this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2024

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198

It’s Time for Democrats to Break With Biden’s Addled Gaza Policy (theintercept.com)

submitted 5 months ago by IndustryStandard to c/politics

107 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Joe Biden will not be the Democratic nominee in November’s presidential election, thankfully. He is not withdrawing because he’s being held responsible for enabling war crimes against the Palestinian people (though a recent poll does have nearly 40 percent of Americans saying they’re less likely to vote for him thanks to his handling of the war). Yet it’s impossible to extricate the collapse in public faith in the Biden campaign from the “uncommitted” movement for Gaza. They were the first people to refuse him their votes, and defections from within the president’s base hollowed out his support well in advance of the debate.

The Democrats and their presumptive nominee Kamala Harris are faced with a choice: On the one hand, they can continue Biden’s monstrous support for Netanyahu, the brutal IDF, and Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. That would help allow the party to cover for Biden and put a positive spin on a smooth handoff, even though we all know this would mainly benefit the embittered president himself and his small coterie of loyalists. Such a choice would confirm that the institutional rot that allowed the current situation to develop still characterizes the party.

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[–] just_another_person 50 points 5 months ago (6 children)

At this point it's very clear it's not Biden's policy that is holding things up. It's very clearly Netanyahu and his cabinet. This isn't even a question anymore as Benny Gantz straight said so when he resigned, and then Netanyahu dissolved his war cabinet, so he's basically acting in direct control of Israeli forces it seems.

Biden and team had a ceasefire agreement, Israel said they agreed, Palestine said they agreed, yet Israel refuses to sign or stop military assault. As far as the "undecided" voters go, they aren't going to get their way. The US as a nation is not going to jeopardize ties with Israel as a proxy military force and ground position in the Middle East for a small percentage of voters. It is what it is, but put the blame where it belongs in the here and now.

[–] ghostdoggtv 17 points 5 months ago (10 children)

The United States should throw Israel under a bus.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (14 children)

Ronald Reagan made one phone call and the Israelis immediately stopped bombarding Lebanon. The vassal state has to do whatever the fuck the US president wants. It's a complete joke to think otherwise. Joe Biden could go on TV right now and publicly withdraw support for the occupiers and their government and military would collapse overnight.

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[–] Psychodelic 8 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (24 children)

I want to agree with you. I'd be with you if you'd at least mentioned the impact this has on actual American citizens.

My understanding is plenty of people have been silenced for expressing their support for Palestine. I mean, hasn't Congress literally proposed/passed bills saying they can't even talk about the number of people dying?

It's fascinating how people are so eager to sweep it all under the rug Americans themselves are ignored just to protect Israel, and more importantly, to protect American politicians that refuse to even learn about the situation. That's not even mentioning the absolute infuriating trash that passes as corporate news nowadays (including anything pushed to the masses by large social media publishers). It's like in order to protect Israel... err I mean, stop caring about this issue because it makes us uncomfortable, we're entirely willing to allow news organizations to be straight-up propaganda, feeding blatant misinformation. It's weird how we have zero criticism for them because that might invite someone to mention Gaza

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

I mean, yeah, that’s largely true with regard to who’s holding progress on peace talks up, but I want to see any and all military aid that’s not purely defensive that we’re sending to Israel cut off, like, yesterday. There is zero reason why we should be selling and delivering new F-35s and JDAMs to the IDF when they’re just using them to flatten the Gaza Strip.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

While at the same time pursuing policies and choices that will actually stand some chance of benefiting the Palestinian people -- among them, being vocal with congress, doing direct demonstrations, doing things like the "uncommitted" vote to make it clear to those in power that the minority that wants decent treatment for the Palestinians is also not a trivial constituency, oh and also:

MAKE SURE HARRIS WINS IN NOVEMBER SO THAT THE IDF DOESN'T START GETTING UNEQUIVOCAL US SUPPORT AND AMP UP THEIR WAR CRIMES TENFOLD

The others are optional; the last one is critical.

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[–] anticolonialist 11 points 5 months ago

Harris has taken over $5m from AIPAC. They are gonna expect results for their ~~bribe~~ contribution

[–] teamevil 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Didn't Harris just refuse to meet with Bibi?

[–] IndustryStandard 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

She is meeting with Bibi in private

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

You mean giving Bombs and Money to Israel while saying "Israel is iffy" wasn't a Good Policy?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

The best time to fix this was last year. The next best time is now.

[–] jordanlund 4 points 5 months ago

Biden's problem is that he has no "Gaza policy". He has an "Israel policy" and as long as Israeli interests are major political donators, that's not going to change.

https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?ind=Q05

Remember how everyone was making a big deal over Harris raising $81 million in 24 hours?

Imagine that success being $19 million underwater because of AIPAC dollars:

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/03/aipac-israel-spending-democratic-primaries-00144552

[–] Gradually_Adjusting 4 points 5 months ago (6 children)

Since severing ties with Israel would only lead to more chaos in the region, what I'm really hoping for is Kamala 2025, followed by a change in Israeli leadership to mirror the recent US, UK, and French elections that have seen a broadly decimated right wing, and a strengthening of the centre left view of an international rules-based order. We could potentially see Bibi's regime tried for war crimes, China dissuaded from its designs on Taiwan, and Russia faced with stiffer international resolve in Ukraine and beyond.

I'm not prepared to defend any of that as immensely realistic, but writing it was the little taste of hope I needed in the moment.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Since severing ties with Israel would only lead to more chaos in the region

Oh I'm sold. Do as much genocide as you want, as long as you are an implement of United States' resource extraction policy.

We would certainly prefer you didn't do the genocide, but loss of hegemony is what is truly unacceptable, that's a red line we won't cross.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I was just imagining a slightly better world, as a treat. Of course I'd prefer an even better outcome like peace and willing reparations, but I wasn't in the mood for an entirely counterfactual daydream. The current reality is an actual nightmare.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

You know, I definitely ignored the rest of your comment, that's fair.

I share your hope that VP Harris won't be as intransigent in support of the occupiers as Biden.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The choice is more like permitting the current ongoing tragedy or allow an even greater genocide (the eradication of Israel).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Definitely a false choice, right off the bat.

The USA could impose a no-fly zone based on the 1949 borders.

The settlers could be rightly expelled from the West Bank.

Palestine could be recognized as an independent state.

None of that requires any cooperation from the right-wing death cult currently controlling the occupiers.

None of that requires a genocide, just the long overdue abandonment of illegal settlements.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

just the long overdue abandonment of illegal settlements

'Just'. Green Line didn't work in 1949. Why would it work now? You really think anything but Israel ceasing to exist would stop this nonsense?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Was there a no-fly zone and recognition of an independent state in 1949? Why are you treating right-wing genocidists as though they are a force of nature?

Seems like quick work for the armored bulldozers so beloved by the occupiers, if karma is a real thing....

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Oh! A no-fly zone! Of course! THAT is what would have solved it all. My bad.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The solution is not enabling the settlers and ultra-orthodox.

Another option is destroying / blockading the last functioning Zionist port, I expect that will get results real quick. They have decided to build their civilization inspired by the worst excesses of the West, so it will quickly collapse in the absence of endless imports.

Once you turn the grim logic of destroying houses and resource starvation back on the occupiers, you don't have to keep pretending that they are mysterious, incomprehensible, and immovable.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

So you agree then. It's one genocide or another.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If you want to really squint and generously apply false equivalence, you could compare the decades-long ecocide, driving indigenous people off the land, deprivation of rights, apartheid and more to the possibilities I outlined I guess.

Funny how the supposed theoretical genocide of an extremely militarized society somehow justifies the continued perpetuation of a genocide against an impoverished society and people.

The occupier is always the victim in the eyes of the media they control.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (14 children)

Or, I could read about that impoverished society's goals Right column, first new paragraph.

One side getting it worse than the other doesn't matter. It's the zero wiggle room either side provides that does.

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[–] TropicalDingdong 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The entire last week:

Nature is healing.

[–] simplejack 9 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Nature ain’t fully healed yet. A big pile of Christian nationalists and people conned by billionaires are going to rollout hard for Trump in Nov.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Thank you, Jesus.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (3 children)

bidens policy has been more pro gaza/ceasefire then american policy towards gaza for a long time why would you want to break from it

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[–] homesweethomeMrL 1 points 5 months ago

“progressive””leftists” to the dance floor

[–] yesman 1 points 5 months ago

It's kinda like whiplash to read someone who combines obvious contempt for the President and a willingness to indulge in wild conspiratorial speculation coming from the left. I was surprised again when the last paragraph frames Harris' possible Israel policy as a question. By that point, I expected the author to explain to me what was going to happen.

Anyway, I suppose Harris to be chillier toward Israel, but doubt she'll usher in a sea change. Especially before November.

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