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.

  • @DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    723 months ago

    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?

    • @NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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      563 months ago

      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

      • @inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
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        263 months ago

        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.

        • Baron Von J
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          213 months ago

          primary these centrist lead weights.

          This. Right. Here.

          • @peregrin5@lemm.ee
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            3 months ago

            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.

            • @hark@lemmy.world
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              03 months ago

              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.

              • @peregrin5@lemm.ee
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                13 months ago

                Money is only this powerful because people didn’t vote when it mattered to keep money out of politics.

                • @hark@lemmy.world
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                  03 months ago

                  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.

      • @Gsus4@mander.xyz
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        3 months ago

        Doesnt this boil down to the usual “the left falls in love, while the right falls in line”? hard to fall in love with your alliy’s ongoing war crimes and lefties are renowed for not falling in line even against their best interests. Makes it hard to win as an incumbent, though, how did Obama win reelection, he wouldn’t have been mistaken for a saint the second time round.

        PS: got it, it’s because Romney still couldn’t make the right fall in line hard enough comparing with the love for Obama.

      • @peregrin5@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        Have you actually looked at their platform? Or are you just repeating “Republican lite” because that’s what all your social circle says?

        • @NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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          03 months ago

          This kind of feels like a loaded question, but yeah, I’d prefer it be more progressive. I’d like for Nancy and the other old guard to accept that they’ve got to move out of the way for the next generation to take the helm. Instead she blocked the new blood from higher committee positions. The attacks on her insider trading stick for a reason. I wish the same ones didn’t bounce off republicans but they’re clearly scott free of any accountability from their voting base, unlike the left which is constantly infighting.

          • @finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            Nancy Pelosi actually doesn’t do any trading, the man she married while still in college owns an investment firm and in the USA married couples have joint assets.

            One of the biggest allegations of Insider Trading was when VISA credit company offered them stock options just before a big legislation regulating VISA went through, but Nancy actually voted against the company’s interests anyways.

            In many years, Paul’s portfolio operates at a loss and the two of them don’t even make the list of top traders in congress.

      • @Klear@sh.itjust.works
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        63 months ago

        I feel like we need to talk more about how disconnected the Democratic Party is from what their base actually wants

        Did you feel this need before the election too? Because a lot of people did and that is who we’re talking about here.

        • @Maalus@lemmy.world
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          -43 months ago

          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.

            • @Maalus@lemmy.world
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              23 months ago

              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.

        • JordanFireStar
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          193 months ago

          Democrats lost because they didn’t embrace populist rhetoric.

          If they just ran someone like Bernie they could have won. People are tired of the status quo and they thought Trump would be a way out of it. All democrats run on is “we’ll keep things the same”.

          • @tree_frog@lemm.ee
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            43 months ago

            Left populism is popular. Center right positions coming from the Democrats are not.

            Would you like fascism or diet fascism? Uhh… Neither. So I guess I will just stay home and not vote

            (Actually, I did vote. But I can understand why a lot of people weren’t motivated to).

    • @venusaur@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      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.

    • شاهد على إبادة
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      3 months ago

      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.

      • Flying Squid
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        153 months ago

        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.

      • @fahoobamagoo@sh.itjust.works
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        -13 months ago

        Excuse is a different thing altogether than a vote. One is a state of mind. The other impacts who is president and brings that administrations actions into reality. Anyone who did not vote Democrat is responsible for the net difference in those outcomes. A vote is not a protest.

      • @LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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        153 months ago

        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.

  • @Zaktor@sopuli.xyz
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    153 months ago

    Good on the AFP for being willing to put the critical context in the headline instead of just trying to present bland data.

  • @MellowYellow13@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    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.

    • @boonhet@lemm.ee
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      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.

  • @secretlyaddictedtolinux@lemmy.world
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    53 months ago

    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.

      • @secretlyaddictedtolinux@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        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.

  • @ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
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    -113 months ago

    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.

    • @rocket_dragon@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      53 months ago

      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.

  • شاهد على إبادة
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    -343 months ago

    So the same as Biden but liberals have a selective memory.

    Here’s a few articles to remind the intentionally forgetful liberals:

    March 2024 U.S. sends more weapons to Israel amid growing calls for cease-fire

    June 2024 US has sent Israel thousands of 2,000-pound bombs since Oct. 7

    Anyways keep going mask off. Good luck getting any of us to vote Democratic ever again. It is clearly isn’t just a few Democratic politicians who are bad, it is the entire party base that’s a basket of deplorables to quote a prominent Democrat.

    • @Snapz@lemmy.world
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      233 months ago

      So let’s say this issue is a push… Now how about EVERY OTHER FUCKING THING HAPPENING?

      STOP trying to draw a false equivalency between the two paths we had available to us.

    • Flying Squid
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      143 months ago

      So the same as Biden but liberals have a selective memory.

      Then I guess there should have been other reasons to stop Trump from getting into office.

      Good luck getting any of us to vote Democratic ever again.

      You still think Republicans will have elections that aren’t the kind they have in Russia.

      Amazing how many people still think America still works by the rules.

        • Mayor Poopington
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          23 months ago

          Hey they would at least condemned Israel’s actions

          Excuse me while I go cry in the corner about how fucked we are

      • @Pfeffy@lemmy.world
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        13 months ago

        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.

    • OhStopYellingAtMe
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      173 months ago

      But you do realize that trump is much much much much worse, right? It’s not just about the genocide, you know.

      • Flying Squid
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        93 months ago

        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.

      • @Pfeffy@lemmy.world
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        -13 months ago

        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.

        • OhStopYellingAtMe
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          13 months ago

          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.

          • @Pfeffy@lemmy.world
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            -13 months ago

            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.

      • @fallowseed@lemmy.world
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        -63 months ago

        i don’t think he’s much much much much worse, that’s too many muchs- maaaybe much much worse- and that’s neither here or there… genocide IS a reasonable red line and you can’t gaslight me off my solid footing in that regard.

    • @Gsus4@mander.xyz
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      3 months ago

      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.

        • @Gsus4@mander.xyz
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          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 no negative 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.

          • @fallowseed@lemmy.world
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            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?

            • @Gsus4@mander.xyz
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              Eh, I’m venting at this point, as I wrote before, it’s not your even your fault, y’all were probably venting grieving too over months of war crimes, it’s the uninformed normies who don’t care and don’t understand that decided this.

              • Flying Squid
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                03 months ago

                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.

    • @njm1314@lemmy.world
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      43 months ago

      This is down voted for some reason but it’s literally true. No matter who you voted for no matter whether you voted or not you voted for genocide in this election. Pure facts.