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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced Thursday that an unconditional humanitarian cease-fire will begin at 8 a.m. local time in Gaza. It will last for a period of 72 hours unless extended, they said in a joint statement. During this time the forces on the ground will remain in place. |
Frankly if I was left alone in a room with John Kerry I'd be mighty tempted to beat him to death with my bare hands.
Regardless, If one holds the position that Israel should mercilessly eradicate Hamas once and for all (even in the face of American pleas for a cease fire), fine. On some level I agree. But the suggestion that America is selling out Israel (or has ever, or will ever) is complete crap. Our mouth is so full of their jizz that it could fill the Dead Sea. Good thing pineapples are kosher.
When I heard Kerry on that hot mike, it made sense. The sarcastic 'that's some pin point accuracy' was bad enough. But the 'We've got to get over there' as if he and only he could 'fix this' just shows his supreme arrogance. Israelis are fed up with it.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/caroline-glick/israel-hamas-and-obamas-foreign-policy/
From above:
"Until Obama made the call, there was lingering doubt among some Israelis regarding his intentions. Some thought that US Secretary of State John Kerry might have been acting of his own accord last Friday night when he tried to force Israel to accept Hamas’s cease-fire terms.
But then Obama made his phone call. And all doubts were dispelled.
Kerry is just a loyal steward of Obama’s foreign policy.
Obama is siding with Hamas, and its Muslim Brotherhood patrons in Qatar and Turkey, against Israel, and its Sunni Arab supporters – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates."
.........................................................
The Israelis are not appreciative of Obama's latest demands
"Speaking to Israel’s Army Radio, Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel criticized Obama telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there should be an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
“Leave us alone,” Ariel told Army Radio, directing his words at Obama. “Go focus on Syria.”
Read more at http://girlsjustwannahaveguns.com/2014/07/take-hike-israeli-official-obama-leave-us-alone/#5HJ126zlaV3YWAcQ.99
Palestinian Authority officials were irate late week upon learning Kerry had adopted nearly all of Hamas’s positions in his most recent ceasefire proposal. Asharq Al-Awsat, a Palestinian daily published in Ramallah, quoted an unnamed but reportedly senior PA official as saying, "Kerry tried to sabotage the PA by ignoring the Egyptian cease fire plan that we [Palestinian Authority] and Israel had already both accepted.”
The Palestinian official went on to claim that the Kerry plan “repeatedly demonstrates a complete and fundamental misunderstanding of the Middle East.” “Kerry’s plan," he said, was written to “appease Hamas and its allies, Qatar and Turkey.” He didn’t even have the “decency to inform relevant officials in Cairo, Ramallah or Israel."
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/07/28/Leave-Us-Alone-Already-Israeli-Leader-Tells-Obama
BLUCHER!!
Quote:
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Whats is breitbart?
You posted a link to an article from Breitbart. No wonder you're confused by Rob's statement...
Could not agree more and i would add the following:
"Defending his team, and/or using a situation to try to create a BS point for his team based on one sides political talking points."
montanagiant : 6:02 pm : link : reply
The fact that it was this Admin who requested and funded the majority of the "Iron Dome" defense system Israel has?
Won't post all the resources used below but all were found simply by googling various questions.
1) Overall the US funds roughly 22% of Israel's total military defense budget. (Hardly majority funding.)
2) Apparently Israel itself funded 100% of the initial development and deployment of the 1st two Iron Dome batteries, with all of that funding (or at least the vast majority of it) going to Israeli tech firms who developed the tracking capacity and well everything else involved in the system until it was actually deployed and proved effective, from Wikipedia with footnote source annotation:
Your "...this administration... funded the majority of the Iron Dome System...." includes ZERO of the start-up and development cost.
Going forward from now until 2017, the US has committed to spend something like $900 million on the Iron Dome, but it's hardly a pure handout via at least 2 accounts:
1st the US has demanded that Israel share the technology (100% Israeli developed proprietary technology, to repeat) with the US. That's at least partly paying for proprietary technology, not a "funding handout."
2nd whereas something like 3% of the total expenditure for the Iron Dome up until 2011 or 2012 or so was paid to US contractors, Obama (following Congress's demands) is demanding that ultimately 55% of the US funds that in the future will support the Iron Dome be paid to US based contractors. That's as much propping up the US defense sector economy as it is a flat handout to Israel's Iron Dome...
3rd the most recent wave of funding is dedicated to replenishing Israel's stock of Iron Dome missiles, each one of which costs something between $60,000 to $100,000 depending on the source you believe.
- Funding the re-supply of Tamir interceptor missiles, is kinda like bribing Israel to accept US policy decisions re ceasefires, etc.
3) Regarding expenditures to date re the Iron Dome, The Jewish Virtual Library has this info:
I did not find a date on the above quoted articles, but "has now paid" must be after May 28th 2014 because a Bloomsburg Businessweek article of that date is referenced as a source for the above info.
More links:
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20120430/DEFREG04/304300003/U-S-Attaches-Strings-Israeli-Iron-Dome-Funds
http://aviationweek.com/defense/iron-dome-repels-hamas-rockets
Contra-Israel POV FYI: http://thebulletin.org/israel%E2%80%99s-iron-dome-misplaced-debate7349
wikipedia - ( New Window )
We understand how personal this conflict is for you, and we all hope for your and your loved ones' safety. However, your continued sense of entitlement regarding the role of the United States in defense of Israel in your posts along with your criticism of how the United States is either not doing enough or how the United States had little to do with Israel's security is becoming old real fast.
You can hope for security without continuing to bite the hand that has been most responsible for your nation's security.
If we were smart, and we haven't been, we'd just shut up and let Israel take care of Hamas. All these ridiculous cease fires do is let Hamas off the hook and reload for the next round. And then we have to pay to fix up the Palestinians and give more money to Israel to defend itself against the new rockets that Hamas get. It's insane.
I don't think we have that much of a moral high ground when it comes to telling Israel to do a ceasefire with Hamas. We wouldn't in their situation.
The sense of entitlement get a bit much, in my opinion.
You, and one or two others here mentioned a "sense of entitlement" in my posts, and frankly I don't get why. Above I am responding to montanagiant's completely unsupported post that "the US funded the majority of the Iron Dome." I googled and then read most of 5 articles about the funding of the Iron Dome, and nowhere did I see that observation so I posted some of the stuff I did find.
Instead of bitching about my tone, why don't you find evidence to support montanagiant's claim?
Yes, the US has agreed to fund the lion's share of the Iron Dome costs going forward, the vast majority of which is resupply of the Tamirs that have been used and adding additional batteries of the weapon. That's promised future spending, not what has already been spent which was what montana stated...
Oh BTW I do have a kinda "sense of entitlement" that dates back to how the entire world handled WWII and Hitler's holocaust mission. But I hardly think that's entering my post above, or any previous post on the current situation.
BTW, how much does the US prop up South Korea's military? I have no idea what the US spends at the minimum to keep troops stationed there and couldn't easily find the data.
And the US plans to sell 100 F-35s to Turkey, and has agreed to sell 20 to Israel. I'm leery of that, and where O'Bama is going vis a vis trusting Turkey and Qatar as US allies. That doesn't bother you?
Turkey will be a very interesting country to follow going forward under Erdogan, the guy makes me very nervous and has been a pretty big human rights violator regarding his opposition.
And then the whole recent ceasefire(s) have been a disaster, from leaving out the PA/Egypt and just expecting Israel to go along with whatever Hamas/Turkey/Qatar demanded. And now forcing Israel into a ceasefire only to have it backfire when a soldier is kidnapped.
Don't think the US needs to back Israel unconditionally but they are trying some form of tough live which won't working
I have recently been very critical of Kerry's "efforts" and Obama's latest stance, but I sure as heck aren't the only guy on BBI that thinks Kerry is a dufus, at least in this instance.
And Obama might me one had giveth and the other takes away by association with Turkey and Qatar... Turkey is an Israeli "ally" but a rather uncomfortable one under Erdogan.
In the end, unless it's to the benefit of the US national security interests, I don't think the US owes Israel anything beyond what a normal alliance would provide, so yes, I think your sense of entitlement (as you said, I'm not the only one who got the impression reading your litany of threads/posts on this topic in the past few months) is apparent and getting old.
And I'm not really sure why you're bringing up S. Korea as a counterpoint. I don't see anyone on here whining about how the US isn't doing enough or has done a bad job for S. Korea or the situation on the peninsula. Only one whining about the US not doing enough for their nation is you.
And I wonder if montana remembers that the Iron Dome is based on SDI, which was Reagan's initiative that was ridiculed by the Dems and called Star Wars.
And yes, Kerry is a dufus.
And I wonder if montana remembers that the Iron Dome is based on SDI, which was Reagan's initiative that was ridiculed by the Dems and called Star Wars.
And yes, Kerry is a dufus.
Who's been condemning Israel's obligation to defend itself? Because you give support to your allies to defend itself doesn't mean you have to like the way they do it, yet you don't see the US pulling its support back.
And I think the first paragraph from BlueLou's previous post (in another thread) pretty much sums up why I made my earlier comments. Because this is the reason why the US has maintained its backing of Israel...give me a fucking break.
Link - ( New Window )
Quote:
By the way, do any of those cartoon sources have one showing
montanagiant : 6:02 pm : link : reply
The fact that it was this Admin who requested and funded the majority of the "Iron Dome" defense system Israel has?
Won't post all the resources used below but all were found simply by googling various questions.
1) Overall the US funds roughly 22% of Israel's total military defense budget. (Hardly majority funding.)
2) Apparently Israel itself funded 100% of the initial development and deployment of the 1st two Iron Dome batteries, with all of that funding (or at least the vast majority of it) going to Israeli tech firms who developed the tracking capacity and well everything else involved in the system until it was actually deployed and proved effective, from Wikipedia with footnote source annotation:
Quote:
The initial funding and development of the Iron Dome system was provided and undertaken by Israel.[27] This allowed for the deployment of the first two Iron Dome systems.[28]
Your "...this administration... funded the majority of the Iron Dome System...." includes ZERO of the start-up and development cost.
Going forward from now until 2017, the US has committed to spend something like $900 million on the Iron Dome, but it's hardly a pure handout via at least 2 accounts:
1st the US has demanded that Israel share the technology (100% Israeli developed proprietary technology, to repeat) with the US. That's at least partly paying for proprietary technology, not a "funding handout."
2nd whereas something like 3% of the total expenditure for the Iron Dome up until 2011 or 2012 or so was paid to US contractors, Obama (following Congress's demands) is demanding that ultimately 55% of the US funds that in the future will support the Iron Dome be paid to US based contractors. That's as much propping up the US defense sector economy as it is a flat handout to Israel's Iron Dome...
Quote:
In May 2014, the Israeli government agreed to spend more than half the funds allocated by the U.S. Congress for Iron Dome funding to be spent on contractors in the United States. The agreement stipulates that funds spent in the America will jump to 55% of the total allocations by 2015, a marked increase from 3% previously.
- from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/IronDome.html
3rd the most recent wave of funding is dedicated to replenishing Israel's stock of Iron Dome missiles, each one of which costs something between $60,000 to $100,000 depending on the source you believe.
- Funding the re-supply of Tamir interceptor missiles, is kinda like bribing Israel to accept US policy decisions re ceasefires, etc.
3) Regarding expenditures to date re the Iron Dome, The Jewish Virtual Library has this info:
Quote:
In May 2012, President Obama directed US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to allocate an additional $70 million to pay for more Iron Dome batteries and interceptor missiles in Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak had come to the States during the month to seek further resource allocation and thanked the administration for helping upkeep a system which has proven successful in saving lives and preventing an escalation in violence. The United States has now paid nearly $300 million for the Iron Dome system.
The italics are mine.
I did not find a date on the above quoted articles, but "has now paid" must be after May 28th 2014 because a Bloomsburg Businessweek article of that date is referenced as a source for the above info.
More links:
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20120430/DEFREG04/304300003/U-S-Attaches-Strings-Israeli-Iron-Dome-Funds
http://aviationweek.com/defense/iron-dome-repels-hamas-rockets
Contra-Israel POV FYI: http://thebulletin.org/israel%E2%80%99s-iron-dome-misplaced-debate7349 wikipedia - ( New Window )
Sure i can:
1)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Dome
The link has all the webpages listed to substantiate the claim. Those links are numbered above in the quoted area
2)
The Iron Dome system has emerged as a game-changer in the current round of violence, with Israeli officials citing a success rate as high as 90 percent.
The system uses radar, advanced tracking technology and anti-missile batteries to follow the trajectory of an incoming rocket or mortar and determine if it is headed for a major population center. If an urban area is threatened, interceptors are fired to detonate in the air in close proximity to the missile. Projectiles not posing a threat are allowed to fall in empty fields. The system targets short-range rockets with a range between 2 miles and 45 miles; interceptors cost as much $100,000 apiece.
Created by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Iron Dome has enjoyed strong U.S. technological and financial support.
Throughout its history, the U.S. has provided more than $700 million to help Israel cover costs for batteries, interceptors, production costs and maintenance, the Congressional Research Service said. The total already appeared set to climb above $1 billion after Senate appropriators doubled the Obama administration's request for Iron Dome funding for fiscal 2015. Now it seems likely to rise even
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/01/senate-approves-funding-for-israels-iron-dome-defense-system/
3)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) received unanimous consent from his colleagues Friday morning when he asked them to consider approving the measure, The Hill reported. An attempt one day earlier by the Senate to approve funding for the system had failed.
Friday evening the House of Representatives also overwhelmingly passed the additional funding by a vote of 395-8. The packagewill put nearly a quarter of a billion dollars towards Israel’s missile defense system, which is jointly built by US defense giant Raytheon, as the country continues its campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
“They’re running out of Iron Dome missiles to protect themselves,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) said at the hearing, according to The Hill. “We are with you. Here are the missiles.”
“We are with the Israelis, because if they don’t have the Iron Dome, they can’t defend themselves,” added Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, said: “The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s attack, which led to the killing of two Israeli soldiers and the apparent abduction of another. It was an outrageous violation of the ceasefire negotiated over the past several days, and of the assurances given to the United States and the United Nations.” Kerry also said Hamas must “immediately and unconditionally” release the Israeli soldier in their custody.
http://rt.com/usa/177404-senate-support-iron-dome-israel/
Let me know if you need anymore
We understand how personal this conflict is for you, and we all hope for your and your loved ones' safety. However, your continued sense of entitlement regarding the role of the United States in defense of Israel in your posts along with your criticism of how the United States is either not doing enough or how the United States had little to do with Israel's security is becoming old real fast.
You can hope for security without continuing to bite the hand that has been most responsible for your nation's security.
Absolutely 100% spot on. It really gets tiresome
And then the whole recent ceasefire(s) have been a disaster, from leaving out the PA/Egypt and just expecting Israel to go along with whatever Hamas/Turkey/Qatar demanded. And now forcing Israel into a ceasefire only to have it backfire when a soldier is kidnapped.
Don't think the US needs to back Israel unconditionally but they are trying some form of tough live which won't working
Please enlighten us what should have been done different. When you do so, try to frame with the actual constraints (both legally and politically) put in place by the Senate and the House. Don't give me the talking point BS that ignores actual facts please.
I suspect you are right based on one Israeli military expert's statement that I read (can't remember where) that by far the main cost of the system is the stocking and re-stocking of the spent missiles at 100k per pop, and clearly the US is funding the vast majority of that cost.
But the US got the technology of the system in return, tech that belonged solely to the IDF. I have no idea what's that worth, do you? It has no relevance to US security at home given the US's physical isolation from immediate threats, but so long as the US continues to have military bases spanning the globe I presume it's of interest for use for protecting those bases from local threats.
Does not get much more "Majority" then that.
What you should be is appreciative of the fact that this admin is the one who decided to fund those eight.
You can't even call this a point of view due to the fact it is so buried in delusional logic and rational. You seem to love to throw out talking points without ANY kind of substance, how about illustrating all of us how this admins policies are leading to the "dissolution of the Jewish State"? Not more TP crap, but actual validated substance.
Here's what I found from warontherocks.com:
"According to the Senate Armed Services Committee report, U.S. military non-personnel costs in South Korea totaled about $1.1 billion in 2012, while Korean payments totaled $765 million."
The ROK pays the US annually as part of the "burden sharing" agreement between the two countries.
There's quite a bit of editorializing in the body of the article, but I hope the above answers BlueLou's question.
US military expenditure in South Korea - ( New Window )
" If Obama redeployed the troops presently stationed in the peninsula, the U.S. could save an estimated $100 million per month excluding the cost of two annual exercises, deployment of thousands of reservists from mainland, mandatory maintenance and service of weapons systems. This projected figure was calculated based on 28,500 service members’ allotted overseas finances (Overseas Housing Allowance, Hazardous Duty Pay, Cost of Living Allowance, and Assignment Incentive Pay) in South Korea."
If the numbers and my math are correct, the US is spending $2.3 billion a year between non-personnel and personnel costs in South Korea.
A bit of more haphazard research tells me the US gave about $2.8 billion to Israel in 2010 in the form of military aid.
Does that even sound possible?
I know, It just amazes me how no matter the situation it gets turned into ridiculous talking points and silly memes by many people just so they can bitch about one political party or the other.
Don't shoot the messenger. Just doing a bit of research for BlueLou. He asked. ;)
BTW: I spend six months of the year in the ROK, teaching. I'm fully aware of why we're there.
Netanyahu to US: Don't second guess me on Hamas
WASHINGTON (AP) — Following the quick collapse of the cease-fire in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the White House not to force a truce with Palestinian militants on Israel.
Sources familiar with conversations between Netanyahu and senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, say the Israeli leader advised the Obama administration "not to ever second guess me again" on the matter. The officials also said Netanyahu said he should be "trusted" on the issue and about the unwillingness of Hamas to enter into and follow through on cease-fire talks.
The Obama administration on Friday condemned "outrageous" violations of an internationally brokered Gaza cease-fire by Palestinian militants and called the apparent abduction of an Israeli soldier a "barbaric" action.
The strong reaction came as top Israeli officials questioned the effort to forge the truce, accusing the U.S. and the United Nations of being naive in assuming the radical Hamas movement would adhere with its terms. The officials also blamed the Gulf state of Qatar for not forcing the militants to comply.
Link - ( New Window )
It's one thing to acknowledge there are 2 points of view, it's something else entirely to make a case for either point.You asked me to marry myself to a position contrary to yours, make the case and prove it, which was never my intent, rather simply to point out your view is not universally held, particularly in Israel. Regardless of evidence to the contrary,Illustrated by the above quotes from Netanyahu.
Also, don't make comments about "Talking points" when little or nothing I posted is being pushed by either side.I certainly don't see the convo between Netanyahu and Obama posted in mainstream media, let alone in republican talking points.Your comments imply I belong to one party or the other, or support their cause, or get my info from mainstream media replete with talking points. I would suggest when reading my posts, read what it says, not what you think it implies,as I am generally content, at least when posting source material to put it out there and let facts speak for themselves.I get my info from multiple sources, then form my own opinions.If there is some crossover with what someone else is spewing, please, don't bellittle it by labeling it as talking point, especially when you promote a party line yourself.You are as shrill as anyone else, don't kid yourself.
For the sake of clarity I'll say I don't like the current administration, or it's policies, or how it handles foreign affairs, and that it's made a bungle of things.I also felt the same way about the last administration and their policies.
My initial post was to put up the conversation between the Israeli prime minister, and the Us president ( for the simple reason I DIDN'T see it in anyone talking point or in the mainstream media) that demanded a ceasefire on Hamas's terms, and I still see it as a major policy shift from the position the Us has held regarding Israel for the past 47 years. I'm sorry, but I think that's noteworthy and not particularly common knowledge.I thought, and still do think it's something that merits attention, and something that may take some time to digest. Sorry if I, recently banned messenger, leaves a bad taste in the mouth, thereby obfuscating what I was trying to say.That I don't like this administration is an aside, and was not the point.We can debate the merits of a shift in position by the US and for all you know, I may well support it.Don't assume.
montana are you being disingenuous?
montanagiant : 12:59 pm : link : reply
No biggie, but you and Ronnie seem awfully bugged by my criticism of Kerry and lack of "appreciation" for all the money the US spends supporting the Israeli defense budget. So I was curious what actual dollar amount and % of S. Korea's defense budget the US supports, just as a counterpoint to Ronnie's bitch, that you echo.
And really? The US armed "presence in S. Korea goes much further then just aiding the ROK."
But the US support of Israel doesn't "go much farther than aiding the IDF?" Really?
How quickly one forgets that Israel took out Syria's secret nuclear facility, one which ironically was modeled after and built with the help of none other than North Korea...
According to the CIA, the unit was built with North Korean assistance and was modeled on one used by North Korea to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons.
(link below)
Certainly one of the biggest modern threats to US security is that nuclear weapons might end up in the hands of terrorists?
Israel’s Airstrike on Syria’s Reactor - ( New Window )
Lastly I never claimed to have developed that level of Ki and control over it.
That was my (South Korean) master, whose baby brother was one of the ROK marines top hand fighting teachers, just to bring this full circle.
Nice to see you're still concerned about issues you know so little about.