First and foremost: It is not a demand that Israel accept a ceasefire, it is a demand that Hamas accept the terms of a ceasefire. Sometimes this is a very subtle difference, but one the key elements of a ceasefire negotiation is that each side is trying to continue fighting while making their adversary look like the aggressor. So far, it looks like Biden has moved slightly, but he still is not applying pressure on Netanyahu to end the war.
Second: Continuing on that last point, there is no leverage. Biden has persistently chosen not to do anything that would actually apply pressure. He has deferred to Netanyahu’s judgement and supported him while gradually shifting in tone, but it’s become 1000% clear that Netanyahu will stop when he is forced to, and not a moment sooner.
Third: The focus is constantly on micromanaging the situation. Debating how many civilians can get killed, what fraction of the homes can be demolished, how much territory Israel can appropriate in Gaza. None of this actually addresses the foundational issues: one side is imposing apartheid with genocidal intent on a neighbor that is largely powerless, and the other side’s only real avenue for expressing itself is through terrorism. Which is bad for both sides. If these realities persist, then the cycle that has governed nearly three generations is allowed to continue. There must be a breaking point in that cycle, and referring back to point 2: it’s going to have to be imposed on the leadership in Israel. They WILL NOT accept it willingly.
In summary, this is a very welcome change in narrative for Biden, but we are far past the point of fiddling with narratives. We need policy action, and it’s incredible that he’s still dug in like this after another state department official just resigned because she said that she was being pressured to be an accomplice in breaking US law against knowingly aiding war crimes.
The new element in the proposal would come with a second phase, during which Israel and Hamas would negotiate a permanent cease-fire and complete Israeli withdrawal. Under the newly announced plan, the temporary cease-fire would continue beyond the six weeks until such a permanent plan is put in place, provided neither side violated its terms and negotiations continued.
So the second step is basically optional. Israel can pause the invasion of Rafah, get some hostages back, and then just go back to what they were doing. Netanyahu’s already said all the hostages are not enough for him to stop, he also requires the destruction of Hamas (the people who are supposed to accept the negotiated terms) and long-term security control over Gaza (i.e., reestablish the occupation), so the negotiations are probably doomed from the start. It’s really a one-phase plan for a limited hostage swap masquerading as three.
We need to come down hard on these bastards. We need to set examples because if it was one of ours doing the same in China or Russia, they’d be in a forced labour camp for 20 years. Jail the bugger, vigorously interrogate him and then trade him in a few years after he’s sampled the delights of the US prison system.
I feel like somehow this is just going to drive more campaign contributions and win over those who are brainwashed, netting him a boost in the polls, but I guess time will tell.
He’s unlikely to go to gaol for this particular set of crimes even without getting special treatment. He’d be looking at a maximum of 4 years (per count, but I suspect those would probably be served concurrently), but as another article about the subject said:
But Trump is unlikely to be sentenced to prison, experts say. He is a first-time offender, and the crime he has been found guilty of is a non-violent paper crime.
Is it true that he can still run for the office even if he’s in jail?
Eugene V. Debs ran for president in 1920 while he was serving time for “sedition”(he had been making anti-war and anti-draft speeches during World War I). It’s certainly possible, though incredibly doubtful he’d win. I find that I can’t really count anything out when it comes to Trump, though.
The biggest threat to Trump if he does go to jail is he will lose airtime and will be up to his merry band of lickspittles to try to drum up interest, and interesting they are not.
He can spend the time (ghost) writing his book about how unfair the fake news media is toward him. He could literally title it “My Struggle” and his base still wouldn’t get it.
If you ever dive into the filth that is r/conservative, you’ll see that this has just reenforced their views that he needs to win and they need to do anything to make that happen…I don’t think there’s anything that could snap that cult out of it at this point
I think it was ABC that just showed a poll saying 15% of independents would be more likely to vote for Trump if he’s a convicted felon, 8% less likely, and 74% indifferent.
So uh, at least amongst independent voters, no, apparently being a felon does not matter that much.
Is that all these “officials” know how to do? I only ever hear them lying, spinning, redacting, harassing, bullying, shaming, and spewing hate filled messages at people they deem “lesser,” which seems to be a lot of people. (Not to mention the ongoing genocide they’re leading…)
🤖 I’m a bot that provides automatic summaries for articles:
Click here to see the summaryHowever, before takeoff, the lawsuit alleges that an American representative approached them individually and asked them to leave the plane without explanation. After the men were removed from the plane, they were allegedly told by an American representative that they would not be allowed to fly on the flight and would have to rebook their trip. Upon asking for an explanation, the men were told that they were removed because a white male flight attendant had complained about an unidentified passenger’s body, according to the lawsuit. While complaining at the gate, the pilot announced to the rest of the passengers on the plane that the men had been removed because of a reported body odor complaint. In a response to the Guardian, American said, “We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us. Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people.” — Saved 65% of original text.
Was hoping to see the video in the article, but just screen caps.
Was under the impression that Taiwan would likely use thousands of Ukraine style drone boats to sink the Chinese fleet.
Instead all I see is screenshots of missiles the size of cities raining down. I assume it’s a perspective issue, but those missiles are unrealistically large.
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