Hamas Attacks, Israel Responds II

The US and company should be focused only on one issue: making it clear that pursuing genocide, whether through an attempt to starve the people in Gaza or by deliberately targeting civilians (on a relevant scale), will result in UN sanctions against Israel. The legal framework for it already exists.

Otherwise, it is not any business of the US or anyone else to try to set the chess pieces in Gaza or decide anything about who rules there or who doesn't. Israel can pursue its war until either or both parties, on their own and without any outside arm twisting, believe they have had enough and want the war to stop. The two sides should fight it out until that point is reached.

 

I don't consider Iran's involvement as meddling.

 

Iran provides support to allied groups. While that support is literally peanuts compared to the level of support provided by the US to Israel, the demarcation line to distinguish imperialistic meddling from other forms of interaction, is the degree of involvement you assume in trying to dictate terms on others including on how others manage their own affairs.

 

Semantic arguments don't interest me. International relations is governed ultimately by balance of power: when there is a balance of power, you have peace. When you have an imbalance, you get threats, bullying and war. The US, by having an explicit policy aimed at ensuring Israeli military advantage over its foes, has ensured an imbalance of power that has led to the fires it then pretends it wants to extinguish. This gives it the room and space for its meddling.

 

16 billion between 2012-2018 is not peanuts (page 13). And this is ignoring PPP

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/up...Chronicle-of-Irans-Destabilizing-Activity.pdf

Meanwhile Iran gave 20k for UNRWA in total between 2008 and 2017

 

Very small portion of that is in the form of armaments. Most of that figure relates to economic assistance to Syria during the Syrian civil war.

As for assistance to agencies such as UNRWA, Iran instead has spend billions more to, inter alia, help rebuild Lebanon after the 2006 war, to help Lebanon with its recent fuel shortages, to avert the collapse of Venezuela's oil industry helping it with fuel deliveries and rebuilding its refining capacity, and then just recently its medical facilities etc. I can list numerous other such direct economic assistance by Iran in Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, as well as countries far away from home.

 

What did Trump say?

And why is Trump saying anything being cited as proof for any proposition?

 

They have burned a lot of bridges, even among other Arabs/Muslims. Jordan wants nothing to do with the West Bank, and the Egyptians certainly have no real interest in helping them or resettling them in Egypt. Iran is happy to fight a proxy war against Israel to the last Palestinian.

Unless and until the Palestinians decide to get rid of their horrible governments, nothing will change for them.

 

In the meantime, the Israelis are beginning to regret saying no to the proposed deal which was hoisted on Hamas under enormous pressure.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-end-insurgency-0fcb4e20821ba8c0e49edf6571486d3b
How does this end? With Hamas holding firm and fighting back in Gaza, Israel faces only bad options

 

I'm sure the Biden administration will take your advice with all the consideration it's worth.

 

Translation: It's okay when Iran does it.

At least be honest. I'm happy when American meddling in the Middle East hurts Iran and its allies. And you're happy when Iran's meddling hurts the US and its allies. There's no need for dissembling and doubletalk. We're all frenemies here.

 

This is pulled out of your a**
I literally have no clue how and why you say stuff like this with such confidence. Based on absolutely nothing.

You literally have no inside knowledge and clearly USA knows what they are talking about and yet for some reason you are sure you know better

The whole thing is about weapons and training of soldiers/militants/terrorists and you go on about Venezuela

 

Interesting if true.

But man, if it is true, Egypt just blew up its own credibility in spectacular fashion. Good grief.

But that does lead me to a question…WTF were they trying to accomplish? Like, if nobody had noticed the change, would Israel etc. still be held to the terms of the treaty? Seems unlikely.

 

Show me where even the US has alleged the bulk of the assistance was for armaments?

I know a lot more about the issue than you. The figure the US cites in that report is actually less than the actual figure cited by the UN and by Iran ($30B). And in return Iran was promised a lot of projects in Syria, including a naval base, most of which the Russians obstructed under secret arrangements between Putin, Trump and Netanyahu which included promises to the Russians on Ukraine. There were even very tense moments between Iran and Russia in Syria for a while (the rift subsided afterwards), including some firefights. I bet you didn't know any of that but you can use google learn about the issues.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/2...-30bn-defending-assad-syria-must-pay-us-back/
Iran MP: We have spent $30bn defending Assad, Syria must pay us back

 

I literally told you the page. Start at page 12. It literally says what those 16 billion were spent on

What you know is the Iranian propaganda you totally not fall for it. Also you may notice I usually never say I know better I usually quote those who know better because I don't have access to what they have... unlike you who somehow know better.

Your logic is usually I am right here this totally unrelated thing that applies to your thing (it doesn't)

Which might tell you they are talking strictly weapons??

 

I read p 12. It doesn't say the assistance was for weapons. Pompeo's polemical report refers to publicly available info regarding Iran's line of credit and financial grant to Syria. The cost to Iran of maintaining and running around 500 bases in Syria under IRGC control was paid separately and directly by Iran (hence the higher figure of $30B). But I have no interest going back n forth on the issue. I will, however, refer you to this article from 2019 on the (later aborted under Russian pressure) naval lease agreement since it gives context to the other issues I mentioned.
https://asiatimes.com/2019/04/syria-leases-mediterranean-port-to-iran-raising-alarms/
Syria leases Mediterranean port to Iran
Decision to lease parts of Latakia to Iran puts Iranian personnel close to Russian installations

 

Mass murder is of bigger importance to me than abortion rights, yes. Sorry, but I don't believe that the GPS coordinates of one's mother's vagina determine one's value as a human being. YMMV (and I guess does).

 

None of which contradicts what I said.