How could Israel possibly need munitions after years and years of military subsidies? Especially just to fight Hamas (and do some retaliatory killing of civilians). This isn’t a Ukraine situation where a major power is invading a weaker enemy who has had to choose between military spending and social spending, this is the more powerful country attacking a weaker insurgency while being continually fed funding for their military from a superpower.
Hamas is the second richest terror organisation. Funding from Iran but they also grift 13% of all aid money going into Gaza via charges for currency conversion. “Not for resale” aid food products are routinely sold for profit in Gaza.
Hamas routinely chooses military spending over social spending. It’s always been their way.
“The second richest terror organization” is like talking about the second toughest fifth grader when discussing whether a prize fighter needs help in a one on one fight.
Hamas routinely chooses military spending over social spending. It’s always been their way.
How is this remotely relevant? It’s like you just scanned for keywords and then remixed them to make an irrelevant comparison.
False equivalence from you there. Oh so false. I’m pointing out some of the flaws in your thinking. Don’t downplay Hamas’ resources.
Are you forgetting how the Americans funded the American Revolution against Britain?
When living under constant suppression, inequality, and a state of war (and a blockade IS a state of war), are you really looking for a peaceful solution?
Are you naive enough to think Hamas is open to a peaceful solution? Their f-ing charter calls for slaughtering Jews OUTSIDE of Israel as well as annihilating those inside.
No peaceful solution is currently possible. There isn’t any solution at all right now.
If it weren’t for the blockade and the security fence, the horrors of Saturday’s massacres would be standard. Hamas shows you exactly who they are and you’re blaming Israel for taking necessary measures to reduce terrorism? Israel isn’t perfect but my word, understand who Hamas are and how much responsibility they have for conditions in Gaza.
According to the clips I’ve seen, they’re firing a lot of iron dome anitiair. Wouldn’t doubt they’ll need missle restock.
The billions of dollars they’ve received is more than enough to have stockpiled a large multiple of whatever rockets Hamas was able to somehow build up in secret. “We give you $3.8B per year” should also mean “manage your own munitions when fighting a small insurgency”. If they got into another war with Iran, sure, that could warrant big brother stepping in and turning on the missile spigot, but they’re not even at war with an actual nation.
I don’t know if I should explain how foreign aid works, how many long range missles Hamas controls and how they got them, what a small insurgency is, how an anti-missle system works, or something else you seem to need clarity on. So, I think you should just keep ranting.
This IS a proxy war from Iran.
Iran will give Hamas and other militant terrorist groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad as many arms as they can get across the border.
That’s a rather significant fact to be unaware of.
Last thing I’ve heard is China would be supporting Palestine/Hamas. If that were to translate into weapon supplies, it could turn into a hairy situation.
China hasn’t even supported Russia with weapon supplies. This is fear mongering a what-if that contradicts Chinese foreign policy in the first place. China’s foreign policy is one of fierce neutrality for anyone not encroaching on their own sovereignty, often to a fault.
China considers both Israel and Palestine to be strategically important allies in the region, so there’s no way they’re going to pick a side in this conflict unless that side is in support of one of China’s more significant allies (Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc.)
This is fear mongering
Possible. To my excuse, I heard it on TV (on a supposedly reputable channel, but still).
Another thing I’ve heard, is that apparently Russia would’ve been supplying Hamas with the NATO weapons they’ve been seizing in Ukraine from among the ones supplied as NATO aid.
That would be a Novum, wouldn’t it? China supplying weapons in a large quantity to foreign organisation’s.
To think republicans pretend like aiding Ukraine is the real problem… yet They’ll blow Netanyoohoo any time he wants. If anyone in Washington had a damn lick of sense they’d cut Israel off entirely.
If anyone in Washington cared we wouldn’t spend a dollar on foreign war (as opposed to domestic defense) until domestic needs are 100% taken care of.
While I agree that we very much need to take care of domestic issues, it’s more complicated than that. It’s in the global best interest for us to help Ukraine steamroll Russia. We’re getting a bargain that way, rather than becoming directly involved in a conflict.
Yeah, that’s the same thing people say every time a war pops up. It was also the justification for the trillions we wasted in Afghanistan and Iraq.
That’ll calm things down
I was having this discussion worth my wife last night.
I’m hoping (but will not be shocked when it proves otherwise) that full-throated endorsement now will mean more effective censure latter when the Netayahu gvmnt begins a more obvious program of genocide.
If the US is reserved now, it weakens later admonishment. I don’t expect it to make a difference. Netanyahu’s brother was killed by Palestinian PFLP–EO militants, and he’s not exactly rational about them. He’s also a friend of Trump’s, and that’s definitely going to play into Biden’s responses.
Incidentally, I’ve heard some Israelis referring to the attack as “their 9/11.” I think that sums up how the current situation is being framed by the Netanyahu government pretty well.
Israel is such a small country that the percentage of population killed in these attacks is greater than the percentage of the US population killed in 9/11. Everyone knows someone who was killed, kidnapped or injured.
So yeah, 9/11 has some accuracy as a metaphor.
Proportionally, when the death toll was at 700, that was already EIGHT TIMES the percentage of population as 9/11. In US terms, the equivalent would be 25,000 deaths through terrorism in a single day. (Source: The News Agents podcast)
Six hours ago the death toll was reported as over 1000 in Israel.
Netanyahu is being blamed for the attack by Israelis. I think his self life has run out. But, before that happens Isreal will enter Gaza and it will be punitive.
Interesting. I hadn’t heard that. My wife manages an organization with a group in Israel; we’ve only heard the “9/11” comment, and some chatter about the reservists being called up.
Where are you hearing that Israelis are blaming Netanyahu?
I did see a snap poll that indicated that, but can’t find it. But, there is this editorial in Haaretz:
“>The disaster that befell Israel on the holiday of Simchat Torah is the clear responsibility of one person: Benjamin Netanyahu.”
“>The prime minister, who has prided himself on his vast political experience and irreplaceable wisdom in security matters, completely failed to identify the dangers he was consciously leading Israel into when establishing a government of annexation and dispossession, when appointing Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir to key positions, while embracing a foreign policy that openly ignored the existence and rights of Palestinians.”
Haaretz, as you probably know, is the paper of record in Israel.
If US citizens want to be evacuated, they can count on Joe,
