6 votes

Weekly Middle East war megathread - week of October 14

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Tags: israel, palestine, lebanon, gaza strip, 2023 israel hamas war, 2023 middle east war, recurring.weekly, war, megathread

This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant Middle East war content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

Please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

2 comments

  1. skybrian
    Link
    U.S. warns Israel it will withhold arms unless Gaza aid starts flowing (Washington Post) Leaking this seems like a political move. I suppose it’s good that they are gesturing at possibly doing...

    U.S. warns Israel it will withhold arms unless Gaza aid starts flowing (Washington Post)

    The Biden administration sharply intensified pressure on Israel this week to improve dire conditions for civilians in the Gaza Strip, warning that it would be forced to take punitive measures, potentially including a suspension of military aid, if the flow of humanitarian assistance is not increased within a month.

    In an Oct. 13 letter to senior Israeli officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanded urgent steps to ensure that noncombatants have access to food and other necessities, blaming lawlessness and actions by the Israeli government in permitting a deterioration of conditions in Gaza, according to two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss correspondence that had not been made public.

    Absent a change, Blinken and Austin cautioned, the administration would be obliged to take steps laid out under policies linking compliance with international norms to the provision of U.S. weapons and military assistance. The letter gives Netanyahu one month to comply, which would delay any action until after the U.S. presidential election.

    Leaking this seems like a political move. I suppose it’s good that they are gesturing at possibly doing something, though I don’t know if Biden would follow through even if Harris wins.

    But it would be convenient for Harris if it did turn out that way, with Biden taking the blame for cutting off Israeli aid before she starts office. It would change the status quo and then Israel and its supporters would have to try to justify resuming military aid.

    It may be that Israel decides that don’t need US military aid all that much, so the US loses a (fairly weak) point of leverage, but gains being a little less entangled in Israel’s wars.

    4 votes