The US is reported to have made more than 100 weapons sales to Israel, including thousands of bombs, since the start of the war in Gaza, but the deliveries escaped congressional oversight because each transaction was under the dollar amount requiring approval.

“This doesn’t just seem like an attempt to avoid technical compliance with US arms export law, it’s an extremely troubling way to avoid transparency and accountability on a high-profile issue,” Ari Tolany, director of the security assistance monitor at the Centre for International Policy thinktank, said.

She added that, in exploiting the loophole, the Biden administration was following the steps of its predecessor. “They’re very much borrowing from the Trump playbook to dodge congressional oversight,” Tolany said.

In defending its continued arms sales to Israel, despite ever more public misgivings about its conduct of the Gaza war, the administration has argued that they are part of the US’s basic commitment to Israel’s self defence.

  • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    You know what would really help in trying to stop Trump?

    All it takes is for one man, one single man, to stop supporting Israel in its genocide.

    That’s right, Joe Biden could significantly, if not massivelly, improve the chances to stop Trump by changing what he’s doing in this one thing.

    And yet he refuses to do so and instead does a couple of symbolic-to-the-point-of-meaningless actions for show instead.

    Now, ask yourself, if stopping Trump was really that important for him, why would he not stop supporting genocide if that would be a massive help in stopping Trump?!

    The whole “appeal to millions of people to swallow their principles and vote Biden to stop Trump” sounds a little hollow if Biden himself isn’t willing to stop supporting genocide if that’s what it takes to stop Trump.

    I’m starting to wonder if, had Joe Biden been as much a loudmouth as Trump and really said what’s going in his mind rather than the usual carefully controlled messaging, wouldn’t we be hearing quite a similar discourse?! Because I’m really having trouble with the contradiction between between the idea that unlike Trump he is not a bad guy and his actual actions being to chose to give military and diplomatic support to those committing a mass murder at this scale whilst they’re doing it.

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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      9 months ago

      I agree that Biden should broadcast his administration’s accomplishments more, but if this war is your single issue, know that trump loves netanyahu, told him to “just finish it” so not exactly your better choice.

      And obviously not the better choice in terms of any other beneficial metric I can think of. Civil rights, sustainability, economy, Biden has him beat.

      Understand that all cutting off US military aid does is compromise US influence in this situation without gaining anything.

      It’d be nice, but it doesn’t change anything in this situation even if the US stopped all israeli military aid tomorrow.

      • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        You’re avoiding the core point: what Biden says and what Biden actually does are two very different things.

        You don’t judge a politician on the talk he talks, you judge him on the walk he walks and Biden’s “walk” is over 100 weapons shipments to Israel whilst they commit a genocide - including of the actual weapons used to commit it - and several vetos at the UN of Ceasefire resolutions.

        It’s not even the case of him doing nothing and people wanting him to help stop the Genocide, it’s a case if him activelly helping the killing by sending Israel the bombs they use for it and stopping others from intervenning by parking aircraft carriers there in support of Israel and vetoing UN Resolutions and refusing to even just become neutral on this conflict.

        His talk is wholly irrelevant (except in that it shows the depths of his hypocrisy) given the chasm between it and his actions, and a pure judgment of his actions that treats his words according to the importance they really have (none at all as he lies just as easilly as Trump), yields the possibility of Biden on this being as evil as Trump or worse - Trump barks a loud bark whilst seldom following through (or being massivelly incompetent at doing so) whilst Biden makes cute puppy noises and whilst giving nasty bites.

        • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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          9 months ago

          It’s very easy to focus on a single country not directly involved in the war and pretend they are solely responsible for everything, but it is missing the forest for trees and I have a more comprehensive core point:

          One ally withholding weapons does not affect the military capability of Israel in this conflict at all and Biden cutting off US military aid now removes US influence in diplomatic situations.

          You’re ignoring the aid drop, you’re ignoring the indefinite aid port being set up, you’re ignoring him meeting with netanyahus political ally, you’re ignoring very important political moves that actively influence Israel and netanyahu.

          • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            First the “you gotta be kidding me” statement: air-dropping 33k meals for 2 million people is not aid, it’s “taking the piss”.

            As for your whataboutism about other nations, America is responsible for what America does and Joe Biden is the one deciding. What other countries do is up to them and their leaders and they deserve praise or criticism of what they do, not what others do. Further “yeah but those guys do evil too” is not a valid justification for doing evil: if you come across a kid on the floor being kicked by a bully and you see a couple more kids cheering, you don’t join the cheering unless you have the morals of a worm.

            As for the port, it’s all talk so far and the track record of the Biden administration on this means it’s likely that it will be another “piss take” for symbolic purposes.

            You’re still very forcefully ignoring the point I’ve been making for 3 posts now, which is that the talkie-talkie of Joe Biden and his goons means nothing at all.

            • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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              9 months ago

              You’re making up arguments for me because you ran out of steam?

              I’ll take the compliment.

              You’re ignoring the documented second and calling actions talk. That’s clearly down to your misapprehension of many words and phrases.

              Facts aren’t “whataboutism”.

              Direct sctions are not “walkie-talkie”, dropping military aid to your ally’s enemy is an action regardless of how critically it undermines your inaccurate believies.

              • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                LOL, you’re not even managing basic Logic anymore, so high you are on tribalist copium.

                Enjoy comming up with excuses for the guy supporting the closest we’ve ever been to the Nazis since the actual Nazis.

                • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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                  9 months ago

                  So you don’t know anything about modern genocides do you? This is not the largest genocide since the Nazis, not by any measure of again , context, which you just don’t seem to understand.

                  You want a simple answer, but that’s not how the real world works.

                  And if the US stops sending weapons, this conflict will continue regardless and that leverage goes away.

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I agree that Biden should broadcast his administration’s accomplishments more

        If I gave a dollar to Biden for every blind party loyalist pretending that his greatest fault is that he doesn’t brag enough about how wonderful he is, I’d be on the list of special donors that can always get a meeting no matter what.

        Speaking of dollars, is Biden paying you to figuratively fellate him all day today or are you doing it just for the joy of serving your Dear Leader?

        • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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          9 months ago

          I’m not a Biden fan, but I’m a huge fan of accuracy and fact checking.

          And people here are making constant errors and telling lies.

          It’s important to set the record straight, even if that upsets people.

          • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            I’m a huge fan of accuracy and fact checking.

            Non-practicing, I see.

            people here are making constant errors and telling lies

            Has nobody told you that it’s weird to refer yourself in the third person plural or that it makes “here” redundant?

            It’s important to set the record straight, even if that upsets people

            True, that’s why I’m doing it. It’s a waste of time and effort in this case, though, since you’re obviously as blind a follower of Biden as anyone in the Trump cult is of the Mango Mussolini…

            • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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              9 months ago

              Is this the alt account of the guy that was making up stories before and pretending other people were saying them?

              You know switching account isn’t going to make people believe you anymore if you keep making up stories right?

              You’re using the same baseless insults and the same lack of evidence

              • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                Nope. I have 3 accounts: 2 called Viking_Hippie and one VikingHippie.

                You know accusing people who call you on ignoring the opposite of alt abuse isn’t going to buy your denials of obvious reality, right?

                You know that stubbornly denying the obvious will often result in being called on it by more than one person, right? You must know from experience, unless that’s another part of reality that you just block out because it’s inconvenient to your tribalism.

                As for evidence, read the damn article we’re commenting on! It has administration officials confirming and (dishonestly) defending the arms sales ffs!

                • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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                  9 months ago

                  I read it yesterday, I see you have nothing to add but baseless insults. Although they are base insults.

                  Probably important to note then that I asked a question, and you called it an accusation. Factually incorrect.

                  You have the same insults, same lack of evidence.

                  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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                    9 months ago

                    read it yesterday

                    But apparently promptly forgot about it since you keep insisting that there’s no proof of the Biden administration aiding the genocide and the article contains confession and justification from the administration itself.

                    you have nothing to add but baseless insults

                    At worst, I’m impolitely stating the obvious. You ARE ignoring the facts that don’t fit your narrative of the Biden administration being pure as the driven snow and that IS some shitty cult behavior much akin to that of the Trump cult. That’s nowhere near baseless. That’s an apt comparison.

                    I asked a question, and you called it an accusation. Factually incorrect.

                    Asking me if I’m the alt of some other guy who you resent for also pointing out your denials of reality is syntactically a question, yes, but there’s an obvious accusation implicit to it. Don’t play even more dumb than you are.

                    Same lack of evidence

                    Again with your counterfactual bullshit. Just go give the old man a rusty trombone like you obviously want to.