President Biden Can Stop Gaza Bloodshed Any Time He Wants

Because Israel is a Client State

President Biden can stop the bloodshed in Gaza anytime he wants because Israel is a client state.

Israel is not a US ally, though you will frequently hear our political class call it one. Senators, congressmen, and presidents commonly refer to Israel as our "greatest" or even "most important" ally. Yet there are no treaties to that effect. The US is obligated to defend any nation in NATO, Australia and New Zealand, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, among others... and those countries, in turn, are obligated to come to our defense as well. If the US were to be attacked, Israel would be under no obligation to help. That's what an ally does.

Allies do not typically attack American naval ships like the USS Liberty, something that happened during the Six-Day War in 1967... but hey, what are the lives of 34 American servicemembers between friends?

Israel is not an ally, it is a client state.

What is a client state? A client state is any country that is controlled or influenced by another larger, more powerful nation or depends on a larger, more powerful nation for support and protection. Client states can also be referred to as satellite, vassal, or puppet states. Any nation that has a strong affiliation or reliance on another country is a client state. Israel is a client state of the US.

This is not even controversial. The Israeli press refers to its status as a client state openly. Anyone who pays attention to international affairs knows this.

And don't try to come at me in the comments with "more like the US is a client state of Israel heheheheh." Get out of here with that garbage. The adults are talking.

How do we know that Israel is a client state?

Aid spending is one big clue. The US has spent more than $63 billion of American taxpayer money in "security assistance" for Israel in the last 20 or so years. The US gives more military funding to Israel than all other countries combined, with massive bipartisan support.

When you call something foreign aid it conjures images of humanitarian relief. The money spent on Israeli security is not that. It's more like an IOU that says "Good for $3.6 billion in arms from US companies." That money is not to be spent on French Mirages, or, heaven forbid, Russian MiGs. That money is channeled directly to the best, most expensive, high-profit margin all-American military hardware. The US was willing to sell its top-of-the-line F-35 joint strike fighter to Israel before any other countries could get in on it.

So it's not like there's nothing in it for the US. Aid money for Israel is US taxpayer money that Israel immediately gives to US weapons manufacturers to prop up stock prices and dividends. Like a boomerang! In that sense, Israel is both a client state and a client of the military-industrial complex. Except we're the ones footing the bill. That's one reason why there is so much bipartisan support for Israel - it keeps stockholders happy. All the usual players including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon (now RTX), Boeing, Colt, General Dynamics, are making money off the Gaza attack.

As Noam Chomsky points out, the military and economic aid given to Israel is technically illegal - not that that's ever stopped the US from doing anything, ever. The UN Charter prohibits "the threat or use of force" in international affairs - the US breaks that law all the time, the same as Israel. There's also the 1977 Leahy Law which outlaws "the US Government from using funds for assistance to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information implicating that unit in the commission of gross violations of human rights." That's never been enforced against Israel. According to Palestinian think tank Al-Shabaka, "Israel is the only country in the world for which the US does not track which weapons go to which military unit, making it virtually impossible to enforce the Leahy Law."

Besides aid, what are some other clues about Israel's client state status? Well, within hours of the October 7 attack by Hamas, two US aircraft carriers were dispatched into the region to protect Israel. That's more than a dozen warships at least in those two carrier strike groups. Three more Marine warships were also brought in, as well as scores of aircraft, ready to launch on a moment's notice. This was to discourage Hezbollah or Iran from getting itchy trigger fingers as Israel's attack on Gaza got underway. If the US wasn't there to back Israel up, every country in the Middle East would certainly like to take turns doing to Israel what Israel is doing to Gaza.

Another way you can tell Israel is not the one wearing the pants in this relationship? The Israeli Prime Minister doesn't get to weigh in on US military strategy. However, on October 8, 2023, President Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had a powwow with Israel's war cabinet. The US does not have foreign heads of state dictate to our joint chiefs. Israel does. The White House put out a press release about it and everything. This dynamic has been described as "humiliating" for Israel.

On November 30th, the US Secretary of State told Israel's war cabinet that it "probably doesn't have months to wage war against Hamas in Gaza" because of domestic and international pressure on Joe Biden's administration. Blinken said the quiet part out loud.

The quiet part is that Joe Biden can stop the bloodshed in Gaza any time he wants. When you have a client state that depends on the United States for protection and security, they have to listen to you. I realize that I am simplifying a bit and that Benjamin Netanyahu has felt emboldened to disregard what US presidents say from time to time. But when it comes to funding, where the rubber meets the road, Israel has to listen. If that $3 billion-plus for the Israeli military came under threat - Netanyahu would listen. If Biden should threaten to move those carrier strike groups someplace else, Bibi would listen. There is no question about whether the US has the power to make the call about ending this particular attack on Palestinian civilians.

So we can only conclude that Joe Biden doesn't care how many Palestinians die... close to 20,000 at this point... roughly 12,000 of them women and children. There are other priorities. War is expensive business! And cousin, business is a-booming. Literally.

If you have a problem with that... there is no place in the American two-party system for you to go. And if you hate what Joe Biden is doing... Israel likes Donald Trump even more.

It sure would be nice if we had an alternative to the major parties willing to put the needs of human beings before corporate profits. But you won't find that in the American two-party system. Genocide Joe and Donald the Dictator. Those are your only options... unless you vote against them in the primary... which is still possible to do... unless you're a Florida Democrat!

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Let's make them pay.