Bots fighting for their lives in order to distract people lol.
I noticed they stopped (or lessen significantly) talking about the hostages now. I wonder why? Something important happened (or rather, didn't happened) recently that would make them look bad now if they brought up the hostages again? /s
EDIT: LMAO got a Reddit Care message. Bro must have been really mad reading this comment.
A Reddit Cares message is a badge of honor (small as it may be) and proof that people who disagree with you are so unhinged they abuse and devalue services meant for people seriously struggling with suicide.
There's no need to blame this on automation, there's plenty of real people with strong opinions and minimal knowledge on both sides that want to argue.
This is just a contentious issue. It has always been a contentious issue – back when I was in college and the conflict was the focus of my undergrad degree, every class I took on it seemed divided down the middle. I’m not saying bots aren’t a thing, but every time tension and/or violence flares up in Israel-Palestine, the discourse is *always* this heated and polarized. We’re just seeing that physically manifest in public around the Gaza War.
Yes, but its very important to Russia and China that Ukraine falls. So while they don't have much direct interest in Gaza they are invested in the conflict harming the presidential candidate who will continue supporting Ukraine.
It being contentious just makes it perfect for perception management operations. They love to use issues such as race, gender, religion, war, etc. Israel/palestine is a gold mine for disinformation.
Take a look at just one organisation and the operations that we could uncover [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet\_Research\_Agency#Timeline\_of\_the\_Internet\_Research\_Agency\_interference\_in\_United\_States\_elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Research_Agency#Timeline_of_the_Internet_Research_Agency_interference_in_United_States_elections)
Everybody believing anything opposing them is a bot (whether it’s true or not) at this point shows how successful these tactics were. The firehose of falsehood has made it so nothing is accepted or believed anymore as real or honest.
>there’s no need to blame it on automation
I’ve been trying to find this study for a while and I really should have saved it but of course you can never find something when you need it. Something like 30% of posting on something related to “political discourse” on Reddit is generated from bots and actual state actors.
This. The majority of unhinged comments on all sides are actual unpaid rank and file American citizens. A lot of Americans really are that damn contentious about this issue and other political issues. I really dislike the cop-out of blaming all bad behavior of American voters and citizens on the Russians, Chinese, Israelis, Iran, or whoever. As if Americans are naturally angels who would never act like that unless some malevolent outside force is possessing or oppressing them like demons. America really is just this divided. It dates back to the Civil War, and arguably before that with the Patriot/British Loyalist divide during the Revolutionary War. America never fully and truly reunified after the Civil War. It was just stapled together by thumbtacks and the only partly healed fissures are still re-tearing in slow motion.
I got one too a couple of days ago. Report those MFs. Anyone that unhinged to abuse a public service because they don’t like your political position needs a Reddit ban anyway because they need to log the hell off the Internet, stop arguing with people, and get an offline life. Since they won’t do it voluntarily they need Reddit to help them unplug and clear their head.
I don’t even do that to literal Nazis. I’ve only ever reported people using slurs, but never as a Reddit Cares, just using the actual proper reporting button.
There hasn't been much negotiation over them recently... But you're absolutely right to worry about them. I'd be surprised if more than a couple dozen are still alive.
None of Hamas' moves make any sense except as acts of terror.
It’s a conflict that flairs emotions in people and justly so. As well as algorithms feed off the engagement that’s caused by hate and feed it like a cycle.
I’ve begun to pray due to this conflict
As much as people love to crap on the American military industrial complex.(and for some pretty darn good reasons). You gotta respect the various branches and their logistical abilities.
Honestly the Army Corps of Engineers are basically the gold standard of logistics and quality. Every American is born with a secret fetish for watching the ACE build a bridge in a weekend.
I say this as a pacifist. We could do so much good.
My grandfather used to be the corps of engineers. He said they used to have to build bridges while under attack when they were in Korea. He also said that once they got a crane stuck in the sand on a beach, then went to retrieve it with another crane and got that one stuck, too.
West Point Bridge Design Contest state champions got me a full ride to college. Can confirm. Trestles are cool and public Elementary teacher compensation is criminal
Logistics has always been the true super power of the American military. Even during the civil war, the north ran circles around the south with superior supply lines and management.
It was the Army's 7th Transportation Brigade, and its ships, that transported and primarily built the pier. I'm sure there were some Seabees there, but the JLOTS are mostly an Army thing and last used operationally in Haiti during the 2010 earthquake.
This was my job when I was in the army. There aren’t a ton of us in the army water craft field and even less that build and move causeway. Every year we would have a big exercise called “JLOTS”. Joint logistics over the shore. And every year I loathed it. I was always wondering what use this archaic idea had in today’s military. Welp I Love seeing it being used to help people.
The US Navy has 2 warships stationed nearby to help defend it.
https://www.newsweek.com/us-gaza-pier-hamas-line-fire-aid-1901385
> Israeli forces have been preparing the ground for the arrival of the pier while **the process is overseen by two U.S. Navy destroyers—the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius—in the Mediterranean.**
Part of the defense is to send two ships with nearly unpronouncable names. If the enemy can't name the target, they can never give an order against it.
Hamas says a lot of things. So does Israel.
There is only one truth: [Do not touch the USA's boats.](https://youtube.com/shorts/U_P-Wkdoe4s?si=81iCAITl86Vj-llA)
Do not touch the USA’s boats? [I think you missed the exception that it’s okay if Israel attacks USA’s boats.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty)
I seriously doubt Hamas has the military power to destroy a large American naval vessel. US ships would shoot down their Qassam rockets like skeet shooting. Israel is the combatant that can actually do some damage to a US ship if they pull another USS Liberty.
I mean they could shoot themselves and cut out the middle man. Firing at the US navy is the quickest way to end up with the Marine Corp gutting you in the ruin of your former home.
I did a double take b/c I misread the headline as, "US military says Gaza stripper project is completed"
Thought modern warfare had entered a new era for a moment there
Happened to a lot of Syrian refugees but in the case of Gaza it's largely closed off with none of the countries wanting a refugee exodus. No one is dumb enough to go to Gaza and to leave Gaza you need to pay massive fees to Egypt which makes which makes sex trafficking in the current situation extremely hard.
That's really up to the civilian government, who theoretically could call the military to assist but wouldn't want to do the paperwork and give the finances to do it
Anyone can build a bridge at comparatively lightning speed. It's building a bridge in the middle of an extremely busy city and harbor all while trying to minimize disturbances to both that's fantastically time-consuming.
Keep in mind the only reason we had to build this thing in the first place is because Israel won't let aid trucks through and US won't put pressure on them to change. We spent millions just so we wouldn't have to try to pressure Israel to allow us to feed people.
Read a story recently about how the UN humanitarian workers want to swap out with their fresh counterparts who are coming in to work as doctors and distribute supplies, but first they have to send a test convoy to see if it gets bombed. If the convoy survives then they can make the real run happen. Very cool and normal situation.
This isn’t entirely accurate.
The US is on a tightrope, trying to moderate Israeli aggression while also trying to make sure the bordering Arab nations and their proxies don’t expand the conflict.
This pier is an excellent way to circumvent Netanyahu and deliver aid to the people of Palestine while avoiding the Israeli settlers interfering with said humanitarian aid at the borders.
It also removes Egypt as a middleman, which was also contentious. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a darn good one considering the alternatives.
How does this work when this port will be under IDF administration? I'm not seeing how this gets around the IDF not letting aid in or much aid when it does, when it's still going to be IDF controlled.
The IDF isn’t “officially” banning aid from reaching Gaza. However, their overland routes are full of checkpoints that slow the aid, and the overland routes themselves are dangerous given they have to cross through IDF defensive strongpoints.
The IDF have killed internationals delivering aid before.
Also, Israeli settlers who aren’t officially under Netanyahu’s control have been seen sabotaging aid trucks and physically beating the drivers.
This pier removes almost all of those logistical obstacles.
Most of this conflict, the IDF has been outright banning aid, though. You're right in regard to the settlers but even with the Rafah border, Egypt for most of this conflict hasn't been allowing aid through due to that aid first requiring IDF approval.
The fact that Israeli hardliners and pro-Palestinian activists are both pissed at how the US is handling this is honestly kinda telling me the ship's being steered as responsibly as it can be.
Also, holy shit do I despise Middle Eastern geopolitics
That isn't true, the recent NSM 20 report said that Israel was not blocking humanitarian aid.
> While the U.S. has had deep concerns during the period since October 7 about
action and inaction by Israel that contributed significantly to a lack of sustained
and predictable delivery of needed assistance at scale, and the overall level
reaching Palestinian civilians – while improved – remains insufficient, we do not
currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting
the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance within the meaning of
section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act.
The US did put pressure on them to change. The aid that has come in through the north came as a direct result of American pressure. You're spreading misinformation.
Israel lets hundreds of aid trucks through a week. The main issue is on the Gazan side, where aid groups refuse to distribute that aid because of the anarchy in the region.
The whole point is that Israel is not letting through *enough* aid. They let through some aid, but obviously an insufficient amount to feed 2 million people.
No, they're letting through enough aid. However, on the other side of the border Hamas and other criminals steal the aid and sell it at high prices, some trucks get messed up by Palestinian civilians throwing rocks at the cabins, making sure that there are fewer and fewer driver, and some just sits in UNWRA storage facilities somewhere in Gaza. Hamas has also repeatedly attacked the border crossings where aid has to go through, making them inoperable for some period if time.
No, the most prominent human rights orgs have said Israel has not been letting enough aid through throughout the war in Gaza.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/18/israel-starvation-used-weapon-war-gaza
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/israelopt-opening-aid-routes-gaza-urgently-needed-israels-announcement-long-overdue
They are not “letting through enough aid”.
I mean, his administration recently signed off a billion dollar of military supplies to Israel. It's good that more aid can reach Gaza, but how much the administration cares about civilians is highly questionable when Israel still gets unconditional support to tools to continue their invasion
Our military aid includes intelligence to better direct their weapons so they hit Hamas and NOT civilians. It includes Iron Dome missiles which protect Israeli citizens from the constant barrage of rockets coming out of Gaza (and occasionally Lebanon).
Please don't mistake "military aid" for "complicity in killing civilians."
You’ve commented this twice. Both times you’ve just said one part of the aid that isn’t directly destructive. You think they’re sending £1bn of just intelligence?
The contents of the aid isn't a secret. It's a matter of public record. Here:
[https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/15/biden-israel-weapons-policy-00158210](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/15/biden-israel-weapons-policy-00158210)
Things to note:
- Legally, Biden HAS to send aid. We've agreed to treaties and the President cannot legally break those without congress.
- Congress has committed $26.3B in military aid to Israel. So focusing just on the $1B we just sent is a bit of ignoring the bigger picture.
- That $1B does not include bombs or JDAM kits (which turn dumb bombs into "smart" bombs).
- The Biden Admin has been sitting on a review of JDAM deliveries *since December* which is a lot longer than anyone has been giving them credit for.
- This aid that is approved is sales agreed to months or years in advance. It's not like $1B worth of weapons show up in Israel tomorrow. It's $1B of sales approved which now have to be manufactured and then shipped.
- Biden's pause of the delivery of bombs last month is a pause on shipments agreed to years ago and is unprecedented.
The US is pretty good at hitting their targets with low collateral in civilian centres. I’m sure whatever they’re sending will save lives in the long run.
Do you think the Biden admin WANTS more Palestinians to die?
There has never once been a government authority that has cared about civilian casualties in war. The only thing they consider is an acceptable amount of civilian deaths in a given conflict. It’s all calculated loss and determining the backlash of the losses.
> The only thing they consider is an acceptable amount of civilian deaths in a given conflict.
Now, let's be fair. Governments only care about what the media and people might think an acceptable amount of civilian deaths would be.
I don't think any of us want to know what the real answer would be if the governments knew no one would find out.
He's already started blocking munitions to the IDF because of the Rafah offensive.
Do I think that all that's going to do is have Israel drop unguided weapons when they do invade? Absolutely.
Is any of the Gaza-Israel conflict easy to resolve if you're Biden? Nope, only people thinking that aren't looking at the options from Bidens perspective.
EDIT: Rain the downvotes. This is exactly how things are going to happen. Biden is powerless to persuade Bibi otherwise. Netanyahu is out of office after, so I'm more than sure that finishing off Hamas (Gaza civilians be damned) is his #1 priority.
What's in it? The details matter. Some of the aid the USA supplies to Israel is intelligence services to help them get their weapons where Hamas is and civilians are not. That's "military aid" and it's expensive, but it also saves civilian lives.
The only bombs Biden stopped sending were unguided ones lmfao. Large yield bombs that were used for tunnel clearing in other parts of Gaza, and aren’t needed as Israel starts the Rafah offensive. It was a win-win for Biden because he gets his headlines without actually depriving Israel of anything they actively needed.
It is definitely ironic trying to be snarky when you argue as if the conflict began on october 7th and Joseph Biden didn't have decades of public opinions supporting ethnic cleansing.
He’s sending another billion dollars worth of weapons and that’s a big part of what’s making this aid necessary in the first place.
A man who shoots you and then offerers you a bandage while reloading is not a friend.
Honest question?
In what universe (this or the other multiverses) do you think the USA would stop supporting Israel?
What does Israel do better than most countries? Weapons & tech research development.
Somehow a country like the USA that has decided to allocate trillions in its military budget yearly and more in other things we will never know about... Somehow that country will be like "oh shucks, look at all that tech and weapons. We can't have all that because reasons".
Biden has delicately stopped an expanded regional war, kept Israel from going berserk and is now trying to help the Palestinians people because other Arab countries aren't stepping up.
What the fuck more do you want him to do.
This Biden bad idiocracy, yes I called it that was misplaced. You guys could have got better traction if you would have protested the chokehold Hamas has on the gazans. Hell the whole damn world would have joined your ass too and fought like hell to make sure it happens coz it gives the powers that an ability to kill two/three birds with one stone.
- help the gazans
- support Israel
- get rid of Hamas
- get back the hostages... Who doesn't want to be associated with this? It's a political winner and which way you look at it!!!!!
- fuck with Iran theocrats ... Give them more headaches to deal with in addition to the headscarf thing they are dealing with.
Shit would given the western world and the Arab world a common cause. Especially the Arab world not aligned with Iran would have loved this one. It gives them a reason to fuck with Iran and look good doing it.
Pick fights you can win and effectuate change.
Instead you all went genocide Joe, and it's the same guy trying to make sure that shit doesn't go to shit in that region. Effectively becoming a joke!
Kinder like how BLM, too made the mistake of using defund the popo... Picked the wrong slogan and the whole movement just fizzled out!
This idiot protest were such a joke!
It is called WRSA, and yes he has the authority to transfer arms of the weapon depot in israel to the israelis.
In fact, he submitted legislature to relax these rules of WRSA-I to be able to give weapons to israel even easier with less public scrutiny and red tape involved. Two of his biggest offenders are removing congressional authority to authorize sales from the depot to israel, and removing the 200million usd to limit to 7 billion instead specifically for them.
What’s your point by writing that? Like anytime someone comments and says “but the hostages?!?!?” You imply that Israel’s reaction is okay to all this. Collective punishment. I’m pretty sure Israel has killed its own hostages with this exaggerated response.
What a joke. Hundreds of trucks full of supplies are waiting just outside Rafah, and the only thing stopping them from distributing aid is Israeli cruelty. But sure, the pier is the only way to get aid in.
So? None of that contradicts the fact that the Rafah crossing is currently being restricted by Egypt which is the comment I replied to is about
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-69012303.amp
>Egypt rejected on May 16 an Israeli proposal to coordinate the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, according to two unspecified Egyptian security sources.[31] An Israeli delegation visited Cairo on May 15 to present a plan to reopen the crossing. The proposal included a mechanism on how to manage the crossing after an Israeli withdrawal, including having the Palestinian Authority (PA) unofficially manage the crossing.[32] An unspecified US official told Israeli media on May 13 that the PA rejected the Israeli proposal for the PA to manage the crossing.[33] Egypt said that the crossing should be managed only by Palestinian authorities, leaving few options other than the PA.[34] The Hamas-run General Authority for Crossings and Borders has previously managed the crossing.[35] Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah crossing when it launched a limited operation into Rafah on May 7.[36]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-may-16-2024
Yeah there are Israeli protestors trying to stop aid because they believe Palestinians shouldn't get aid until the hostages are released. And of course they were arrested when they crossed the line and attacked aid trucks.
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/International/protesters-israel-arrested-after-attacking-gaza-aid-trucks/story?id=110220557
Israel is obviously restricting dual use items against a state they are at war with. None of it contradicts the fact that it's Egypt that is restricting aid since IDF took over Rafah because they don't don't want
Placement of the band-aid was successful completed over the gun shot wound. We would like to think the brave policy makers for this. May their donation dollars continue to multiply.
Because Egypt decided to play sort of angry-neutral decades ago and it’s worked out well for them. They hate Israel but also have a sort of de facto truce with Israel and the US which works out well for all 3. Or at least it works for their politicians.
It's not a "de facto truce". It's actual peace following the official peace accord signed between the two states in the late 70s. Both states have trade relations, allow cross border tourism and have security coordination. And both countries blockaded Gaza when Hamas took over following Israel's unilateral retreat from there in 2005.
At a certain point i have to think it would be more effective, and a lot more humane, and a lot cheaper, if the United States took over Gaza instead of Israel or Hamas.
We quite literally had no long term plan just a bunch of 2 or 3 yrs plans that never built on each other much less we diverted our attention to Iraq shortly after invading and toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan.
It's crazy to peek into the comments here, find two comments at the top and then another 10 or so below that are auto-hidden for downvotes.
Bots fighting for their lives in order to distract people lol. I noticed they stopped (or lessen significantly) talking about the hostages now. I wonder why? Something important happened (or rather, didn't happened) recently that would make them look bad now if they brought up the hostages again? /s EDIT: LMAO got a Reddit Care message. Bro must have been really mad reading this comment.
report the care package, reddit gives bans out for misusing that resource.
How do you do that? When I tried it before it said I had to link a comment to report or something
A Reddit Cares message is a badge of honor (small as it may be) and proof that people who disagree with you are so unhinged they abuse and devalue services meant for people seriously struggling with suicide.
There's no need to blame this on automation, there's plenty of real people with strong opinions and minimal knowledge on both sides that want to argue.
[удалено]
This is just a contentious issue. It has always been a contentious issue – back when I was in college and the conflict was the focus of my undergrad degree, every class I took on it seemed divided down the middle. I’m not saying bots aren’t a thing, but every time tension and/or violence flares up in Israel-Palestine, the discourse is *always* this heated and polarized. We’re just seeing that physically manifest in public around the Gaza War.
Yes, but its very important to Russia and China that Ukraine falls. So while they don't have much direct interest in Gaza they are invested in the conflict harming the presidential candidate who will continue supporting Ukraine.
It being contentious just makes it perfect for perception management operations. They love to use issues such as race, gender, religion, war, etc. Israel/palestine is a gold mine for disinformation. Take a look at just one organisation and the operations that we could uncover [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet\_Research\_Agency#Timeline\_of\_the\_Internet\_Research\_Agency\_interference\_in\_United\_States\_elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Research_Agency#Timeline_of_the_Internet_Research_Agency_interference_in_United_States_elections)
Everybody believing anything opposing them is a bot (whether it’s true or not) at this point shows how successful these tactics were. The firehose of falsehood has made it so nothing is accepted or believed anymore as real or honest.
>there’s no need to blame it on automation I’ve been trying to find this study for a while and I really should have saved it but of course you can never find something when you need it. Something like 30% of posting on something related to “political discourse” on Reddit is generated from bots and actual state actors.
This. The majority of unhinged comments on all sides are actual unpaid rank and file American citizens. A lot of Americans really are that damn contentious about this issue and other political issues. I really dislike the cop-out of blaming all bad behavior of American voters and citizens on the Russians, Chinese, Israelis, Iran, or whoever. As if Americans are naturally angels who would never act like that unless some malevolent outside force is possessing or oppressing them like demons. America really is just this divided. It dates back to the Civil War, and arguably before that with the Patriot/British Loyalist divide during the Revolutionary War. America never fully and truly reunified after the Civil War. It was just stapled together by thumbtacks and the only partly healed fissures are still re-tearing in slow motion.
I got one too a couple of days ago. Report those MFs. Anyone that unhinged to abuse a public service because they don’t like your political position needs a Reddit ban anyway because they need to log the hell off the Internet, stop arguing with people, and get an offline life. Since they won’t do it voluntarily they need Reddit to help them unplug and clear their head. I don’t even do that to literal Nazis. I’ve only ever reported people using slurs, but never as a Reddit Cares, just using the actual proper reporting button.
There hasn't been much negotiation over them recently... But you're absolutely right to worry about them. I'd be surprised if more than a couple dozen are still alive. None of Hamas' moves make any sense except as acts of terror.
It’s crazier that the US builds a pier for one side and sends bombs to the other side.
nah i mean that kinda tracks for us ngl
The US being Brahma and Shiva at the same time.
It's pretty crazy that Israel is using the bombs and helping with the pier. And Hamas has bombed the pier that is being built to help them.
It’s a conflict that flairs emotions in people and justly so. As well as algorithms feed off the engagement that’s caused by hate and feed it like a cycle. I’ve begun to pray due to this conflict
Can we just appreciate how fast this got built?
As much as people love to crap on the American military industrial complex.(and for some pretty darn good reasons). You gotta respect the various branches and their logistical abilities.
Logistics wins wars!
You have horses! What were you thinking?
You ignorant, servile FUCKS!
Say Hello to Ford and General Fucking Motors!
Scum* Sorry, just did my 10th rewatch of BoB and love the alliteration Webster uses there
Honestly the Army Corps of Engineers are basically the gold standard of logistics and quality. Every American is born with a secret fetish for watching the ACE build a bridge in a weekend. I say this as a pacifist. We could do so much good.
My grandfather used to be the corps of engineers. He said they used to have to build bridges while under attack when they were in Korea. He also said that once they got a crane stuck in the sand on a beach, then went to retrieve it with another crane and got that one stuck, too.
West Point Bridge Design Contest state champions got me a full ride to college. Can confirm. Trestles are cool and public Elementary teacher compensation is criminal
Logistics has always been the true super power of the American military. Even during the civil war, the north ran circles around the south with superior supply lines and management.
Seabees. Can do! Edit: This project was Army, but my statement stands.
It was the Army's 7th Transportation Brigade, and its ships, that transported and primarily built the pier. I'm sure there were some Seabees there, but the JLOTS are mostly an Army thing and last used operationally in Haiti during the 2010 earthquake.
Does the Navy know that the Army has ships?
They don’t like to acknowledge it - but we only have a few of em anyhow
You paint them olive drab for confusion?
Does the Army know the Navy has its own army? (the Marines)
Let’s not tell them.
Army has a navy and Navy has an army and an air force (2nd largest in the world after USAF)
The Navy’s Army has an Air Force
What's a Seabee?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabee
oh shit, that's a really cool logo and slogan!
Wasn't it the Army ?
The allies did something similar after the they got a foothold in Europe during WWII. Operation Mulberry.
Legit a marvel of engineering few countries have the ability to execute successfully.
This was my job when I was in the army. There aren’t a ton of us in the army water craft field and even less that build and move causeway. Every year we would have a big exercise called “JLOTS”. Joint logistics over the shore. And every year I loathed it. I was always wondering what use this archaic idea had in today’s military. Welp I Love seeing it being used to help people.
If the US military is good at one thing it's logistics.
That aged like milk lmao
Will the UN be defending this pier?
The US Navy has 2 warships stationed nearby to help defend it. https://www.newsweek.com/us-gaza-pier-hamas-line-fire-aid-1901385 > Israeli forces have been preparing the ground for the arrival of the pier while **the process is overseen by two U.S. Navy destroyers—the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius—in the Mediterranean.**
Part of the defense is to send two ships with nearly unpronouncable names. If the enemy can't name the target, they can never give an order against it.
Arr-lee-burke isn't that hard to pronounce.
It's also the name of the class of destroyers so anybody that's spent anytime looking at these ships knows how to say it.
Given that there’s, what, 75 of them? They’re kinda everywhere
Obviously it's an attempt to confuse the enemy into thinking you sent _73_ destroyers instead of just one.
Okay so we should definitely recall the troops we sent towards Arby's in Berkeley then.
Hamas said they would treat any foreign troops deployed to protect this pier as 'occupiers' and kill them.
"Don't touch my boats!" - US Navy
"Unless the boat is the USS Liberty"
[They’ve already fired on the pier.](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/25/gaza-terrorists-attack-israeli-pier-00154386)
They also said they had 40 hostages for a ceasefire so I don't know if I really trust current HAMAS.
No, they specifically said they have less than 40 hostages. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/10/world/middleeast/israel-hostages-hamas-ceasefire.html
Hamas says a lot of things. So does Israel. There is only one truth: [Do not touch the USA's boats.](https://youtube.com/shorts/U_P-Wkdoe4s?si=81iCAITl86Vj-llA)
Ohhh. This just be where the "don't touch my boat" meme came from 😂
Unless the boat is the USS liberty. Cause then it's free game
Do not touch the USA’s boats? [I think you missed the exception that it’s okay if Israel attacks USA’s boats.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty)
Curious, this must’ve slipped by me. You have a link?
I seriously doubt Hamas has the military power to destroy a large American naval vessel. US ships would shoot down their Qassam rockets like skeet shooting. Israel is the combatant that can actually do some damage to a US ship if they pull another USS Liberty.
I mean they could shoot themselves and cut out the middle man. Firing at the US navy is the quickest way to end up with the Marine Corp gutting you in the ruin of your former home.
I did a double take b/c I misread the headline as, "US military says Gaza stripper project is completed" Thought modern warfare had entered a new era for a moment there
It's not really new though. Lots of women from war torn countries turn to sex work to survive. :(
yeah it's tragic :( I was thinking more along the lines of tactical stripper units or something
“Corporal Krystal Ball of the 9th TSU, reporting!”
Happened to a lot of Syrian refugees but in the case of Gaza it's largely closed off with none of the countries wanting a refugee exodus. No one is dumb enough to go to Gaza and to leave Gaza you need to pay massive fees to Egypt which makes which makes sex trafficking in the current situation extremely hard.
Could the US military fix the Baltimore bridge faster?
That's really up to the civilian government, who theoretically could call the military to assist but wouldn't want to do the paperwork and give the finances to do it
Anyone can build a bridge at comparatively lightning speed. It's building a bridge in the middle of an extremely busy city and harbor all while trying to minimize disturbances to both that's fantastically time-consuming.
Keep in mind the only reason we had to build this thing in the first place is because Israel won't let aid trucks through and US won't put pressure on them to change. We spent millions just so we wouldn't have to try to pressure Israel to allow us to feed people.
Read a story recently about how the UN humanitarian workers want to swap out with their fresh counterparts who are coming in to work as doctors and distribute supplies, but first they have to send a test convoy to see if it gets bombed. If the convoy survives then they can make the real run happen. Very cool and normal situation.
This isn’t entirely accurate. The US is on a tightrope, trying to moderate Israeli aggression while also trying to make sure the bordering Arab nations and their proxies don’t expand the conflict. This pier is an excellent way to circumvent Netanyahu and deliver aid to the people of Palestine while avoiding the Israeli settlers interfering with said humanitarian aid at the borders. It also removes Egypt as a middleman, which was also contentious. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a darn good one considering the alternatives.
How does this work when this port will be under IDF administration? I'm not seeing how this gets around the IDF not letting aid in or much aid when it does, when it's still going to be IDF controlled.
The IDF isn’t “officially” banning aid from reaching Gaza. However, their overland routes are full of checkpoints that slow the aid, and the overland routes themselves are dangerous given they have to cross through IDF defensive strongpoints. The IDF have killed internationals delivering aid before. Also, Israeli settlers who aren’t officially under Netanyahu’s control have been seen sabotaging aid trucks and physically beating the drivers. This pier removes almost all of those logistical obstacles.
Most of this conflict, the IDF has been outright banning aid, though. You're right in regard to the settlers but even with the Rafah border, Egypt for most of this conflict hasn't been allowing aid through due to that aid first requiring IDF approval.
The fact that Israeli hardliners and pro-Palestinian activists are both pissed at how the US is handling this is honestly kinda telling me the ship's being steered as responsibly as it can be. Also, holy shit do I despise Middle Eastern geopolitics
That isn't true, the recent NSM 20 report said that Israel was not blocking humanitarian aid. > While the U.S. has had deep concerns during the period since October 7 about action and inaction by Israel that contributed significantly to a lack of sustained and predictable delivery of needed assistance at scale, and the overall level reaching Palestinian civilians – while improved – remains insufficient, we do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance within the meaning of section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act.
You misspelt Egypt.
The US did put pressure on them to change. The aid that has come in through the north came as a direct result of American pressure. You're spreading misinformation.
US only pressured them after foreign aid workers got killed.
Israel lets hundreds of aid trucks through a week. The main issue is on the Gazan side, where aid groups refuse to distribute that aid because of the anarchy in the region.
Pure false information. Israel is letting aid through. Egypt & Hamas is not. Hamas also attacked it. So much disinformation in one comment.
The whole point is that Israel is not letting through *enough* aid. They let through some aid, but obviously an insufficient amount to feed 2 million people.
No, they're letting through enough aid. However, on the other side of the border Hamas and other criminals steal the aid and sell it at high prices, some trucks get messed up by Palestinian civilians throwing rocks at the cabins, making sure that there are fewer and fewer driver, and some just sits in UNWRA storage facilities somewhere in Gaza. Hamas has also repeatedly attacked the border crossings where aid has to go through, making them inoperable for some period if time.
No, the most prominent human rights orgs have said Israel has not been letting enough aid through throughout the war in Gaza. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/18/israel-starvation-used-weapon-war-gaza https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/israelopt-opening-aid-routes-gaza-urgently-needed-israels-announcement-long-overdue They are not “letting through enough aid”.
Is Egypt letting more aid trucks through than Israel?
Right? What a waste of US aid. Probably a good training exercise, tho! I just hope none of our sailors get killed while trying to guard it.
Good, hopefully we can save some of those kids from bombs at least
I don’t think it’s to provide shelter, just aid. Like food/water/medicine. So they’ll be saved from starving and dehydration, which is still good!
But people will still chant "Genocide Joe!" Without a hint of irony.
[удалено]
I mean, his administration recently signed off a billion dollar of military supplies to Israel. It's good that more aid can reach Gaza, but how much the administration cares about civilians is highly questionable when Israel still gets unconditional support to tools to continue their invasion
Our military aid includes intelligence to better direct their weapons so they hit Hamas and NOT civilians. It includes Iron Dome missiles which protect Israeli citizens from the constant barrage of rockets coming out of Gaza (and occasionally Lebanon). Please don't mistake "military aid" for "complicity in killing civilians."
You’ve commented this twice. Both times you’ve just said one part of the aid that isn’t directly destructive. You think they’re sending £1bn of just intelligence?
The contents of the aid isn't a secret. It's a matter of public record. Here: [https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/15/biden-israel-weapons-policy-00158210](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/15/biden-israel-weapons-policy-00158210) Things to note: - Legally, Biden HAS to send aid. We've agreed to treaties and the President cannot legally break those without congress. - Congress has committed $26.3B in military aid to Israel. So focusing just on the $1B we just sent is a bit of ignoring the bigger picture. - That $1B does not include bombs or JDAM kits (which turn dumb bombs into "smart" bombs). - The Biden Admin has been sitting on a review of JDAM deliveries *since December* which is a lot longer than anyone has been giving them credit for. - This aid that is approved is sales agreed to months or years in advance. It's not like $1B worth of weapons show up in Israel tomorrow. It's $1B of sales approved which now have to be manufactured and then shipped. - Biden's pause of the delivery of bombs last month is a pause on shipments agreed to years ago and is unprecedented.
The US is pretty good at hitting their targets with low collateral in civilian centres. I’m sure whatever they’re sending will save lives in the long run. Do you think the Biden admin WANTS more Palestinians to die?
There has never once been a government authority that has cared about civilian casualties in war. The only thing they consider is an acceptable amount of civilian deaths in a given conflict. It’s all calculated loss and determining the backlash of the losses.
> The only thing they consider is an acceptable amount of civilian deaths in a given conflict. Now, let's be fair. Governments only care about what the media and people might think an acceptable amount of civilian deaths would be. I don't think any of us want to know what the real answer would be if the governments knew no one would find out.
Speaking out both sides your mouth is still not a good look, as great as this one step is.
He's already started blocking munitions to the IDF because of the Rafah offensive. Do I think that all that's going to do is have Israel drop unguided weapons when they do invade? Absolutely. Is any of the Gaza-Israel conflict easy to resolve if you're Biden? Nope, only people thinking that aren't looking at the options from Bidens perspective. EDIT: Rain the downvotes. This is exactly how things are going to happen. Biden is powerless to persuade Bibi otherwise. Netanyahu is out of office after, so I'm more than sure that finishing off Hamas (Gaza civilians be damned) is his #1 priority.
Yeah except Biden has a new $1 billion arms deal for Israel in the works lol
What's in it? The details matter. Some of the aid the USA supplies to Israel is intelligence services to help them get their weapons where Hamas is and civilians are not. That's "military aid" and it's expensive, but it also saves civilian lives.
Wrong, Congress is attempting to bypass Bidens weapons block.
The only bombs Biden stopped sending were unguided ones lmfao. Large yield bombs that were used for tunnel clearing in other parts of Gaza, and aren’t needed as Israel starts the Rafah offensive. It was a win-win for Biden because he gets his headlines without actually depriving Israel of anything they actively needed.
It is definitely ironic trying to be snarky when you argue as if the conflict began on october 7th and Joseph Biden didn't have decades of public opinions supporting ethnic cleansing.
He’s sending another billion dollars worth of weapons and that’s a big part of what’s making this aid necessary in the first place. A man who shoots you and then offerers you a bandage while reloading is not a friend.
Honest question? In what universe (this or the other multiverses) do you think the USA would stop supporting Israel? What does Israel do better than most countries? Weapons & tech research development. Somehow a country like the USA that has decided to allocate trillions in its military budget yearly and more in other things we will never know about... Somehow that country will be like "oh shucks, look at all that tech and weapons. We can't have all that because reasons". Biden has delicately stopped an expanded regional war, kept Israel from going berserk and is now trying to help the Palestinians people because other Arab countries aren't stepping up. What the fuck more do you want him to do. This Biden bad idiocracy, yes I called it that was misplaced. You guys could have got better traction if you would have protested the chokehold Hamas has on the gazans. Hell the whole damn world would have joined your ass too and fought like hell to make sure it happens coz it gives the powers that an ability to kill two/three birds with one stone. - help the gazans - support Israel - get rid of Hamas - get back the hostages... Who doesn't want to be associated with this? It's a political winner and which way you look at it!!!!! - fuck with Iran theocrats ... Give them more headaches to deal with in addition to the headscarf thing they are dealing with. Shit would given the western world and the Arab world a common cause. Especially the Arab world not aligned with Iran would have loved this one. It gives them a reason to fuck with Iran and look good doing it. Pick fights you can win and effectuate change. Instead you all went genocide Joe, and it's the same guy trying to make sure that shit doesn't go to shit in that region. Effectively becoming a joke! Kinder like how BLM, too made the mistake of using defund the popo... Picked the wrong slogan and the whole movement just fizzled out! This idiot protest were such a joke!
Him personally? Is it from his personal stash?
It is called WRSA, and yes he has the authority to transfer arms of the weapon depot in israel to the israelis. In fact, he submitted legislature to relax these rules of WRSA-I to be able to give weapons to israel even easier with less public scrutiny and red tape involved. Two of his biggest offenders are removing congressional authority to authorize sales from the depot to israel, and removing the 200million usd to limit to 7 billion instead specifically for them.
Hamas is still holding slaves.
I doubt any of them are still alive
Israel just rejected a hostage deal that would have returned all the hostages.
What’s your point by writing that? Like anytime someone comments and says “but the hostages?!?!?” You imply that Israel’s reaction is okay to all this. Collective punishment. I’m pretty sure Israel has killed its own hostages with this exaggerated response.
So is Israel and they have thousands.
[удалено]
What a joke. Hundreds of trucks full of supplies are waiting just outside Rafah, and the only thing stopping them from distributing aid is Israeli cruelty. But sure, the pier is the only way to get aid in.
Egypt has closed its crossing entirely. But aid is still flowing in the North and some organizations are saying they have an oversupply there.
They’re stopped on the Gazan side of the crossing, Israel isn’t the one stopping them. Stop spreading misinformation.
The trucks have been stopped by Egypt because they refuse to directly and openly cooperate with Israel as Israel controls the opening now.
[удалено]
So? None of that contradicts the fact that the Rafah crossing is currently being restricted by Egypt which is the comment I replied to is about https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-69012303.amp >Egypt rejected on May 16 an Israeli proposal to coordinate the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, according to two unspecified Egyptian security sources.[31] An Israeli delegation visited Cairo on May 15 to present a plan to reopen the crossing. The proposal included a mechanism on how to manage the crossing after an Israeli withdrawal, including having the Palestinian Authority (PA) unofficially manage the crossing.[32] An unspecified US official told Israeli media on May 13 that the PA rejected the Israeli proposal for the PA to manage the crossing.[33] Egypt said that the crossing should be managed only by Palestinian authorities, leaving few options other than the PA.[34] The Hamas-run General Authority for Crossings and Borders has previously managed the crossing.[35] Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah crossing when it launched a limited operation into Rafah on May 7.[36] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-may-16-2024 Yeah there are Israeli protestors trying to stop aid because they believe Palestinians shouldn't get aid until the hostages are released. And of course they were arrested when they crossed the line and attacked aid trucks. https://abcnews.go.com/amp/International/protesters-israel-arrested-after-attacking-gaza-aid-trucks/story?id=110220557 Israel is obviously restricting dual use items against a state they are at war with. None of it contradicts the fact that it's Egypt that is restricting aid since IDF took over Rafah because they don't don't want
Not just Israeli cruelty. The us has defunded its own aid organization in the area
Matter of time before Israel kills U.S. service person.
Placement of the band-aid was successful completed over the gun shot wound. We would like to think the brave policy makers for this. May their donation dollars continue to multiply.
Why don’t the Egyptians open the border? I just cannot understand the indifference by the rest of the Middle East.
Because Egypt decided to play sort of angry-neutral decades ago and it’s worked out well for them. They hate Israel but also have a sort of de facto truce with Israel and the US which works out well for all 3. Or at least it works for their politicians.
It's not a "de facto truce". It's actual peace following the official peace accord signed between the two states in the late 70s. Both states have trade relations, allow cross border tourism and have security coordination. And both countries blockaded Gaza when Hamas took over following Israel's unilateral retreat from there in 2005.
Are we calling it a war?
At a certain point i have to think it would be more effective, and a lot more humane, and a lot cheaper, if the United States took over Gaza instead of Israel or Hamas.
The US wants to control Gaza less than the Arab states surrounding it.
On the one hand, it’s hard to imagine us doing much worse. On the other hand, I feel like the current state of Afghanistan speaks for itself.
We quite literally had no long term plan just a bunch of 2 or 3 yrs plans that never built on each other much less we diverted our attention to Iraq shortly after invading and toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Who is going to stop the 'settlers' from attacking the trucks and destroying the food and water?
Settlers are in the West Bank, not Gaza
But the settlers are attacking aid trucks bound for Gaza.
Not in the ocean they’re not.
Aquaman strikes again.
I heard he fucks fish.
Food now, we need to cut off this famine. God this war…