Biden Threatens to Condition Israel Aid

[qwlauren35]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: New York Times

During a tense 30-minute call today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Biden threatened to condition future American support for Israel on whether it improves its treatment of civilians in Gaza. Biden called the humanitarian situation in the enclave “unacceptable,” and insisted to Netanyahu that he quickly put in place specific protections.

It was the first time that the president has sought to leverage American aid to influence the conduct of Israel’s war against Hamas, a step some of his closest allies have publicly supported. Biden’s frustration with Netanyahu has grown in recent months. But in public, he has staunchly supported Israel’s right to respond to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.

During the call, Biden urged Netanyahu to negotiate a deal that would result in an “immediate cease-fire” and the release of hostages taken by Hamas. A spokesman said the White House expects Israel to make announcements of specific changes within hours or days.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who dialed into the call, said afterward that Israel needed to do more to increase the flow of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, a challenge made more difficult after Israel’s deadly attack on an aid convoy this week.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/04/briefing/biden-israel-call-darien-gap-violence.html

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Trump may make statements about what he thinks should happen, but only Biden is in a position to negotiate. I really think he's being way too soft about it - we're Israel's strongest ally. I would think that they need us more than we need them. But somehow, they don't seem to have figured that out.

[dflprincess]

1. Forgetthe threats,

just do it.

[dchill]

2. Don't threaten - promise. Give Net & Yahoo a to do list...

...and a timeline. Then deliver on the promise. I doubt anything else would work.

[NH Ethylene]

3. He should have done this some time ago. Now is the time to act, not threaten to act.

[hay rick]

4. It has looked like the tail wagging the dog for an implausibly long time.

I wonder if Netanyahu is less of a player in this game than AIPAC.

[Aussie105]

5. "we're Israel's strongest ally."

I won't ask why.
But the historical reasons for being an ally might need revisiting and re-evaluating.

Israel seems to think that the US will continue to provide aid in terms of money and weapons and never question if that is still a good thing to do.

Israel seems to assume that American Exceptionalism is also theirs, Israeli Exceptionalism, where they can do what they want and no country in the word is powerful enough to question or criticise what Israel does.

This might not be true.

==========================================================
An aside, if I may:

Talking about US weapons:
The damage done to the 3 vehicles in which the aid workers died bear a striking resemblance to that left after America took out some enemy leaders in a different war.
Pinpoint accuracy, initial penetration followed by an explosion just big enough to kill the occupants.
Possibly guided missiles fired from a drone?

I'd like to know the type and origin of the weapon that hit those 3 vehicles.
Just curious to find out if weapons supplied by America killed those aid workers.

==========================================================

[IronLionZion]

8. Aid workers killed by weapons paid for by their own tax dollars

is deplorable.

Israel makes some of their own weapons domestically and get a lot from the US and European nations like UK and Germany. Israel also sells some weapons to other countries like India, Philippines, and some anti-terrorism technology to the USA.

[David__77]

6. Action please

[Basic LA]

7. OK, that's it, Bibi.

We were going to send a gift note with that next weapons delivery. But now you blew it. No gift note! And we're sending it regular delivery, not Prime.
We'll show YOU!

[Omaha Steve]

9. AFTER review by forum hosts LOCKING

DUPE of https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143220739

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