If the Israeli military invades Rafah, the White House will not supply “the weapons that have been used historically to deal with" the city, Biden said Wednesday.
I know there’s a lot of sarcasm here, but this is legitimately important. This is a breach the agreement for use of US supplied munitions. Now that the US has formally declared misuse, they can stand behind international law violation charges, as well as justify the recent discontinuation of arms supplied for offense. This is how change happens on an international level.
It’s also extremely important just in that it’s been said out loud, so they can’t go back to feigned ignorance. The arms block is stated to be only in relation to Rafah, but even if Netanyahu backs off there, the administration will also have a much harder time justifying 2000 lb. bombs for use anywhere else.
This is in some ways a ratchet move that can’t be simply undone, which is very encouraging to see. Those college kids are heroes.
Maybe? This isn’t a straightjacket, it’s public perceptions, but once you’ve acknowledged that American bombs killed civilians any further supply of bombs will have that direct association and invite the question.
This is what I’ve been talking about. Keep up the pressure people. Everyone who has just suggested throwing up your hands and saying “oh well” at the Biden administration’s handling of this genocide and voting for him no matter what he does has been, imo, too cynical, ironically more cynical than those of us saying to pressure Biden. It feels weird to say that, but those of us recommending threatening to withhold your vote for Biden unless he did something actually believed he was capable of change, unlike the ones cynically accepting the US’s complicity in the elimination of a culture of people from their homeland. Keep up the pressure, keep up the threats of withholding your votes, keep up the protests, and the songs - because I think Biden will continue to bow to it before letting the country fall to Trump out of stubbornness.
At least I hope so. He’s got a couple more months to prove it, and this is progress. Hopefully he doesn’t reverse course like the sanctions on the West Bank settler terrorists. But overall, ya, I actually do believe in him, and the country’s ability to come together and push him before November.
The people recommending genuine threats to not vote for him are welcoming something far, far more dangerous than the current genocide.
I don’t think people realize that this will lead to floods of people genuinely not voting for him… Welcoming back a literal criminal sociopath into the white house who has already promised to back Israel with far more fervor than Biden ever has.
It is demonstrably stupid to tie this into the upcoming election as a reason to not vote for Biden. I am convinced this is mostly an idea generated and propogated by far right proponents and American adversaries that have a vested interest in seeing Trump in the white house.
You don’t need conspiracy theories to explain why people would use the only point of leverage America allows its average citizen to affect change to force Biden to not support a genocide. It’s a big deal. A lot of people just want to change his mind because they liked to imagine that if they lived during the holocaust and other bad events, they would do something. And this is basically the only thing that everyone who’s not rich enough to buy a politician can do to actually affect people in power. There’s some protests but that’s just to raise awareness for the issue.
I don’t actually think that many people won’t vote for Biden if he changes course on this. Everyone who doesn’t like Biden for this issue specifically also hates Trump equally if not more, but they know there’s no chance to affect change after Trump has gotten elected and Biden is in his last term. Just piercing through the veil on this issue requires enough political awareness that they would know Trump is bad on this issue. But you have to act like you will withdraw your vote or the threat is useless.
Yeah, this issue really isn’t worth the end of the USA.
It is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed, but letting someone who has literally said they’d go full dictator on day 1 win because of it is really fucking stupid.
Yeah, this issue really isn’t worth the end of the USA.
You could easily ask why Democratic politicians have been willing to risk the end of democracy in the most important election ever over it. It’s totally bizarre how people think only voters have agency and politicians are otherworldly beings whose actions cannot be understood or changed.
He’s seeing nationwide protests and hearing vocal opposition from Congress and the UN. He’s not listening to an echo chamber yell about vote abstentions. That’s still a terrible idea. Trump will be worse for Palestinians, Ukrainians, and Americans.
Politicians don’t care about nationwide protests and vocal opposition from Congress and the UN. And the US has definitely never cared about the UN. They care about popular music artists telling their constituents not to vote for them in a viral song, or huge increases in “Uncommitted” during the primaries.
Or course Trump will be worse on other issues, but that’s no reason to let a genocide slide. Pressure is required to save lives, or we’re letting our President be just as bad for Palestine, which isn’t good.
I know there’s a lot of sarcasm here, but this is legitimately important. This is a breach the agreement for use of US supplied munitions. Now that the US has formally declared misuse, they can stand behind international law violation charges, as well as justify the recent discontinuation of arms supplied for offense. This is how change happens on an international level.
https://apnews.com/article/israel-weapons-shipment-us-eed365ebef0477ba74bf9848cacae4f4
It’s also extremely important just in that it’s been said out loud, so they can’t go back to feigned ignorance. The arms block is stated to be only in relation to Rafah, but even if Netanyahu backs off there, the administration will also have a much harder time justifying 2000 lb. bombs for use anywhere else.
This is in some ways a ratchet move that can’t be simply undone, which is very encouraging to see. Those college kids are heroes.
Can’t they say “Israel has addressed the problem” and continue weapon shipments?
That is what they did recently when the older research from West Bank violations turned out negative.
Maybe? This isn’t a straightjacket, it’s public perceptions, but once you’ve acknowledged that American bombs killed civilians any further supply of bombs will have that direct association and invite the question.
This is what I’ve been talking about. Keep up the pressure people. Everyone who has just suggested throwing up your hands and saying “oh well” at the Biden administration’s handling of this genocide and voting for him no matter what he does has been, imo, too cynical, ironically more cynical than those of us saying to pressure Biden. It feels weird to say that, but those of us recommending threatening to withhold your vote for Biden unless he did something actually believed he was capable of change, unlike the ones cynically accepting the US’s complicity in the elimination of a culture of people from their homeland. Keep up the pressure, keep up the threats of withholding your votes, keep up the protests, and the songs - because I think Biden will continue to bow to it before letting the country fall to Trump out of stubbornness.
At least I hope so. He’s got a couple more months to prove it, and this is progress. Hopefully he doesn’t reverse course like the sanctions on the West Bank settler terrorists. But overall, ya, I actually do believe in him, and the country’s ability to come together and push him before November.
Do you believe in someone who is supporting a genocide and that just admitted the weapons they decided to send were used to kill civilians?
No. Fuck no.
The people recommending genuine threats to not vote for him are welcoming something far, far more dangerous than the current genocide.
I don’t think people realize that this will lead to floods of people genuinely not voting for him… Welcoming back a literal criminal sociopath into the white house who has already promised to back Israel with far more fervor than Biden ever has.
It is demonstrably stupid to tie this into the upcoming election as a reason to not vote for Biden. I am convinced this is mostly an idea generated and propogated by far right proponents and American adversaries that have a vested interest in seeing Trump in the white house.
You don’t need conspiracy theories to explain why people would use the only point of leverage America allows its average citizen to affect change to force Biden to not support a genocide. It’s a big deal. A lot of people just want to change his mind because they liked to imagine that if they lived during the holocaust and other bad events, they would do something. And this is basically the only thing that everyone who’s not rich enough to buy a politician can do to actually affect people in power. There’s some protests but that’s just to raise awareness for the issue.
I don’t actually think that many people won’t vote for Biden if he changes course on this. Everyone who doesn’t like Biden for this issue specifically also hates Trump equally if not more, but they know there’s no chance to affect change after Trump has gotten elected and Biden is in his last term. Just piercing through the veil on this issue requires enough political awareness that they would know Trump is bad on this issue. But you have to act like you will withdraw your vote or the threat is useless.
Yeah, this issue really isn’t worth the end of the USA.
It is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed, but letting someone who has literally said they’d go full dictator on day 1 win because of it is really fucking stupid.
You could easily ask why Democratic politicians have been willing to risk the end of democracy in the most important election ever over it. It’s totally bizarre how people think only voters have agency and politicians are otherworldly beings whose actions cannot be understood or changed.
It rubs the genocide on it’s skin or else it gets the trump again.
He’s seeing nationwide protests and hearing vocal opposition from Congress and the UN. He’s not listening to an echo chamber yell about vote abstentions. That’s still a terrible idea. Trump will be worse for Palestinians, Ukrainians, and Americans.
If blue is shit and red is worse vote them out and pick someone else
Politicians don’t care about nationwide protests and vocal opposition from Congress and the UN. And the US has definitely never cared about the UN. They care about popular music artists telling their constituents not to vote for them in a viral song, or huge increases in “Uncommitted” during the primaries.
Or course Trump will be worse on other issues, but that’s no reason to let a genocide slide. Pressure is required to save lives, or we’re letting our President be just as bad for Palestine, which isn’t good.