US president’s remarks to Time magazine about PM’s role in conflict draw heavily critical response from Israeli government
Joe Biden has said that there is “every reason” to draw the conclusion that Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war in Gaza for his own political self-preservation.
Biden made the remarks about the Israeli prime minister in an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday morning, drawing a sharp response from the Israeli government, which accused the US president of straying from diplomatic norms.
Netanyahu’s popularity plummeted after the 7 October attack by Hamas, which exposed serious flaws in Israeli security. Most political observers say Netanyahu would lose elections if they were held now, and would be forced into opposition, facing court hearings on corruption charges. But elections have been put off until the war is over, or at least until major military operations are deemed to have been completed.
Time asked Biden whether he believed Netanyahu was “prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation”.
“I’m not going to comment on that,” the president said in response, but added: “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”
The US is not the only country who sells weapons to Israel. And, Israel manufactures weapons too. Having fewer super-cool missiles isn’t going to stop them from using the huge stockpile they already have.
What a ridiculous American concept that everything revolves around you.
If they don’t even need them, why do we give them any?
Because the military industrial complex is the ruler of the world and our elected leaders are just for show?
Can’t argue with that!
You can easily look this up. But of course you’re not arguing in good faith.
Oh I see now… Biden is “striking a difficult balance” between his support for genocide, and his public image of not enjoying it.
You completely diregarded the article. Not that I expected you to read it. You asked why and here’s the answer.
Ah yes, the law. It can be ignored when necessary and used as an excuse when convenient. How else could Biden be “striking a balance”? If he is bound by this law, why not condemn Israel’s genocide in strongest terms? That would be a balance, eh? And what about the law that says we can’t supply arms for an ongoing genocide? Ah right, he won’t call it a genocide-- conveniently sidestepping that law.
It’s mostly them, though, with a bit of contribution from Germany.
I’m not actually sure if being cut off hard would stop them, what with Netanyahu’s personal freedom in the mix, but it would hurt a lot.
Nope. The German government stopped issuing weapon export licenses within days. Some stuff arrived that needed licenses but is completely useless in a genocide (training ammunition, artillery charges (not rounds but the propellant part) going to industry for testing), the rest is almost certainly useless in a genocide: 5000 Panzerfaust 2. Kind of hard to deny them that export as they happen to own the producer and Hamas, last I checked, doesn’t even have tanks and as they’re shaped charges they really only are sensible to use against hard targets.
We still do export plenty of dual-use and non-weapon military equipment, though, those have lower export requirements. Helmets, replacement parts for radars, suchlike.
So just the US then, haha.
Italy also gave them a few helicopters, which amounted to a percent of the total value or so, but everyone else gave pretty much purely symbolic aid before this kicked off. Germany and the US were the whole pie chart.
It would do nothing.
Bold take. Do you know something I don’t? Please explain if so.
I don’t know what you know. But since you lead with “bold take,” I’m going to pass. You’re not interested. You just want a fight.
I didn’t mean it in a taunting way, it legitimately is just a strong and unexpected statement, from where I sit.
Allow me to rephrase. The story I’ve heard from pretty much everyone, pro, anti and neutral, is that Israel is a small, vulnerable nation that has been propped up by the US. Do you have hard facts that contradict that?
If so, I want to know, because I don’t enjoy being wrong.
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