disconnected from the neighboring Islamist organization who routinely praises terror attacks and explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel?

On February 1, Israeli soldiers demolished the East Jerusalem family apartment of a deceased Palestinian teacher who in 2021 shot and killed an Israeli tour guide and wounded four others near the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. The terrorist group Hamas said the gunman was a senior member of its movement in East Jerusalem.

https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/israel-west-bank-and-gaza/west-bank-and-gaza/

OPERATING AREAS
Primarily in Gaza; also maintains a presence in the West Bank; Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon; and key regional capitals, such as Doha, Qatar, and Cairo, Egypt.

https://www.dni.gov/nctc/ftos/hamas_fto.html

Separate from these attacks are examples of armed combat between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), operatives from established terrorist organizations (e.g., Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad), and individuals with no organizational affiliation who formed militant battalions in their communities before or during the current war. The latter groups, most of which are found in the northern West Bank, were principally established to prevent Israel from operating against terrorist cells. Although they are not Hamas themselves, they enjoy wide popularity among West Bank youths and rely on the guidance and support of Hamas elements outside the territory for financing, weapons, and technical knowledge.

Against this backdrop, Hamas has been trying to mobilize West Bankers—especially the younger generation—to open another front against Israel. The group sees youths as ripe for exploitation because they are more likely to identify with local militants and blame the Palestinian Authority for allowing Israel to expand its military activities in the West Bank. Statements by senior Hamas officials, media outlets, and social networks are therefore emphasizing the strategic connection between the Gaza war and the advancement of the entire Palestinian nationalist and religious agenda—not just freeing prisoners, but also ending the occupation in full and playing on the fear that Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque is somehow in danger.

https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/why-west-bank-front-has-not-opened-so-far

[–] [email protected] -2 points 7 months ago

You got downvoted, but you are correct.