UK suspends free trade talks with Israel and announces sanctions over West Bank settlers

what was most insulting was his posturing on trans issues

He made that pretty clear in the run up to the election really, commit to nothing and do nothing just deliver soundbites. All he ever cared about was being in government, he had no reason to be doing it other than the power itself.

He is a politician after all

“what about the Soviet Union?” Is not an argument or really related to anything we were discussing

We're discussing a war where both parties were heavily supported by the two opposing major powers of the Cold War. I understand that you see it as a sign of defeat that Israel was supported by the US yet don't see a problem with the Arab side being supported by the SU? How is the help from the US to Israel a sign of weakness, but the help from the SU to the Arabs not?

>I trust the primary sources on Wikipedia more than an op-ed in the New York times.

The primary source for this version is Hersh's 'The Samson Option: Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy.' from 1991. Yet, a video interview released to the public in 2013 with Arnan Azaryahu, advisor to minister Galili close to Meir, disputed these claims and instead said that Meir opposed Dayan's pressure to arm them. Now, I can't tell which one the versions is the factual truth but my point is that neither can you.

e: link to the interview

"what about the Soviet Union?" Is not an argument or really related to anything we were discussing and I trust the primary sources on Wikipedia more than an op-ed in the New York times.

Maybe you can get Wikipedia edited to be more accurate in your mind, but you aren't going to do it with the that op-ed.

Yes, they lost the Yom Kippur war. The United States bailed them out calling it operation nickel grass. They replaced and upgraded their Air Force and provided massive amounts of support, equipment, and ammunition.

You do realise who in turn supported the Arab side? Welcome to the Cold War, where both Soviets and Americans supported 'their' side in whatever proxy war there was on the planet. As in Operation Nickel Grass, there was a Soviet airlift providing arms to both Syria and Egypt.

>I'm not sure what’s unclear to you on the second point. She did arm the nuclear weapons.

The point is that she apparently did not. I know about the rumours concerning Operation Samson during the Yom Kippur War, but the whole situation isn't as clear cut as your description make it seem.

Yes, they lost the Yom Kippur war. The United States bailed them out calling it operation nickel grass. They replaced and upgraded their Air Force and provided massive amounts of support, equipment, and ammunition. That was a direct response to Israel signaling that they were going to start nuking people.

I'm not sure what's unclear to you on the second point. She did arm the nuclear weapons. Someone who was not in charge of the nuclear weapons not wanting to doesn't muddy the point at all in my mind.

When they lost the Yom Kippur war they got ready to start nuking everyone

They lost the Yom Kippur war? The war didn't end with the three days of Egyptian and Syrian offensives, but does also include the subsequent successful counter attack by Israel. Historians argue whether it should be considered an Israel victory or a military stalemate, when the conflict was ended after almost three weeks.

When looking up Operation Samson, I read that despite pressure from her generals, Meir declined to arm nuclear weapons, so again not as clear as you make it seem.

They're not trying to shoot themselves in the foot. They just have been able to get away with this same stuff for decades, so why not continue?

They don't need real support or care what the public thinks. When they lost the Yom Kippur war they got ready to start nuking everyone, which resulted in Nixon, replacing their military and upgrading their hardware and flying support missions to bail them out.

They are literal nuclear terrorists. Look up the Samson option if you want to read more.

it was said to be around half a mil people, I can tell for sure it was at least a continuous line of people from 10 downing street to Charing cross station and extending beyond.

All the fascists are fated to piss off other fascists 🌈

Duterte is only in the Hague because he pissed off the equally insufferable fascist Bong Bong Marcos.

Israeli diplomacy on this issue has been virtually non-existent. It really cannot be reiterated how badly the Israeli state department has bungled international relations, given that they had an open hand at genocide as recently as a month ago.

It’s genuinely incredible to see how **openly** evil the Likud/Khanist extremists in charge have acted, and how reflexive and hollow the counter-messaging has become from Netanyahu

Yair Golan, the leader of the opposition Democrats who served as deputy chief of staff for Israel's military before entering politics, said that after an unjustifiably brutal campaign, much of the damage [to Israel’s reputation] had already been done. "_A sane country doesn't engage in fighting against civilians, doesn’t kill babies as a hobby and doesn't set the expulsion of a population as a goal,_" he said.

>

>Netanyahu attacked Golan's comments as "_contemptible antisemitic blood libels against IDF soldiers and the state of Israel_", but Golan later doubled down on his position in a press conference.

Duterte's at the Hague right now, maybe him and Bibi can share a cell

But what the fuck, I’ll take it.

Israeli diplomacy on this issue has been virtually non-existent. It really cannot be reiterated how badly the Israeli state department has bungled international relations, given that they had an open hand at genocide as recently as a month ago.

I'm not willing to take Starmer's response at face value, because I haven't seen exactly what caused the heel-turn. The New Labour government loves to give passionate speeches and then reneg on their pledges weeks later. But I can see the UK caving to pressure from other Middle Eastern and European allied states, particularly if the ongoing genocide - and the Yemeni reprisal around the Suez - is seen as an economic issue rather than a humanitarian one.

Now see if you can snatch Netanyahu and put him in The Hague where he belongs.

Consider the fate of Fulgencio Batista, Fransisco Franco, and Augusto Pinochet. Consider the fate of Idi Amin and Mohammad Reza Shah and Oliver Tambo and Robert Mugabe. Even when your country disintegrates under your feet, the elites never seem to suffer any serious undo consequences.

The absolute best thing we can hope for with regard to Netanyahu is that a more zealous member of his coalition decides to do an officer's coup and paint the PM's office with Bibi's brain matter. But no civil justice system will ever touch the man. If he leaves office, he'll spend the rest of his life in high luxury, floating through the western Zionist cocktail circuit in the Commemorative Henry Kissinger Seat Of Honor.

So far it's only talkie-talkie and it's just "suspending" something and using a similar gambit as the Biden administration did to do nothing - "we will sanction settlers" - that in the US turned out to be something like forbidding 5 people from entering the US or having bank accounts on the US.

Even in the "talk about it stage" they're sticking to pretty much mild finger wagging in a form that can easily be walked back once public opinion has been calmed by this "actions". This is **the** most common strategy that New Labour types employ to manipulate public opinion without actually doing anything.

Keir Starmer is such a slimy, deceitful, untrustworthy sociopath that if he says "The sky is blue" one should do a proper "what's in it for him to convince me of this" mental analysis and come out and check that it is indeed still so.

In this specific subject, it's pretty obvious that this "mere talk of doing a mix of easily reversible and meaningless things" is a reaction to the 600k people coming out to demonstrate on something which isn't a subject that directly affects them.

You can start trusting that he's genuine when he actually stops weapons shipments to Israel and sanction the actual country. Until then it's just the usual "announce some meaningless bollocks to calm the restless plebes".

Little late guys

But what the fuck, I’ll take it. Now see if you can snatch Netanyahu and put him in The Hague where he belongs. *That* would be a solid start.

The people of Palestine have a right to armed resistance against those who would exterminate them.

It’s insane the lengths the current Israeli government has been going to to shoot itself in the foot. If you are going to commit war crimes as a matter of state policy and want to keep the support of your closest allies at least try not to brag about it on live TV every other day.

Finally some good news!

Careful there keir, this is the exact kind of "anti-semitism" that ya'll kicked Jeremy Corbyn out of the party for.

keir starmer has like no solid stances I swear he's switching up on them every week

Go UK! 👍 😀

Keep hitting the streets London! Can’t help but think this is partly due to the absolutely massive protest near Starmer’s residence over the weekend.

I hope the west will continue with action against Israel over gaza AND the west bank. The genocide of Palestinians goes beyond the gaza strip area.

They finally realise that supporting a genocide might land them in the hague for crimes against humanity. It might, it certainly should but I fear that today the rich and powerful are beyond the reach of the law.