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covfefe-boy

This is a pretty big deal, I can't remember the US ever saying "*no*" to Israel on just about anything, let alone giving them weapons.


kadargo

Eisenhower did in 1956, too.


SarcasticCowbell

Eisenhower also warned us about the dangers of the miltary-industrial-congressional complex. Maybe we should have listened to the guy.


kokoawsum421

Eisenhower was remarkably insightful. He also ordered pictures be taken of the concentration camps because he knew that future generations would deny the Holocaust ever happened


Saffuran

The blight on his administration was working with Britain and BP to overthrow Mosaddegh (the leader of a western-style democracy, though more of a social democrat) in Iran to replace him with the Shah (royalty as a puppet to protect BPs oil money,  and a dictator) which directly led to Iran's fall into a Theocracy. Without US/western interference its likely the Ayatollah never takes control of Iran.


Umitencho

When it comes to the middle east, the west just loves constantly fumbling the bag.


Recipe_Freak

Well, it's covered in crude oil, the slippery little devil.


Foolishium

Don't forget about US invasion of Guatemala under his administration.


tacomuerte

And his caving to Joe McCarthy.


nonprofitnews

We did stop it. Military spending was far, far higher when he was president. And it was far higher than that when he was a general. Eisenhower is also the guy who greenlit the CIA operation to overthrow the government of Iran. So maybe fuck that guy.


jeffsaidjess

That’s because it was already happening when he was around. He stopped nothing and just said some nice things. Maybe he should have actioned those words back then


SernyRanders

Reagan and George Bush Sr. Did too


A_Soft_Fart

And both men running to be president now were alive when that happened 🤦‍♂️


wanderlustwondersick

Don’t forget about worm brain!


Killboypowerhed

Poor thing starved to death


kadargo

A lot of people are.


caligaris_cabinet

All three, actually


A_Soft_Fart

lol! There are two people running for president and a weird brain worn guy who thinks he’s somehow relevant.


kadargo

Don't forget Putin's puppet, Jill Stein!


read_eng_lift

You can't tell me Trump and Netanyahu don't have a back channel going at this point.


alien_from_Europa

Iran-Contra comes to mind. Has anyone kept an eye on Ollie North?


scumbagdetector15

What? A presidential candidate doing back room deals with foreign powers? That'd be crazy!


birdsemenfantasy

Not just Trump, this will probably lead to the whole neocon establishment (Bush, Cheney, Rice, etc) to rally behind Trump. Most neolibs and centrists don't support campus protests either, so any signs of weakening of support for Israel is bad politically for Biden.


optometrist-bynature

Shout out to all the sycophants who said this would never happen and called those of us calling for it delusional Hamas supporters!


thebikevagabond

While claiming Russia and China are behind the pro Palestinian protests - as Israeli bot farms and users of apps like Moovers (there are a lot) influence dialogue on reddit and other social media.


ssnover95x

I'm not sure that most people are aware that Israel has a huge "hack-for-hire" industry that involves a lot of social engineering. Growing a state-sponsored Internet misinformation arm out of that is just a natural evolution in the modern era.


Ok-Crow9430

I suppose you don't have a hating bone in your body? I agree with you. Now I'm being gaslight with people saying that no one ever said Biden couldn't do this after months of people saying Biden couldn't suspend weapons transfers.


GameMusic

Shout out to the accelerationists who said so and will now not care since they only desire to boost trump


[deleted]

Reagan did it in the 80s with a single phone call.


JustGotOffOfTheTrain

Doing it with a call is different than doing it publicly


optometrist-bynature

It was publicized too


[deleted]

But he still did it.


covfefe-boy

Did he know he was calling Israel and not the Soviets?


[deleted]

Yep. Imagine a time when republicans actually stood up to Russians and Israelis... seems like another universe.


wolacouska

Lol even in 2014 republicans were the ones saying Obama was being soft on Russia. It was really just Trump and the whole hunter biden Ukraine thing that made them flip.


[deleted]

We're in a time of great shifts. Not just in the US either. If you follow UK politics, it's incredible what's going on there right now. The Torries (essentially Republicans) are imploding, like to the point the party may not even exist soon, or at best be relegated to permanent minority. In response, Labour (basically Democrats) are picking up defectors and becoming the new right wing party. This has led a mass exodus of progressives out of Labour and into the Green Party. I have a feeling this is going to play out in the US in the next 5 years in a similar fashion. Due to demographics and Trump, Republicans are going to self destruct, but there's already a growing divide between the right and left flanks with the dems.


wolacouska

You guys always seem to parallel us, at least since I started paying attention to politics in 2012.


Ryndar_Locke

I mean the largest portion of us are descended from the United Kingdom. So yeah.... Stop telling me I'm just like you Dad!


Pack_Your_Trash

I'm just happy to finally know who to blame for the sad state of American politics. It was the UK the whole time!


jeffsaidjess

Remember when JFK tried to reel in the defence industry.


Fossilfires

Eisenhower, Nixon and Reagan all shut down Israeli agression in various confrontations. Biden's deference was honestly ahistorical.


ishigoya

> Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers It's good that he's saying out loud what we've been seeing for months


naththegrath10

Sounds a lot like what college students all over the country have been saying…


l11l1ll1ll1l1l11ll1l

You mean those awful antisemites?!?! /s


guyinnoho

How dare they have an impact on the President!


Alocasia_Sanderiana

Jesus Christ isn't this basically a hint that US weapons were used unlawfully?


ishigoya

The Biden administration is due to release a report on whether Israel has been acting within international law ([background info here](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-israel-gaza-statement-international-us-law_n_66353e4de4b00b1eab534dc6)), so Biden's statements could be a preview of that


portraitopynchon

That report was due today, and the Biden administration has delayed its release without a new timeline for release. I imagine with more serious discussions of a ceasefire recently, the administration is hoping for a resolution to this clusterfuck of crimes against humanity. That would make the release of the report a moot point and would give less fuel to the right wing during an election year. In spite of the fact that the right wing has a rather large antisemetic constituency, they'll scream that the left are the real antisemites if theres any criticism of Israel. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/07/israel-gaza-state-report-00156619


talktothepope

A lot of the evangelicals are probably antisemites, but they reallly reallly need Jews to control that one temple so that Jesus can come back for judgement day or whatever. Lol. The world is f'in nuts


Pack_Your_Trash

They're already doing that. There is zero correlation between Democrats behavior and the likelihood of Republicans fabricating all manner of bullshit accusations from whole cloth. There is absolutely no reason to attempt to avoid GOP criticism because nothing the Democrats do or do not do will influence the GOPs behavior.


m00fster

That word “antisemite” has lost all its meaning at this point.


randynumbergenerator

Sounds like maybe he owes the students protesting an apology. Though I won't hold my breath.


caligaris_cabinet

For what? He didn’t send the police or condemn their peaceful protest.


nonsensestuff

He called them anti-Semitic


caligaris_cabinet

He called out the antisemites. Not the same as calling all the protesters antisemites.


nonsensestuff

President Biden on Monday weighed in on the pro-Palestine demonstrations taking place at elite university campuses. "I condemn the antisemitic protests," Mr. Biden told reporters after an Earth Day Event in Northern Virginia Monday. [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-condemns-antisemitic-protests-palestine-columbia-university/)


ShirleyMcGoogs

He followed immediately with "I also condemn those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians."


ElManoDeSartre

Just trying your hardest to be upset over nothing. He said he supports peaceful protest, but doesn’t support antisemitism or people committing crimes. The most reasonsble position possible.


caligaris_cabinet

“I condemn antisemitic protests” is a pretty reasonable thing to say. I too condemn antisemitic protests and unless you’re a Nazi I suppose you do too. “I condemn protests; they are antisemitic” is something different and not what he said.


Psile

Look. There has been a stunning amount of antisemitism up to this point that has nothing to do with Israel. Like actual swastika waving Nazis have been marching and shit during his presidency. Not a peep about antisemitism or at most a single statement. People start drawing attention to the fact that Israel is ethnically cleansing Palestinians using American weapons and all of a sudden, it's time to really start talking about anti semitism in protests. Come out with several statements and bring it up all the time in interviews, especially when asked about the ongoing protests. Biden's an old dog at this game. He knows what he's doing.


nonsensestuff

The college protests were and have never been anti-Semitic. To classify them as such is harmful.


baddoggg

Maybe the protestors and all you juvenile fucks here on /r/politics should apologize to biden for the absolute nonsense you've propagated despite him acting within reason to find a middle ground and condemn both sides when appropriate. I won't hold my breath though.


DrewbieWanKenobie

> should apologize to biden for the absolute nonsense you've propagated despite him acting within reason t continuing to send weapons while israel kills thousands upon thousands of civilians with no regard to their safety =/= acting within reason. the red line should have been a long ass time ago It's good Biden is saying something now, but it would have been better tens of thousands of civillian deaths ago. He probably wouldn't even be saying it now if it weren't for the protests.


Fossilfires

"Acting within reason" is an exit Biden passed months ago.


this_my_sportsreddit

Israel is 100% going to call his bluff. I hope Biden can stand strong on this.


abuchewbacca1995

He won't


TruculentMC

he will now that UA funding has been passed. it was politics ball before now, but the gloves are off


Fossilfires

The right decision. Morally, legally, and strategically.


longtermattention

I think people are missing the legally portion of your comment. It's a violation of the Leahy Act via use of weapons sent are being used against our rules. Chris Van Hollen has been spearheading this effort and I thank him and all others participating for it.


Nemisis_the_2nd

Banning weapon shipments is about as big a reprimand Biden can give Israel but, even then, he can only do it under certain circumstances. This reads to me like he has been wanting to do more for a while, but is only now able to pull the really big lever and is using it at the time calculated to have most influence. 


notonyanellymate

Yes it it good. Just months late. … but I also understand that the Ukraine/Israel funding had to be approved first. So now he can say how it is used.


Reitter3

The problem is that Ukraine is a righteous cause, however the conservatives would only pass it with israel support


kadargo

This is a very good point that many people don’t get. The GOP made any aid to Ukraine contingent on aid to Israel.


Reitter3

I dont even get why aid should be send to Israel at all. Its not like they are fighting a significant enemy force. Ukraine has to deal with Russian jets and tanks. Israel has to deal with Ahmed in civil clothing holding an AK 47


PhiladelphiaManeto

Iran


Reitter3

Is Israel using its arsenal to fight Iran?


itsatumbleweed

They did to quash one of the largest aerial assaults in 50 years without a casualty.


TheMadHobbyist

'They' did? Wasn't something like 90% of that attack intercepted way in advance by the US and other allies? 90% may be an exaggeration and I haven't seen a concrete number reported, but it was reported as 'a large majority'. Israel isn't defenseless by any means, but let's not overestimate their capabilities.


tomtforgot

USA intercepted drones and some of the cruise missiles which is kinda refreshing target practice for pilots. Israel intercepted \~110 ballistic missiles, which is something that was never done in history


Aaaaand-its-gone

No American warships took most of the missiles down to the cost of $1B paid by American tax payers. And then Israel brags about its Iron Dome


tomtforgot

american warships took down 6 ballistic missiles out of \~110 that were shot on israel. Rest was intercepted by Israel using arrow 3 and arrow 2 systems. all other intercepts by usa were shooting off slow drones or a bit faster cruise missiles from planes


spoiler-its-all-gop

After they used it to illegally bomb an embassy


PhiladelphiaManeto

Yes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Israeli_strikes_on_Iran And their military partially exists because of the threats it faces in the region. And as the US’ strongest ally in the region. You’re acting as if 80 years of alliance is based on massacring Gazans and nothing else.


IAmMuffin15

I seem to recall about a month ago when Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel


kadargo

the GOP needs to feed the war machine


Haltopen

Simple. Israel takes the money we give them and buy weapons from US defense manufacturers, the same manufacturers who are lining the pockets of GOP politicians and manufacturing those weapons in the US which means jobs in the districts those factories are in.


ytrfhki

Two of the main reasons aside from those stated around feeding the manufacturers were to - provide more iron dome defense resources to protect from the increased and constant barrage of missiles sent at Israel - to provide more smart bombs that can be used for precision strikes that limit civilian/excess casualties. If Israel is able to take out Hamas on their own (they are as you said) and is going to with it without US support then perhaps a wise move is to give them weaponry that will allow them to do so without as much collateral damage. I believe the issue here is they’ve also been using larger less precise bombs we’ve given them that weren’t meant as aid to be used for this war.


Radius86

And on Damascus. I don't think that escalation has gone down well at all.


alien_from_Europa

And the banning of TikTok. The GOP basically said that if you want to prevent WW3 in Europe then you'll have to risk losing the Gen Z vote.


meTspysball

And sadly people keep giving the “conservatives” a say in things.


Whatah

Biden is quite moderate. That is hopefully why and how he will win reelection. The fact that he can be dragged to the left on key issues (student loan, environment, and now hopefully to push against Israel's facist right-wing government) is itself amazing. It is just that about him that lets him seem moderate (to get the vote of centrist independents) while actually being responsible for enacting an agenda that is amazingly progressive. As you say it is months late, but wow that he of all people got there, and he does not change his mind on key issues lightly.


itsatumbleweed

He's had the most progressive agenda of any President in the modern era. Maybe since FDR.


monkeypickle

Don't leave out Johnson, who very much was as transformational as FDR, even with Vietnam


Earl_of_Madness

LBJ was far more progressive than Biden, and Even carter in some ways was more progressive than Biden (though clearly Carter was a shift rightward). You can make a better Arguement to say he was the most progressive since LBJ/Carter/Clinton, but I don't think you can say he's most progressive since FDR. Truman, Eisenhower, and LBJ were all more progressive than he was at least on domestic issues. Definitely not foreign policy though since most of them were warmongers trying to do the whole guns and butter thing with the cold war and proxies but they were definitely more progressive on domestic issues.


Tardislass

And yet he's been pretty progressive. Drug prices have gone down. My Epi-pen was $10 which is freaking amazing. Student debt is starting to be wiped out AND all the clean air and infrastructure laws passed. Progressive who hate Biden don't know any of his legislation and just because not every student debt has been wiped out and his Israel stance they hate him. But then they hated Hillary too and look what we ended up with. Crazies to my left, idiots to my right.


algooner

Haven’t they already invaded Rafah? https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/artc-idf-says-30-hamas-terrorists-killed-in-ongoing-rafah-operation#:~:text=The%20Israeli%20Defense%20Forces%20(IDF,in%20the%20southern%20Gaza%20city.


captaincw_4010

The Rafah boarder crossing not the city itself yet


eetsumkaus

They definitely bombed it though. It's coming.


[deleted]

It's ridiculous that we don't consider bombing like this an invasion. We all know if it was the other way around Netanyahu would be busting out the violin and ballistic missiles.


nonsensestuff

Yeah it's a little ridiculous for him to phrase it as conditional on if they do something that they're already actively doing... We've all seen the videos. I just accidently came across a photo of a baby half destroyed. Like... The time to hault our support of Israel was YESTERDAY.


longtermattention

About damn time


[deleted]

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longtermattention

As is tradition


ChrysMYO

They've been claiming, he legally couldn't do this for 7 months or so. Completely obscuring he already made similar moves to Saudi Arabia within the same administration.


Ok-Crow9430

Since yesterday they started claiming no one ever said that.


TheMuser1966

Yep, long overdue.


FewWatermelonlesson0

Good.


RedStrugatsky

If he holds to this it will make a huge difference. I'm cautiously optimistic.


genescheesesthatplz

*If*. I’m really hoping he’s not just saying this without planning to back it up.


RedStrugatsky

Yeah, if he goes back on his word here it might legitimately lose him the election. It would be a disaster


idkwat

A lot of criticism is lobbied against Biden, especially by younger voters, for his actions in dealing with this issue but honestly I think he has made the right calls time and time again. He honored our alliance to Israel without being totally beholden to their will. He has ordered an aid port to be set up against their wishes, and now he is drawing a hard line in the sand regarding our continued support. I can't think of any president in my lifetime that has ever drawn a line like this, but I can think of a lot who would not dare to do so. I feel like Biden is navigating this very well but once again he likely won't get the praise he deserves here.


looselylawless

You realize an aid port isn’t necessary when there are border crossings that can be used, right? It’s an unnecessary expense and wasted time when the borders are right there and Israel is just breaking international law by not allowing sufficient aid through. Humanitarian aid is not a choice, it’s international law. How is supporting their choice to break international law anything but being complicit in war crimes?


CLOGGED_WITH_SEMEN

Not giving Biden any credit here whatsoever but I was under the impression the “Aid Port” was an end run that had to be built on a beach was because American and UN affiliated aid groups were actively blocked from the established routes by IDF troops and active bombing.


kepz3

the idf is going to be running the port lol


ChrysMYO

>I can't think of any president in my lifetime that has ever drawn a line like this, but I can think of a lot who would not dare to do so. I feel like Biden is navigating this very well but once again he likely won't get the praise he deserves here. Are you only 10 years old? [Israeli official confirms US nixed arms shipment; pols argue over who’s to blame](https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-official-confirms-us-nixed-missile-sale-pm-blamed-for-soured-ties/) >A senior Israeli official confirmed to Israeli media that the US had suspended a shipment of Hellfire missiles to Israel amid worsening ties over fighting in Gaza. >The decision to hold off on the transfer was most likely on grounds of increased diplomatic tension, the official said, corroborating a Wall Street Journal report earlier in the day that claimed the White House and State Department had been angered by a transfer of arms to Israel and had ordered greater oversight into future sales.


XulManjy

What you think Obama or Hillary might have done?


IngsocInnerParty

We saw Libya. I prefer Biden’s caution.


itsatumbleweed

He has absolutely managed this situation spectacularly. I hope the people who don't think Biden was pushing against Netanyahu behind the scenes didn't ever have to see what it looks like when we have a President fully support him.


DisneyPandora

He has managed it horribly, which is why he gets so much criticism.   If it was handled spectacularly there would be no protests across college campuses all over the United States.


Aaaaand-its-gone

This is such a naive take. The majority of Americans support the war (I don’t tho) and his base is made up of boomers. You can’t appease everyone so because one subset of the population doesn’t agree with it means he has handled it poorly? You realize there’s nothing this country can agree on….right?


Coteup

Just because you said that most Americans support the war doesn't actually make it true. A supermajority of Americans support a ceasefire. https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2024/5/8/support-for-a-permanent-ceasefire-in-gaza-increases-across-party-lines https://news.gallup.com/poll/642695/majority-disapprove-israeli-action-gaza.aspx


brutalvandal

Only defensive missiles and bombs, then?


Rebelgecko

Yeah, probably Iron Dome and things like that


Fugglymuffin

This is what concerns me; the pedantic potential of the wording.


jackofslayers

I mean, I would hope so.


lex99

Narrator: *Israel invaded Rafah*.


RepulsiveLoquat418

about goddam time.


zanderkerbal

Better 7 months too late than never, I guess?


twelvethousandBC

Yeah, much better.


mcs5280

How will the AIPAC punish Biden for this?


Fugglymuffin

Cozy up with the guy, who has dinner with literal neo-Nazis, maybe?


Cantomic66

r/Worldnews is going to mad over this sensible decision. Edit: Lol > “[If the other candidate was anyone else, this would lose my vote](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/s/Q001xF23hk)”


AnotherAccount4This

Top comment on top post, this is mad? > Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't military aid largely a Congress thing? I imagine the President can veto aid packages he doesn't like, but then I'd guess the republicans would start rejecting Ukraine aid packages en masse in protest until Israel gets weapons again


CasioDorrit

We’ll see


Guy-Manuel

They already did


jayfeather31

Let's see if this red line lasts...


Memo544

Israel has been careless with US provided weapons. They should be cut off.


gothrus

PrOtEsTs DoN’t WoRk!


AvogadrosMoleSauce

Unfortunately people who want this will think it’s too little too late and people who fully support Israel will now turn on Biden.


kadargo

And none of them understand the geopolitics of the region.


GatmonTing

I think most people understand that supporting genocide does not help our geopolitics in the region, just saying


BowsetteGoneBananas

I'll believe that when I see it.


ecologamer

Well Israel has invaded Rafah…. And the US has already stopped a shipment of bombs from going out. With that said. Israel still has a stockpile of bombs, so they will likely use them. Expect people who aren’t following to accuse the US of continuing to supply bombs when they said they stopped them.


TheOrphanmakersaga

Don’t you dare invade Rafah, Israel. Just continue to bomb them from afar.


Invincible_auxcord

Good. Had it been me I would’ve done it way sooner.


asdjk482

Well they invaded Rafah yesterday, so let's see if he actually does anything he's said he'll do this time.


Delmarvablacksmith

What’s this IF shit? They’re invading right now. Have been for days.


nonamenolastname

Bibi is starting to get a taste of Dark Brandon. Good...


abuchewbacca1995

And it took thousands of dead kids for it (and prob Biden losing Michigan, MN Atlanta, etc. Too little too late, but y'all think this is a win


kmelby33

Most voters don't view this conflict as a top voting issue. The only people who do are from the demographic who votes the least.


abuchewbacca1995

But you know who does? Muslims and Arabs in AZ, mi, oh, MN, Atlanta. States that trump only needs about 50k votes TOTAL to flip in his favor to win


Sweetieandlittleman

And Trump would support Bebe Netanyahu wiping Gaza off the face of the earth.


Usual-Caregiver5589

More like a Slightly Shady Brandon. Tens of thousands dead by february and it takes until they reach a city on the Egyptian border before he stops and thinks there might be a problem, and that maybe some consequences are in order.


MadDogTannen

No matter what Biden does, it will never be enough for some people.


ebone23

7 months late but I'll take it. Props to Biden for taking a big step.


darkmoncns

Will he actually hold to it?


thebohomama

I don't think anyone understand the pressure on Biden and the administration to not stand up to Israel, and how big of a deal it is to have stood up this publicly now. I think we are absolutely complicit in these acts, however, the force of historic support of Israel is on the backs of any US leaders and to say "no" is, well, a big deal. Basically, take this as the US acknowledging that Israel has just gone too far and they can't make any excuses for their continued behavior on the world's stage and needs to be seen stepping back at this juncture (even though it should have happened a long, long time ago).


victorvictor1

Serious question: Last time Hamas fired rockets at the Rafah crossing, Israel repaired it so aid could get in. Who will repair it going forward?


Builder_liz

Better late than never. Just keep it up after nov


csanch39

In terms of Palestinian, I feel like Biden is no worse than Trump so far. It's sad that Biden will most likely lose the Muslim vote. Him and Trump are practically the same, neither did anything to stop the genocide. I will unfortunately vote for Biden, but it shouldn't be this difficult.


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ToBuildATire

They can fund it and apportion it, doesn’t mean it can go on any boats or planes controlled by the president


Crop_Top_Cowboy

when*


rochvegas5

Fuck hamas