The United States has announced the approval of the sale of more than $7.4bn in bombs, missiles and related equipment to Israel, which has used American-made weapons to devastating effect during the war in Gaza.
The state department has signed off on the sale of $6.75bn in bombs, guidance kits and fuses, in addition to $660m in Hellfire missiles, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
The proposed sale of the bombs “improves Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serves as a deterrent to regional threats”, the DSCA said in a statement.
When will DOGE cut this spending?
Where are all the fascists that are crying about less government and keeping our money in the US and only for the US?
Wasn’t that the whole argument of dismantling USAID?
Answer: Republicans are full of shit and so are Musk, Donald, Vance and all the rest.
Where are all the fascists that are crying about less government and keeping our money in the US and only for the US?
They label it a sale and it’s suddenly OK. They ALSO send a lot of aid, but that’s only a bad thing when a democrat is in charge. Now that republicans are in charge, Israel is part of the US as far as aid and such is concerned.
I’m sorry people of Gaza, this is really evil and as a US person who has paid taxes, I’m a part of it. I wish I could stop it but am poor, I’m not sure protesting would work. I feel helpless and also responsible. This is no different than when everyone looked the other way and refused to take Jewish people during WWII. I am sorry for not realizing what this was sooner and disbelieving the severity and evilness of it at first. :-( There’s really no way for me to opt out of this unless I leave the US, become like Henry David Thoreau and just don’t participate in society, which may mean death for me, or actually just choose to die so I no longer have to be part of a disgusting and evil society. The regular people of Gaza aren’t part of this war and war crimes are being committed. It probably means nothing but I’m so so sorry.
Don’t worry fellow US citizen. God will do something I’m sure. Any day now God will help those in need. Any… Day now.
I get your sarcasm, but what should I be doing as a poor US citizen?
-Writing letters? (Unlikely to persuade people because opinions are divided on humanitarian versus hard-core Christian theologian views. I would need to remotely deprogram elected officials for this to work.)
-Holding signs to protest? (Unlikely to persuade for the same reasons.)
-Sending lengthy theological arguments to right-wing types? (I could try it. It would be strange coming from an atheist but I could try? It would be more effective than trying to deprogram them.)
-Donations? (I looked at some organizations helping Gaza and many of their leaders make substantially more than me per year and I’m dealing with financial hardship. It’s hard for me to donate to an organization with leaders who have high salaries while I struggle with bills, but maybe that’s a bad excuse. Maybe some leaders with high salaries donate to their own organization, but if so it wasn’t listed.)
-Direct donations? (I should probably do this, and I’m not sure how to do this.)
Please, tell me the appropriate response for a poor person, even if it’s anything other than nothing. I just feel like nothing I do will be effective.
Where are all the “We need to stop sending money overseas” voters? Did they win yet?
This one is a sale, not a donation.
Bullshit, Israel continues to receive monetary aid from the US and the latest weapons sales includes federal subsidies. US and German taxpayers always pay for weapons destined for Israel.
The linked article defines it as a sale, do you have sources that shows otherwise?
America gives Israel free money. Israel uses that money to “buy” whichever American weapons they want. Example:
Israel says it has secured $8.7 billion U.S. aid package
This is a good overview of cost:
From Iron Dome to F-15s: US provides 70% of Israel’s war costs
The U.S. government has spent at least $22.76 billion on military aid to Israel from October 7, 2023, to September 30 of this year - (2024 in article)
My statement was regarding the current deal, both links are talking about other arm deals.
The reason US citizens don’t have health care or free higher education is a political choice. You spend more dollars per capita than any other nation, but the system is inefficient. Similar shit goes in higher education. In sane countries students don’t need to buy books, they loan them from the library. They don’t have mega stadiums in universities. Admin are nor racking in piles of gold and academic staff pay is shit. So education doesn’t costs so much.
The USA doesn’t give Israel free money, they give military aid with strings attached. Israel ‘battle test’ American products, with no danger to American soldiers. More so, the US get the fruits of Israeli R&D, such as Iron Dome, that was developed in Israel and is now manufactured in the US, giving the US army access to it. Israel also hosts American bases in the region.
As for your second link, who ever wrote it lacks understanding in global trade. The US didn’t deploy aircraft carriers to defend Israel. They deployed them to defend global trade routes from an Iranian proxy. The Houthi “blockade” didn’t cause much harm to Israel’s economy, it harmed other nations much more. This is why a coalition of different countries took part in the attack on the Houthis.
[0] “houthi blockade economic damage” in your favorite search engine and pick a source you trust. [1] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/china-presses-iran-rein-houthi-attacks-red-sea-sources-say-2024-01-26/
The US does not need their 2.000 pound bombs battle tested on refugee camps. Especially when Ukraine could have used those weapons.
The Houthi blockade was directly related to Israel. The Houthis started blocking ships of every country complicit in the genocide.
Say do you think Israel is committing genocide by the way?
Removed by mod
Good to know it now becomes a good thing since the US is getting something out of it, great line in the sand.
US is getting something out of this anyway. Testing is very expensive, ‘battle tested’ is great is great to get your weapons sold.
Much cheaper to ship it to Israel.
Well, they stopped sending money to Ukraine, so I guess thats part of their stance fulfilled.
And stopped enforcing the sanctions on Russia that were created by the legislature. If the executive branch does not execute the laws made by the legislature then we are not a republic. We are now a dictatorship.
Fun fact: Genocide Donald is the oldest president the United States has ever had.
Orange Senile Whackjob.
Sleepy Don
Imagine paying off student loans with that money.
Imagine eliminating homelessness with that money.
No Way Jesus would allow that! /s
“But we need indentured servants!” - the rich
This one is a sale, not a donation. This Trump greasing representatives from within the US that has weapons manufacturing in their region.
While “better” still betting not going to pay for anything useful.
If Israel pays the money goes to American workers. Your student loans are the results of systematic failure. Universities don’t need mega stadiums, students shouldn’t need to buy books, admin staff shouldn’t make so much. You also have a weird structure where top researchers make buttload of money, but TA down the pyramid are starving.
In sane parts of the world universities build libraries, not stadiums. The life of TAs are hard, but they don’t go into debt, top researchers don’t get to pocket piles of gold, they get more research resources and admin staff get normal salaries.
tl;dr the money is there to give you almost free education, but it’s not a priority.
Murica: Naaa need more carriers and dead children
Even if this is technically true, if there is a certain amount of aid and a certain percent goes to US deals that are exported, and then the aid gets bigger with the expectation of larger more expensive export deals, I’m just not sure if this is meaningfully true rather than technically true. I am not downvoting you, BTW, I appreciate the correction, but just belive you are are confusing a semantic difference with actual ignorance.
The US and Israel are cartoon villains at this point.
Ah yes, lets turn the rubble into ash
Hi might just hire the Palestinians he removed from Gaza to help them clean up the place, just in time for ground breaking.
At least he’s not Kamala.
/s for all the easily triggered assholes
The ceasefire has been in effect since January 19. Gazans have been returning to their rubble. There have been prisoner swaps and hostage releases.
So, for context, this is an improvement. Selling arms that aren’t actively being used is a whole lot better than when they are.
Again: not directly funding an ongoing genocide was not a major hurdle nor the big ask it was made out to be.
A ongoing and lasting ceasefire is an extreme gamechanger on Israel policy.
What are you believing in exactly? You literally think Netanyahu is going to stop after this sale?
No. My belief is that a ceasefire is a better condition than no ceasefire.
Netanyahu: I would like to buy seven billions worth of your finest bombs, please. I have no intention to use them, pinkie swear.
You: I trust this reliable upstanding moral character, if he says he won’t use them, he really means it.
Are you fucking for real? You are trying to spin this as positive? Y’all are delusional.
I am indeed making the delusionally brave stance of spinning a seemingly lasting ceasefire as a positive.
…seemingly lasting ceasefire…
Oh, my sweet summer child…
It is by no means an end to the conflict nor is there a solution. However it is, in fact, a ceasefire that has lasted longer than any other since October 7th.
Where’s all the idiots who wouldn’t vote “for genocide” at?
Why was it more important for Kamala to continue the genocide than to win over those non-voters?
How much military aid did we send to Israel under Biden? And Kamala was different from him, how? How many UN motions were vetoed by a Democrat administration to prolong the genocide? I ate shit and voted for Democrats again, but there was never anyone to vote for that wasn’t going to support the genocide of Palestinians.
Biden stopped sending bombs and artillery that was being used to level Gaza.
Those are the exact weapons Trump is starting to send again.
Stop trying to equivocate. Trump is significantly worse for Gaza than Biden or Harris.
You live in a dream world. Biden didn’t stop anything except UN resolutions against Israel’s genocide.
You see it was impossible to take a nuanced position and vote for the lesser of two evils.
But they can claim moral superiority, and we all know that’s what’s most important when it comes down to it.
I’m so glad that your choice allowed you to claim moral superiority.
I could not care less about moral superiority. That’s why I held my nose and voted for an imperfect candidate.
B…b…but the Democrats are genociders so I didn’t vote or voted 3rd party to help the Palestinians.
Did I help? Did I help them? Does this help them?
Who was president when Israel flattened Gaza? Who sent them the weapons to do it? Why do you excuse Biden and the Democrats role in the genocide just because Trump is worse?
The Harris campaign purposefully ignored anyone asking about Gaza.
“We also didn’t create a new category for Gaza responses out of fear that category would be leaked. Instead we were told to mark them as ‘no response,’” the organizer said, faulting top Harris campaign leaders for failing to address the issue. “The only ‘clowns’ out there are those who were in senior leadership and decided to abdicate on this issue, who silenced a Palestinian speaker at the DNC, and who told us to ignore it every time a voter asked us about Gaza.”
I am increasingly disgusted by liberals. I am never voting Democrat again, it is past Biden or Harris being bad, it is the entire base that is genocidal except with polite rhetoric.
Who is president while Native Americans and Puerto Ricans are being arrested by ICE and threatened with deportation?
Who is president while America gives up on every single climate goal?
Who is president while Elon Musk’s people have been given total access to U.S. finances without any sort of security clearances?
I could go on, but I won’t, because you are acting like the election was some sort of referendum on Israel. And all I can say to that is that I hope you have the white privilege to not be affected by this at the level of anyone who’s skin is a darker shade of peach and the cisgender, heterosexual privilege as well.
None of the votes during this past election would have helped Palestine. That’s the point. You gotta think long term. Dems and Reps suck.
Our two party, single vote system isn’t working for the people and they want you to believe it is. Control your politicians. Don’t let them control you.
Removed by mod
Wow. This comment is one of the stupidest, most embarrassing comments I’ve seen on the internet. This comment is such a sad representations of ignorance and complicit brainwashing. Really dumb dumb comment right here.
Wow. This comment is one of the stupidest, most embarrassing comments I’ve seen on the internet. This comment is such a sad representations of ignorance and complicit brainwashing. Really dumb dumb comment right here.
Wow. This comment is one of the stupidest, most embarrassing comments I’ve seen on the internet. This comment is such a sad representations of ignorance and complicit brainwashing. Really dumb dumb comment right here.
For the US, sure.
Letting in the Tangerine Mussolini means there won’t be a Palestine by the end of his term.
With the Democrats under the control of the DNC neither. Remember how the US built an “aid pier” for hundreds of millions that never delivered aid, but instead a beachhead for an Israeli assault disguised as humanitarian aid?
Now with Trump people are forced to confront the empire and maybe resist it from within, which also helps those outside of it. In the same wake other countries like in Europe will have to confront the fact that the US was never their friend, but just gave more considerations to the appearance of mutual respect and sovereignity on the outside.
The US empire has made it clear under Biden already, that there will be no peace in the Middle East, as long as the empire can prevent it. The only route to peace is dismantling the empire and replacing it with a normal country.
Neither of those things will happen, the US will turn into an autocratic state and Palestine will be erased. Then they will expand to Greater Israel with US troops.
the US will turn into an autocratic state and Palestine will be erased.
Ah the iron convictions of those who participate in a democratic society.
I am an anarchist and have only voted once for secession. I would’ve voted against Trump if I were American. What is your point though?
The fall of the American federal government to fascism is not as foregone a conclusion as it is being made out to be.
The same factions that didn’t want to change the incumbent policy are the same that are accepting the fascist movement without resistance.
June 29, 2024 US has sent Israel thousands of 2,000-pound bombs since Oct. 7
Biden only stopped sending them after there was nothing left to destroy in Gaza.
Dude, I’m not defending Biden in any sense whatsoever.
There was one shot at helping the people of Palestine, that was the Democrats.
They refused to listen to voters and instead took in billions of lobbying from Zionists.
The only blame lies solely on Kamala and her greed. Imagine thinking stopping Trump was less important than making money.
While I don’t disagree, I feel like we need to talk more about how disconnected the Democratic Party is from what their base actually wants. Them being diet republicans ain’t cutting it
Democrats didn’t push for that:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/19/jared-kushner-gaza-waterfront-property-israel-negev
You ate Republican propoganda.
Push for what? I didn’t mention any specific policy point
You said Democrats are lite Republicans. This is false.
I gave an example, they reigned Israel, Trump is going to take over Gaza.
Gee, would have been nice to have democracy a few more years to maybe try and fix it.
Fix what exactly? It isn’t that the democrats are a new party that suddenly popped into existence for the last election. They’ve been doing this shit forever.
… mmhmmm. I guess no democracy is better then. I’m convinced.
No, it isn’t. But acting as if democrats were / are willing to change and listen to the people is extremely naive. That’s the reason Bernie Sanders was never allowed to be a candidate despite being one of the most popular dems out there. There needs to be a third way / party that does better and claws out the democrats from ever being able to win.
They do hold primaries, ya know.
They let non-party-favored candidates run in the primaries just like how this kid is allowed to mow the law
True. But at the same time you’re not going to get any of that by not voting and letting Republicans get elected. I mean get you butts out there and primary these centrist lead weights.
primary these centrist lead weights.
This. Right. Here.
No they’d rather sit on the couch and complain that the dinosaurs are dinosauring and won’t switch to communist revolution like they believe everyone wants, even though they’ve never left the couch.
If they actually went out and tried to become local politicians to effect change they would probably see that their ideals are far less popular in real life among normal people outside of the terminally online crowd.
Ah yes, the “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” argument for electoralism. It doesn’t matter who we vote for when they get laundered through the lobbying machine on the highest setting after or even before they get into office. Tell me, who is at the top of this list? https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary?code=Q05&cycle=All&ind=Q05&recipdetail=M
I’m saying this as someone who has voted democrats straight down the ballot in every election I could. It doesn’t work when money is more powerful than any vote.
Money is only this powerful because people didn’t vote when it mattered to keep money out of politics.
Both democrats and republicans are in line with neoliberal thought about letting corporations get bigger and bigger and giving more freedom to capital than to people. A simple vote isn’t going to change this. Let’s pretend that democrats are opposed to money in politics, you’d have to vote them in every single time because there aren’t singular times when it’d matter since the assault on democracy is ever-present. This is impossible under the two-party system. Things will go wrong and people will blame whoever is in power. Things are constantly getting worse which is why we’re seeing this more frequent swapping of parties in power.
axis of evil and has been. you vote democrat, you vote republican, you vote for genocide. simple as.
But you do realize that trump is much much much much worse, right? It’s not just about the genocide, you know.
These people have enough privilege that they know they won’t be put in the camps first. And they probably think they never will. So it’s no risk to them.
Worse how? In terms of for Palestine. They were always screwed no matter what. It seems to me that Trump is pretty much identical to Biden in terms of supporting Palestine, except he’s an idiot and says the quiet part out loud while Biden just recited Zionist talking points.
I literally said “it’s not just about the genocide.” Palestine isn’t the only thing going on in the world, and there are millions of people who are being affected right here in the US because of trump’s fascist behavior.
I’m sorry about Palestine, and if there was a candidate who vowed to stop feeding Israel money & weapons, I’d vote for them. But I’m not a single issue voter, because I’m not a fucking moron. I can’t turn my back on transsexuals in America, or Latin American refugees, or immigrants in the US, or low-income people, the mentally ill, the elderly, non-Christians, gays, the sick, or pregnant women in America. I can’t ignore climate change. I can’t ignore the possibility of another pandemic. The US public education system is in danger. Environmental protections are in danger. Countless other public health & safety programs are in danger. Ukrainians are in danger. All because of trump.
I’m supposed to not vote for a candidate who supports genocide, when both candidates support it, but one of the two also threatens everything else, plus so much more?
The way our political system works is if you don’t vote for one it practically counts as a vote for the other-so refusing to vote is also supporting genocide.
Like other people have said- it’s a real life trolly problem. The people are already tied to the tracks, and all I can do is pull a lever. There is no avoiding it.
I hate the genocide. I support Palestine. I believe that between the two candidates, at least there was a sliver of a chance that they would stop the genocide under a Democratic presidency. Under a Republican presidency, there is less than zero chance. In addition to all I’ve listed above, and more.
In terms of Palestine maybe it’s a wash. But at least the Dems have a handful of party members who want to stop helping Israel. But my child right here in the US is in danger now because of trump. Billions of children’s futures are in danger because of trump.
Yeah it sucks for all of us that have like morals and ethics and crap. Like I said, I ate shit and voted for Democrats like I’ve done for my entire life. I did not and would never vote for a republican and I’m not encouraging anyone to. What I’m saying is that our politics is like making a choice between cutting your dick off or getting your eye poked out. There is no good option.
I feel deeply for people who have children, you probably shouldn’t have done that.
Think the Democrats would build Gaza a Lago?
Do you know which politician has taken the most money from Israel? I think that he was happy to support their genocide, and his vice president was no different.
Trump is absolutely a nightmare but trying to pretend that Democrats weren’t also a nightmare on this issue is ridiculous. The halls of Congress are full of Israeli flags. There is no voting to help. Palestinians meaningfully possible.
Sometimes you have to choose the lesser evil, and you did good in the difference.
and sometimes you have a conscience that doesn’t allow you to rationalize away complicity in genocide
If your choice increases the magnitude of the genocide, how could it reduce your complicity?
‘if if if’ nevermind what is and has been happening… a party should lose support for genocide, especially when that side is ostensibly for social justice.
Again, it’s not a matter of support, it’s a matter of chosing the lesser evil to reduce the potential negative impact. Similarly, if the only way to prevent far right from getting elected is to vote for the right, you would rather not participate in preventing the far right from getting elected?
if two parties are both ignoring the population, maybe a third party should be considered a more serious option… this settling for lesser of two evils amounts to a lack of vision- have you have stopped believing in accountability? is it merely impossible and pointless to think about?
I hope you can develop more options in the future, but for this election, there were only two.
At this point, some people have become walking textbook trolley problems, where to make a choice that makes you moral in one dimension you become a monster in all the others and make everyone worse in the process. But your conscience is safe, thank you for that.
it is safe because i didn’t allow myself to reduce supporting genocide to a trolley problem.
Reduce? You people spent months reducing all other issues that affect billions of people well into the future like fighting climate change or keeping civil rights or access to healthcare or labour rights or all 900 pages of project 2025 to the one issue where you have
nonegative leverage either way by voting for president.You’re the one dumbing down political debate to a single issue, I just framed it in a way that captures the pattern of hundreds of sterile debates I’ve seen online: you can choose to soil your conscience by collectively choosing to avert disaster or let disaster happen and get nothing in return (probably even worse) for your one cause.
And the worst part is your vote should not even have been decisive, it should have been easier to get 10% of undecided normies to compensate your reluctant 1%, but they are depoliticized and don’t care if they live in fascism or not anymore.
and that’s my prerogative as a voter. are you here to shame me some more? about the genocide i won’t overlook to vote for kamala harris? the same kamala harris who reversed her position on fracking? who wanted to fund nato even harder? you’re gonna tell me she represented a positive position on climate change?? and bath-tub of collard green kamala harris is not doing a damn thing for civil rights, so where are you coming from with this?
Eh, I’m venting at this point, as I wrote before, it’s not your even your fault, y’all were probably
ventinggrieving too over months of war crimes, it’s the uninformed normies who don’t care and don’t understand that decided this.This person basically just told you they don’t give a shit about anything but one single genocide. Other genocides, like ones in the U.S.? Don’t matter. Other genocides in other parts of the world? Don’t matter. Climate change potentially killing off the entire species? Don’t matter.
Which is why single-issue voters are just abhorrent people.
