Israel to World: "Suck It."

do they not have the money to pay for their own Dome of Iron?

or it's just the easiest way to funnel money to the USA contractors that bribes the politicians?

At this point I think it’s more the latter, as I don’t think Israel is really as dependent on US aid as it once was.

My neighbor used the neighborhood WhatsApp group to ask people to support iron dome which really annoyed me. It’s supposed to just be for help with flooded basements and giveaway stuff and events. Everyone seems to have ignored it though.

maybe his basement is flooded with US defense contractors and lobbyists

"Aw, jeez honey, Raytheon's coming through the floors again!"

I just saw a thing with Max Blumenthal where he was claiming Iron Dome was "actually an offensive weapon," the logic being that arms parity normally leads to detente but Iron Dome prevents there being any kind of parity and prevents Israel from having to face consequences from its aggression, and tbh this logic strikes me as dumb as shit. There would be no arms parity with or without Iron Dome, for one thing, and if you didn't have Iron Dome you'd just have more rockets falling on and killing or maiming Israeli civilians, which would in turn mean greater demands from the populace for retaliation against Gaza.

this logic strikes me as dumb as shit.

Israel passes a budget. This government has certainly been more effective at, you know, actually governing the country than I would have imagined.

I feel like in the US the current coalition is more popular in the US with Democrats than with Republicans because He's Not Netanyahu and I feel like the fact that Bennett is in fact extremely right-wing is not very widely grasped. It's a different story if Lapid becomes PM but will this thing really last until August 2023?

It didn't. Sort of astonishing to me how little attention is being paid to the fact that there's ANOTHER election in Israel and it could very well bring an extremely fucked-up group of people into positions of real power -- like, Netanyahu but dependent for the survival of his government on people three levels more fucked up than Netanyahu.

what would you have attention-payers do about it?

Nothing. We can do v little, it's a discussion board?

But yes I read this report on it.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/29/israel-election-far-right-itamar-ben-gvir

Didn't expect Bennett to apparently quit politics completely.

It’s not really surprising that this guy is doing well given the way politics has been going over there for quite a while.

🧵1/5 Today, as Israelis go to vote in the Zionist regime’s general elections remember that all the Israeli political parties support the continued oppression of Palestinians & despite what some will have you believe “centrist” Lapid is not better than Netanyahu.

— Dr. Yara Hawari د. يارا هواري (@yarahawari) November 1, 2022

Despite what some will have you believe, Lapid is better than Netanyahu

In what way?

better hair

in light of their current hard right reactionary politics, it's v depressing to recall that Israel has a stockpile of nuclear bombs, whose reality they consistently deny so that, among other things, they don't have to make public statements about their policy concerning when they'd use them.

this is gonna get really fucked up

Netanyahu, Kahanist ally agree to nix Knesset ban on parties inciting racism https://t.co/OqoIiwehlu

— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) December 22, 2022

this is all very bad!

What what is so racist that it’s banned from the Knesset?

Despite what some will have you believe, Lapid is better than Netanyahu

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, November 1, 2022 1:50 PM (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

In what way?

― xyzzzz__, Tuesday, November 1, 2022 3:54 PM (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

Sadly we're all going to find out and this sucks really hard for Israel and Zionism.

And obviously sucks for everybody else in the region, too, I should have said.

I wish this weren't happening.

Lapid/Gantz and their ilk are all committed to preserving the terrible status quo for the occupied territories. But Ben Gvir can still make everything way more fucked up, particularly for Arab citizens of Israel and any remaining Israelis that oppose this slide into fascism. It's almost worse that this is happening because Netanyahu needed to shield himself from legal consequences for his corruption.

When you've lost Marty Peretz.....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/02/wieseltier-peretz-berman-walzer-israel-netanyahu/

Government of Israel to Israel: "Suck It."

The attack on Huwara is so disgusting. And half the government actively cheering it on

https://www.972mag.com/huwara-pogrom-settlers-elimination/

Just fantastic timing on this rollout, 10/10

News: Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last night that he is launching an organization called Progressives for Israel.

“I am going to call the question for Democrats,” he said. “Do you stand with Israel or do you stand against Israel, because silence is not an option.” pic.twitter.com/SiZCz45syb

— Matthew Kassel (@matthewkassel) March 14, 2023

Do you stand near Israel, or do you rub yourself against Israel?

I get why Cuomo's trying to rehab himself, but how on earth would anyone else think having him on your side is a good thing?

noted progressive Andrew Cuomo

Seems a very weird time to demand a binary answer -- are the hundreds of thousands of Israelis marching in the streets waving Israeli flags and denouncing the government of Israel "standing with Israel" or "standing against Israel"?

yeah this whole 'valid critique of Israel's state policies = antisemitism' is getting really old

Cuomo happy to let Republicans undermine and deplete support and funding of Ukraine huh

I don't know much about Israeli's government, but I hadn't realized that they don't actually have a constitution

(China has one and that doesn't mean jack-shit, but I was just kinda surprised about this)

Firing the Defense Minister was a really big mistake by Beebs, I don't remember this level or protests (outside of Palestinians, obviously)

https://www.972mag.com/israelis-bds-government-protests/

15,000 people live in the Jenin refugee camp. Israeli occupation forces have closed the entrances to the camp (blocking ambulance access), targeted journalists and a hospital, shut off water and electricity, & bulldozed streets. Videos show bodies strewn on the street. Massacre. https://t.co/bsjnTy1u4d

— Michael Bueckert (@mbueckert) July 3, 2023

Things ain't goin great: https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2023-07-07/ty-article-opinion/.premium/israel-is-hours-away-from-becoming-a-de-facto-dictatorship/00000189-2c91-d145-a1e9-3ff74bd30000

Barak is already under investigation by the state for "alleged incitement": https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/28/former-israeli-pm-ehud-barak-and-ex-parliamentarian-yair-golam-investigated-by-police

Government of Israel to Israel: "Suck It."

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, March 2, 2023 3:27 PM (four months ago) bookmarkflaglink

I came in to type exactly this, forgot I'd done so in March, still applies.

Not so smart now is it! https://t.co/TVn0DVt4CT

— Arbeitology (@Arbeit_Fish) October 7, 2023

🇵🇸🇮🇱 BREAKING: Israel's second largest powerplant, Rotenberg, has been attacked by rockets. pic.twitter.com/XWKsIjLRgb

— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) October 7, 2023

Fuck.

Sadly we all know what's likely to happen to Palestine after this - it's not the 1990s anymore, no one has their backs. The Gulf Monarchies are all in bed with Israel, as is Egypt and others, Israel will use the attacks to justify being even worse (US won't do shit either)

— The Kavernacle (@TheKavernacle) October 7, 2023

otm

This is something to look out for.

on the 'don't waste a good crisis' principle, wonder if/when the israeli government starts blaming the constitutional protest movement for weakening the state in the face of Hamas terrorism etc etc

— jamie k (@jkbloodtreasure) October 7, 2023

Be surprised if they didn't tbh.

Seems incredibly bad!