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.
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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 think this is just the hill he’s decided to die on. Zion uber alles or some ideological shit like that.
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?
Because they oppose Iran. Same reason why we provided weapons to Iraq.
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.
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.
It wouldn’t be the first time Israel engaged in compromat. Either that or he’s completely blind to what’s going on.
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 .
Perhaps they should have left Western style Manifest Destiny in the past.
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.
They did not quietly support it, when you learn to look for their actions instead of their words.
That land is owed to Israel, it’s not an invasion and you’re an antisemite, or whatever Reddit said
Ok so I have a solution. We glass Israel, Lebanon and Iran. About 10m people per faction. We can use neutron bombs as well to make it super highly radioactive for quite a while.
That way NO ONE can live in that region and be dragged into more stupid wars and it equally distributes the deaths.
