cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/20919616
Senior White House figures privately told Israel that the U.S. would support its decision to ramp up military pressure against Hezbollah — even as the Biden administration publicly urged the Israeli government in recent weeks to curtail its strikes, according to American and Israeli officials.
Not everyone in the administration was on board with Israel’s shift, despite support inside the White House, the officials said. The decision to focus on Hezbollah sparked division within the U.S. government, drawing opposition from people inside the Pentagon, State Department and intelligence community who believed Israel’s move against the Iran-backed militia could drag American forces into yet another Middle East conflict.
Officials in the intelligence community, in briefings and talks with members of Congress last week, had said they were increasingly worried about the potential for a direct ground confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah. Similar conversations were occurring in the State Department, where officials were concerned about the mounting civilian death toll in Lebanon.
The internal administration division seems to have dissipated somewhat in recent days, with top U.S. officials convening Monday at the White House with President Joe Biden to discuss the situation on the ground. Most agreed that the conflict, while fragile, could offer an opportunity to reduce Iran’s influence in Lebanon and the region.
Still, the White House is walking a fine line, U.S. and Israeli officials said. The Biden administration wants to support Israel’s actions against a U.S.-designated terrorist group that has killed Americans and threatens the region. But it is not comfortable endorsing Israel’s campaign completely — or publicly — because it is worried it will creep too far into Lebanese territory, instigating an all-out war, one of the U.S. officials said.
This won’t end well for anyone. What the fuck man.
I like Joe Biden in every other respect, but what the hell is up with this hard-on for Israel? Is it purely AIPAC and the Jewish-American vote, or is there some other calculus going into all this? I expected better, but they’re just rubber-stamping anything and everything that Israel wants to do, no matter how fucked up.
I have never supported Zionism and never will. However, I don’t think most people truly understand how important Israel is to the US as a strategic ally. It’s not some elaborate conspiracy, they’re just a key aspect of US hegemony.
Can you elaborate on how and why Israel is such an important ally? It’s got to be more than just a foothold in the region, surely?
In terms of weapons and cyber security israel is one of the top nations. Their weapons are ‘battlefield tested’ ( on innocent Palestinians), and their cybersecurity is pretty strong. In addition to that, they will always do what the US says, should the US abandon them they will immediately turn to another country to support them, now this country has top us technology.
Also they have nukes, so you must keep the country safe and stable. If Israel is invaded by the surrounding countries, suddenly Egypt has nukes, and will no longer need to rely so heavily on us support.
Israel offers no strategic advantage to the U.S. The U.S. has extensive military presence in the region without their land. The U.S. does not have a significant or unique trade relationship with Israel (we mostly just trade diamonds). And Israel offers no special capability to the U.S. regarding technology or foreign intelligence.
Our relationship with Israel is based on two things: mythology and political donations. That’s it. That’s all it has ever been. Conservatives (including neo-libs) who receive money from Israel occasionally make up fake reasons, but those reasons always disintegrate under the lightest scrutiny.
It’s time to end our extremely one-sided relationship with Israel. This is a deadly, toxic relationship that destabilizes our more profitable relationships with Israel’s neighbors in the middle east.
Dude’s a Christian Zionist.
I actually doubt that. Zionism is usually an Evangelical Protestant trait, this notion that we need to force prophecy to be true isn’t associated with Catholicism.
I realize that from the outside all flavors of any given religion look pretty similar, but there is a stark difference between your average Catholic and your average Evangelical. And between various flavors of Protestantism, some of which are far more similar to Catholicism than they are to the more “Evangelical” Southern Baptists, Pentecostals, or non-denominational megachurches.
Point is, I would be shocked to find that Zionism is a religious belief for J’Biden. It’s far more likely that his position regarding Israel is more rooted in realpolitik support for one’s allies at any cost, which is also reprehensible.
Israel is the closest thing to a modern democracy with progressive western style values in the entire region. Israel has a multitude of diverse cultures and ethnicities integrated into its society, and has a vastly better stance on equal rights for women, lgbt, and ethnic minorities, than any of its neighbors.
Probably also has something to do with all of the other countries in the area being client states of Russia/Iran/China.
Fun fact. It is illegal in most cases to marry outside your culture in Israel. Basically illegal to race mix, though more complicated than that. Also Israel does not recognize gay marriage. I don’t care if Lebanon has worse rules. We don’t call an apartheid state valid for being at 1900 Jim Crow standards .
They said it’s the closest in the region.
Which of its neighbors is more closely aligned with Western values?
Most agreed that the conflict, while fragile, could offer an opportunity to reduce Iran’s influence in Lebanon and the region.
Iran influence is based on “Israel” actions. No Genocide, No aggression, means no one would need Iran. The same in Iraq and other regions. Which makes me question the statement unless these people are really stupid.
Shades of “if we just keep indiscriminately bombing in the vicinity of where we think terrorists are, we’ll certainly reduce the influence of terrorist organizations among the populace”.
Surely it’s worth a nearly infinite number of (Arab) lives and residential buildings to kill one Hezbollah leader. After all, they’re super-terrorist masterminds without which no one could think of setting off a bomb or firing unguided rockets into Israel.
Out of curiosity, is there a way to find out how many Americans have been killed by Hezbollah and hamas vs Israel?
Are you denying Israel has the right to start World War III due to its half century of barbaric apartheid occupation and abuse of the Palestinian people?
Annihilating your neighbors because they refuse to bow down to your genocidal regime is self defense!
