The gap between the rhetoric and reality of western politicians on Gaza.

Biden's SOTU address really brought home how much the western governments are doing to prevent genocide of the Palestinians but it's missing the things that need to happen.

The Biden administration is critical of Israel. It is asking Netanyahu to stop the bombing and to let aid in. It is building a pier, parachuting aid in and using Malta. Yet the killing continues unabated and two million people remain in near starvation conditions. Aid agencies say they need a ceasefire to avert catastrophe and there is no ceasefire. Netanyahu could absolutely be forced to do this.

Israel has 3% of the population of America and it's economy is tanking due the war. There is bill that recently passed through the US houses to give billions more in 'aid' to israel. It was held up because it's attached to money for Ukraine, not because of the money for Israel. The US and it's allies use UN vetos to protect Israel from international accountability. Gaza burns and they send aid. Your friend is pushing people off a cliff so you build an ambulance at the bottom of a cliff and you tell people that you don't like the situation.

When western politicians talk of a two-state solution, it's also completely empty. Israel has now explicitly rejected a two-state solution: finally saying the quiet bit out loud. While the war wages and the second Nakba is done to Gaza, West Bank settlements are being further expanded. A genuine two-state solution (or any other equitable agreement) becomes even less likely than ever and due to deliberate policy of changing facts on the ground.

Debates in our media operate on a different reality. A pretend reality in which we are trying to help a human catastrophe that we are actually implicated in creating.

Northwest · M

I think you mean 3% of the US population is Jewish, not Israeli. Though, like myself, the majority of America's Jewish population, is culturally, not "religiously" Jewish. This larger group, is more J-Street than AIPAC.

This "block" of Americans, however, is not the issue, and they represent the majority of "Jewish" House and Senate members.

Following the SOTU speech, the GOP instantly recoiled, and went on the attack, calling President Biden names, and how dare he give Hamas what it wants. Mind you that these are the non-Jewish politicians. The latter stand solidly behind the President, wanting the ouster of Netanyahu and a 2-state solution. The President picked the words he said very carefully, and they were vetted by the Jewish Democrats in Congress.

The problem is America's Evangelicals. The lovers of the Prince of Peace, who openly demand that Israel, assisted by the US, kill 200 million people, to hasten the Second Coming. Ironically, the latter also means the destruction of Israel, and sending all Jews who do not convert to Christianity, to eternal hell.

This is the group that brought Trump to power, and might bring him back to power.

Nevertheless, and to quote Jon Stewart, it's' like your dealer dropping off an 8-ball, and saying 'now you take of your health, and make sure you get plenty of sleep'.

The Biden administration, while cautioning Israel NOT to make the same mistakes we made since 9/11, delivered more than 100 arms/ammo shipments to Israel. And the slaughter continues.

Hamas is not the Palestinians. With the Gaza massacres, Israel insured that 30 years from now, Hamas will survive. Any 2nd grader will tell you that you can't bomb an idea out of existence. Out of all people, Israelis should know that.

Transforming a country from Nazism while initially facilitated through war, only happened through the Marshall plan, and making friends with old enemies.

The Presidential primary, for my state, is Tuesday. I flipped through the ballot last night, and made up my mind.

On Tuesday, I will be voting "undecided".

This humanitarian crisis happened under Biden's watch, and while I know that Trump will be fucking disaster for human rights, does it really matter? It's not like under Trumps, we would not have seen nearly 35,000 slaughtered Palestinians, and 100,000+ with lost limbs, and people dying from starvation and thirst.

Fuck it, enough is enough.

Burnley123 · 41-45, M

@Northwest No, I literally meant what I said. Israel has a tiny population compared to the US, therefore the US has leverage.

I respect that it is a very difficult bind for US progressives, given the political realities and the abysmal alternative. I'm sure a lot have muted their criticisms of Biden for these reasons and I get it. It's obviously no issue for me to criticise the Tories and I'm long done worrying about criticising Starmer, even before this.

However, what history will remember...

Shadyglow · F

Hi Burnley, there was a guy here (EP) who lived in Israel and joked about murdering Palestinians. He might even still be here.

I was horrified listening to him because he was highly intelligent and should've known better. Who would let a doctor like that TOUCH them?