Americans’ ardent support for Israel is palpable in poll after poll showing far greater sympathy for the Jewish state than for Palestinians.

It’s evidenced in the vote in the last U.S. Congress to top up American funding for Israel’s missile-defence system: a lopsided result of 420 to 9.

So that American backing is not in question; it’s a decades-long reality and was just reinforced with the blood-curdling massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas militants on Oct. 7.

What’s less certain is the reaction from one important constituency as Israel expands its counter-offensive in Gaza and as the death toll mounts among Palestinian civilians.

We’re talking about the U.S. left. It’s virtually the only place in American politics where there might be a debate — over what’s acceptable in war, and about a path back to peace.

And signs are emerging of Democrats wanting to pressure Israel into abiding by certain limits in its operation.

    • grte@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      11 months ago

      20 years ago you’d have Noam Chomksy and Norman Finkelstein calling out what’s going on and that’s about it. It’s very different today.

      • roguetrick@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        There’s no cold war anymore and the assassination of Rabin and rise of the Israeli right wing has been the change (even if it was a delayed effect in American perception). The only political assassination that was so successful at achieving the assassin’s goals as that of Rabin in recent memory was the one of Japan’s Abe.

    • doublejay1999@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      27
      ·
      11 months ago

      …my god…. the US centre left are the most violent government in the world and have just sailed 2 aircraft carriers to theatre.

  • المنطقة عكف عفريت@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    16
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    11 months ago

    I saw this today and searched for any other articles where The Times of Israel uses the word “genocide”… This complete lack of self-criticism is what made Israel an apartheid state.

  • Pat12@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    ·
    11 months ago

    north americans aren’t “allowed” to criticise israel because that criticism gets confused for being anti-semitic and people risk losing their jobs and israel is meant to be a US ally, it’s really awful that people can’t call out another country’s shitty behaviour. People should be able to criticise the Israeli govt, the CCP, the saudi government’s treatment of people terrible without fear of repercussion

    • Hildegarde@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      11 months ago

      The criticism isn’t confused for being antsemitic. Genuine criticism of the actions of the Israeli government is deliberately labled as antisemitism to discredit it.

            • generalpotato@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              2
              ·
              11 months ago

              Gotta agree with the other guy here. You’re sort of talking out of your ass. The ME en masse is allied with the US or can be an ally to the US if the US didn’t support Israel and took a neutral stance on the Palestine issue. Iran is the only place that is openly against the US but even they have shown the willingness to come to talks were the US had a policy more favorable to peace and stability in the region (ala Obama’s deal with Iran).

        • PugJesus@kbin.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          11 months ago

          They may be strategically important, but the US can basically guarantee loyalty from the Israelis.

          Sure, all you have to do is endure American citizens getting domed for the crime of being journalists, paying spies to fetch US nuclear secrets, sabotaging US diplomatic efforts, selling US secrets to China, etc etc etc.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      11 months ago

      “Israel is the largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk, does not carry even one American soldier, and is located in a critical region for American national security.”

      — Alexander Haig

  • shatal@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    23
    arrow-down
    12
    ·
    edit-2
    11 months ago

    Unfortunately Hamas’s success was far beyond their expectations. They were left unchecked for hours and during that time chose to commit the worst type of atrocities.

    In doing so, they validated Israelis fears that if the “Palestinians” could, they would torture, rape and kill every single Israeli including the elderly and children.

    Israel is now a country in trauma and is driven by vengeance and fear.

    Sadly, at this point, no amount of world criticism will make any difference.

    The only way to prevent massive casualties on both sides is if Hamas releases the civilian hostages.

    • FrostyTrichs@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      24
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      11 months ago

      Israel is driven by vengeance and fear.

      That’s been the case for decades but a lot of the world won’t hold them accountable for their own actions.

      Palestinian lives and civil rights almost always take a backseat to Israeli rhetoric and posturing on the world stage. The loss of any innocent life is tragic whether it be Israeli, Palestinian, or otherwise and should be treated as such.

      Unfortunately for everyone Palestine/Gaza has become so desperate to escape their shrinking cage that they seem to have resorted to desperate and despicable tactics, and Israel will gladly commit genocide if the world allows them to. It’s a no win situation that should be defused by world powers, not encouraged and bankrolled by them.

    • Mrkawfee@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      Hamas releasing hostages won’t help. Israel wants a blood price measured in tens of thousands of bodies.

      • shatal@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        11 months ago

        You’re not wrong, but with the tensions in Israel’s northern border and with Hizbolla signalling that they will launch an assault if Israel moves into Gaza, releasing the hostages might just be the excuse everyone needs to de-escalate.

  • lmaydev@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    11
    ·
    11 months ago

    I don’t quite see how supporting a defense system to stop incoming missiles is a bad thing though.

      • lmaydev@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        11 months ago

        I do indeed and it’s all awful.

        But that’s what the text draws on to show American support.

        I’m just saying I don’t feel funding a defense weapon is a good example.

      • lmaydev@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        I have been following it and both sides have been awful as usual.

        Just pointing out supporting a middle defense system is not a bad thing.

          • lmaydev@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            11 months ago

            It’s evidenced in the vote in the last U.S. Congress to top up American funding for Israel’s missile-defence system: a lopsided result of 420 to 9.

            Was commenting on the text above is all

        • DoomBot5@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          11 months ago

          People are forgetting that this missle defense system has saved tens of thousands of lives from dieing by Hamas hands.

          • lmaydev@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            11 months ago

            Yeah exactly. It’s defending citizens from terrorist attacks.

            Regardless of the fact the government actions pretty much caused these, it’s still good for civilians.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      5
      ·
      11 months ago

      CITIZEN: Good faith questions (even if brought up by the second sentence in the story) are unwelcome unless they conform to lemmy’s zeitgeist.

      (Now say something anti-Ireal and you might get some points back. Of course that might get you called an anti-Semite. Either way, you’re basically a terrorist. 🤷🏻‍♂️ You really can’t win.)