• givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    “They have a point,” Biden said after the protesters were escorted out. “We need to get a lot more care into Gaza.”

    They wouldn’t need it as badly if someone didn’t go around Congress to ban funding to UNRWA…

    Still, the Biden administration decided to pause funding, and other big donors did the same. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, says she understands that UNRWA is the only international organization with the capacity to help deliver food, flour and fuel to Palestinians in Gaza, but she says donors want to see a full investigation of the Israeli allegations.

    https://www.npr.org/2024/02/18/1232301965/the-u-s-is-barring-funding-to-unrwa-the-only-international-organization-aiding-g

    And even after we found out the allegations were bullshit and confessions were after torture, both parties (except a few progressives) united to ban it till 2025.

    Biden is literally responsible for this, but is acting like it’s just some random thing and maybe he’ll help out.

    • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      You’re not entirely wrong, but Biden has bipartisan backing on this as it’s part of the whole funding bill, which makes most of the repesentatives and senators complicit with Biden which this bill also gives Israel $3B, and Ukraine $0.3B.

      Still, like how a massive frigate turns slowly, the actions of the State Department are showing a change of tune, and the US is nearly fed up with covering for Israel’s genocide. The first steps are to abstain from ceasefire resolutions and then to give the protestors attention and credibility. There are many more steps to go.

      • alternative_factor@kbin.social
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        8 months ago

        Republicans are always gonna disrupt any real action anyway, they are full mask-off on the Christian nationalism thing and believe they must support Isreal 100% no matter what to make jesus come back.

      • nednobbins@lemm.ee
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        8 months ago

        I’d really like to believe that but the cynic in me expects that as soon as Israel gets done with their genocide campaign they’ll pretend that they’ve turned a new leaf and all funding and military assistance will resume as though nothing had happened. There will be no lasting consequences for Israel’s actions so they will, correctly, assume that there is nothing to stop them from doing it again.

        • NoneOfUrBusiness@kbin.social
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          8 months ago

          There will be no lasting consequences for Israel’s actions so they will, correctly, assume that there is nothing to stop them from doing it again.

          Not concrete political action no, but make no mistake Israel has lost a lot of international support in this war, and support for them is now more concentrated among older people. I’ll be cautiously hopeful that we’ll see real change from the West in the next 20 or so years as the older generations die off and more people grow up hearing about Israel committing their second genocide.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        bill also gives Israel $3B, and Ukraine $0.3B.

        You forgot banning aid to UNRWA…

        the US is nearly fed up with covering for Israel’s genocide.

        Voters are, and have been.

        But can you name a Dem in a party leadership position that doesn’t take AIPAC money?

        There are many more steps to go.

        That’s what they told FDR 80 years ago when he was trying to get universal healthcare past a Dem controlled Congress…

        There’s so many steps left to go, it’s functionally infinite. Because Republicans take more steps back then Dems take forward.

        Biden spent a billion dollars in 2020 to just barely convince voters he was better than trump. I don’t know you, but if you had a billion dollar campaign, I bet you could have wiped the floor with trump.

          • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            When the only other two options can’t crack 33% approval, a random unknown person is kind of a shoe in…

            I’d bet money no foreign government has donated to their campaign at least.

      • crusa187@lemmy.ml
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        8 months ago

        nearly fed up with covering for Israel’s genocide

        The US is doing far more than covering for it, we are enabling it via massive funding and contributing the very bombs being used to decimate Gaza and murder 10s of thousands of civilians. Biden’s willingness to let Bibi order us around and use us as cover is absolutely pathetic - Biden, and by proxy the US, are completely captured by the far-right extremist government of a foreign nation state. This is the weakest posturing imaginable for a world leader, and it’s entirely because Biden is a genocidal Zionist freak.

        “Bipartisan backing” in DC means one thing only - Congress is getting paid. It’s gross that AIPAC can buy air cover for a genocide so easily, but such is the extent of corruption in the US.

        We are 6 months into this ethnic cleansing, and these baby steps are not nearly enough at this juncture. For fuck’s sake even Trump beat Biden to the natural conclusion of demanding Israel put a stop to this. The bar is so low it’s literally on the ground and Biden just faceplants in front of it. Pathetic.

      • Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        “I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”

        Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail

    • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      They wouldn’t need it as badly if someone didn’t go around Congress to ban funding to UNRWA…

      Or if someone hadn’t sold Netanyahu weapons in the first place. Or if someone didn’t run interference for Netanyahu at the UN.

    • TWeaK@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      but she says donors want to see a full investigation of the Israeli allegations.

      both parties (except a few progressives) united to ban it till 2025.

      How is Biden literally responsible for everyone uniting on that point?

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        He went around Congress to give billions to Israel, and to ban aid to UNRWA causing mass starvation

        Then Congress included both in the budget.

        Any other questions?

        • TWeaK@lemm.ee
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          8 months ago

          Any comment on the fact that donors paying for aid to UNRWA wanted this, or that it was bipartisan and - as you just pointed out - it was Congress that put it in the budget?

          Why is everything all Biden’s fault, when you have already said in multiple points that other people were pushing for it also?

          • nednobbins@lemm.ee
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            8 months ago

            Why is everything all Biden’s fault

            Because he’s the boss. The president is always considered the leader of their party while they’re in office. That’s why Truman said, “The buck stops here.”

            If an organization does something, the leader of that organization needs to accept responsibility or admit they’re an ineffective leader.

            • TWeaK@lemm.ee
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              8 months ago

              He’s the leader of the party, but this had bipartisan support.

              I’m not saying he’s not responsible, just that they all are. Also he has to be careful with it being election year and being up against Trump.

          • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            Why is everything all Biden’s fault

            Because before it was included in the budget, Biden went around Congress to do both via executive order.

            And I think the other bit is you’re confused about what “donors” meant, like are you thinking it’s private citizens donating money and the government now won’t let them?

            I’m not trying to be insulting, but from context that seems to be your impression

          • underisk@lemmy.ml
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            8 months ago

            If you have the power to unilaterally hinder a genocide and instead you use that power to enable it, you are culpable.

            • TWeaK@lemm.ee
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              8 months ago

              He’s definitely culpable, but he’s far from the only one.

              • underisk@lemmy.ml
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                8 months ago

                Sure, just the one with the most ability to act on his own. His culpability is proportional to that. He’s used that ability previously to aid Israel, he could use that same power to hinder them, but chooses not to.

                • TWeaK@lemm.ee
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                  8 months ago

                  the one with the most ability to act on his own

                  Maybe 3 years ago he would’ve been, but right now, with an election coming up against Trump and his Maggats, he’s in a very precarious position.