Biden's message to Iran about retaliatory strike on Israel: 'Don't'

“Would the U.S. respond?” ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked repeatedly as the president walked away after the end of an unrelated event. He paused, thought for a moment and then returned to the lectern.

“We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said.

According to one U.S. defense official, the assets being moved to the region include both “ships and aircraft.”

hark,
@hark@lemmy.world avatar

My message to Biden about him supporting genocide: “Don’t”

SulaymanF,

Joe, to borrow your phrase that you’ve been using for the last 6 months, “Iran has the right to defend itself.”

Going back on this principle of yours makes you look pathetic and deeply hypocritical.

nondescripthandle,

They bombed an Embassy dude. Like how much are you willing to excuse?

TheOctonaut,

It’d be pretty hilarious of America to criticise bombing an embassy

SulaymanF,

America once bombed the Iranian consulate in Iraq, and like Israel they had an excuse that the embassy didn’t count because paperwork wasn’t properly filed. It was pure sophistry.

Hello_there,

I mean, if they want to do tit for tat, Iran should missile strike an Israeli embassy somewhere else.

BaalInvoker,

Israel be like: I kill every muslim!!!

Muslims be like: we will attack back!

USA be like: No no no! Only Israel allowed to attack.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Big brother Biden standing behind his little brother bullying everyone and making sure they can’t hit back.

TheFonz,

It really sucks that Joe is hitching his legacy to this shitty government (Israel). I’m guessing this is meant as a general strategy to moderate the conflict leaking out of Gaza. But I can’t imagine support for the conflict is still high among US Israelis but I’d have to fact check that. Does Joe need the Jewish vote more than the youth in this election? I just don’t get it.

Veidenbaums,

Israel is a pet project of more than 50 years. Noone is going to throw it out on a whim, genocide or not.

Tinidril,

A whim?

Breezy,

Thats what i said!

kescusay,
@kescusay@lemmy.world avatar

There are two major issues here:

  • Israel is a U.S. ally. The United States doesn’t just abandon its allies (Republican/Russian recalcitrance regarding Ukraine notwithstanding).
  • Israel’s current government is being run by a right-wing asshole who decided the appropriate response to Hamas’ barbaric attack was to turn barbarism up to 11, with predictable calamitous results for the entire region.

Joe Biden’s diplomatic job is to try to prevent things from descending into a full-scale regional war, try to protect Gaza civilians, try to reduce tensions, try to keep Israel as an ally… Notice how some of those have come into contradiction with each other? Yeah. He’s trying to thread a very difficult needle.

I’m not saying he’s succeeding, either, but he’s at least trying.

archomrade,

The US doesn’t arbitrarily choose to make and keep allies. Israel represents a huge geopolitical strategic advantage in the region, given its position on the Mediterranean and its proximity to trade routes and oil pipelines. They’re willing to put up with an ally committing genocide not just on principle but because they don’t actually care about that as much as their own power in the region.

Israel’s current government

80% of Israelis support the war in Gaza. Netanyahu is a convenient fall guy to what is a PR nightmare (and nothing more). If tomorrow they vote in a new government, nothing fundamentally changes for Palestinians, except perhaps fewer bombs drop on their heads. They face genocide through Israel’s blockade and remain in an apartheid state.

The US has geopolitical interests in the region: that didn’t change when Israel went full genocide.

TheFonz,

I don’t disagree but we should be careful with polls. This 80% pole is being spammed everywhere now. If you think back after 9/11 support for the Iraq invasion was high initially then it tapered off. I’m just saying: polls aren’t indicative of a sharp picture. I take them as a pulse of the people at a snapshot in time.

archomrade,

Israel was founded on a zionist mission, which has always been in contradiction with the existence and independence of the Palestinian people. I’m not sure I see a reason to doubt a poll showing support for a war against Palestine, except possibly a poll that shows support for the means of that war, but then again that’s the US’s stance too: they support the war, but disagree with the optics and methods used.

TheFonz,

So what? And America was founded on manifest destiny. It doesn’t mean Americans born today want to wipe out the native Americans. We can’t ascribe the sins of our grandfathers to our children. A great deal of Israeli people were actively against settlements and for a two state solution before Oct 7. This is a fact that has to be contended with and can’t be ignored.

archomrade,

America already did wipe out the Native Americans

Try saying this back when western expansion was still happening.

TheFonz,

You’re missing the point of my comment because you’re fixated on the suffering and expansion. I’ll repeat myself in case it wasn’t clear: we cannot ascribe the sins of the grandfathers to the children. A big percentage of Israeli population already vehemently opposes settlements and expansion.

archomrade,

I’m fixated on the suffering and expansion because it’s currently happening

I’m not ascribing the sins of a past generation onto a new one, I’m pointing to the sins of the current generation

TheFonz,

Ok. You’re getting lost in the sauce and you’re doing it on purpose at this point. In talking about the significant contingent of Israeli people that oppose settlements.

archomrade,

What is the point of opposing settlements when what little territory Palestinians have is being actively occupied and being subjected to an apartheid regime?

The majority of Israelis support the continuation of that situation, and a third support the annexation of occupied territory under Israeli rule.

Opposition to settlements is a little impotent when their government is actively undermining the security of Palestinians behind a blockade. I don’t get the relevance.

TheFonz,

Bro whatever I don’t care. I just commented on the validity of polls, then you pivoted to the Zionist mission and now were back to quoting polls full circle. Whatever you say man. Im talking to the wind. Idgaf any more.

archomrade,

Good deal.

kescusay,
@kescusay@lemmy.world avatar

I tried to find backing for that 80% statistic you cited, and couldn’t. Could you provide a link? I’d also be interested in the details of how that support breaks down. Is that 80% fully in support of the genocide in Gaza? Or is that 80% support destroying Hamas, while the particulars of the war are much more varied in their support?

archomrade, (edited )

88% of all Jewish Israelis think the number of killed or injured Palestinians is justified by the war

Edit: Here’s the actual poll that isn’t behind paywall

kescusay,
@kescusay@lemmy.world avatar

Thanks, I’ll look into both.

disguy_ovahea,

deleted_by_author

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    Linkerbaan,
    @Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

    Iran did not attack israel this is twisting facts.

    Has America attacked Russia by supplying Ukraine?

    An embrassy is not a valid military target to begin with. it’s a blatant direct attack.

    kescusay, (edited )
    @kescusay@lemmy.world avatar

    Umm, that’s just factually wrong.

    washingtonpost.com/…/62e3a526-52f7-11e8-a6d4-ca1d…

    That was in 2018. Things have been tense between the countries ever since.

    Edit: Look, I’m not trying to defend Israel, here, I’m just pointing out the truth. Truth is all too often a victim of war, and if we pretend Iran has no history of violence directed at Israel, we do ourselves a disservice.

    Ensign_Crab,

    So this is in retaliation for something that happened 5 years ago? What took them so long?

    kescusay,
    @kescusay@lemmy.world avatar

    Linkerbaan said Iran didn’t attack Israel. I was just pointing out that Iran actually has a history of attacking Israel, and that Linkerbaan is factually incorrect.

    ZombiFrancis,

    A pretty arbitrary line to draw around ‘factually incorrect.’

    You could’ve gone on about Lebanon and Hezbollah too and easily gone back to 2006 without a hiccup, too.

    But in this discussion it’s pretty obvious the scope is well within the current events of the embassy being struck this month.

    kescusay,
    @kescusay@lemmy.world avatar

    Yes, but that was in response to Iran sponsoring groups like the Houthis that have been committing terrorist attacks.

    Which, yes, was probably in response to earlier actions by Israel. Which were in response to earlier actions by Iran. Which were…

    I mean, you can probably see where that goes. There are no innocent parties in this, and it’s intellectually dishonest to pretend that there are.

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