A career State Department official resigned from her post on Tuesday, saying she could no longer work for the Biden administration after it released a report concluding that Israel was not preventing the flow of aid to Gaza.

Stacy Gilbert, who served as a senior civilian-military advisor to the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), sent an email to staff saying she was resigning because she felt the State Department had made the wrong assessment, The Washington Post reported, citing officials who read the note.

The report was filed in response to President Joe Biden issuing a national security memorandum (NSM-20) in early February on whether the administration finds credible Israel’s assurances that its use of US weapons do not violate either American or international law.

The report said there were reasonable grounds to believe Israel on several occasions had used American-supplied weapons “inconsistent” with international humanitarian law, but said it could not make a definitive assessment - enough to prevent the suspension of arms transfers.

  • ChillPenguin@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Biden, what the fuck are you doing!? Can you do the right thing when it comes to genocide, please? Just hand the election over to trump on a silver platter. How hard is it to… not support genocide? Wtf

    • sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz
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      The Democrat’s strategy to appeal to their base really seems to be, “Look, we’re not as bad at the other guys.” And they really aren’t realizing that that isn’t enough, because it’s not just about Israel/Palestine anymore. I really don’t think the people who are also repeating this party line (including the ones on Lemmy) are realizing how out of touch this sentiment is especially the younger Millennials/Gen Z.

      I’ve seen my friends get attacked, arrested, and get criminal records from the university encampments and protests, and nothing was done to protect them. In their eyes, Trump would never protect them, but neither did Biden or any other Democrat in power. How can they be trusted to protect the people in the future? Seen from this lens, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that there might be people out there who find voting for Biden unpalatable.

      • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
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        5 months ago

        I’ve been saying for a long time that Democrats basically sell themselves on the idea that you should be afraid that the Republican might win, and vote for them to prevent that. Sometimes they get something done, often only after compromising heavily, but for the most part that’s not the message they’re selling on.

        To put it another way, if someone asks you why they should vote Dem instead of third party, the answer isn’t about how great the Dems are and why they deserve your vote it’s about why you should be scared that the GOP might win. It didn’t work in 2016 because most didn’t actually think Trump might win and it did in 2020 because they knew he could.

        It might work this time (I’d give it better than even odds, even given the Israel/Gaza stuff is going to hurt Biden some), but eventually it won’t and when it fails and we get another GOP president the Dems won’t win another election for a while - either we immediately fall into Christo-fascist super-Nazism and there are no more elections where we could vote for Dems or we don’t and Dems are at a loss on what to do for votes.

        • Marleyinoc@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Our current political structure and the two party system makes even the best politician look feeble.
          I’m not sure how to do it but represent.us proposes to fix it in the near future (if we all bought in, I suppose).

          One thing that sticks out on that sit is that whether all of voters agree or very few of us agree on a policy there’s about a 30% chance of the policy becoming law.

          It goes without saying that the rich and corporations benefit from the current system. It will be tough to change. And makes our system pretty pathetic in practice.

          • Shyfer@ttrpg.network
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            It’s one of the first modern democracies and as a result, I think needs a major update. It’s way too hard to get things done, filibustering is too easy, money has an outsized influence on politicians and elections due to lobbying, there’s no real way to recall certain powerful leaders (from the President to Congressmen to judges), lifetime appointments were an interesting idea but terrible in practice, and all the compromises made for slave states, including the Senate and electoral college, need to go. When are the devs going to put out a new patch?

            Oh, and gerrymandering needs to be stopped. Almost forgot that one.

        • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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          Democrats basically sell themselves on the idea that you should be afraid that the Republican might win, and vote for them to prevent that.

          Pathetically, that’s what Republicans said for the 4 years Trump was in office. “Please overlook his faults, a Democrat would be worse!”

      • lolcatnip@reddthat.com
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        5 months ago

        If nobody is going to protect you, maybe pick the one who’s not promising to deport you.

    • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      You know when the ML’s say “scratch a liberal and …,” it’s that. That’s what you are seeing. Liberals will always defer to fascism in support of corporate interests.

        • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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          5 months ago

          What do ML’s say about the Khmer Rouge? Haven’t seen discussion of it myself, maybe you can provide me with a link?

          • Shyfer@ttrpg.network
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            Generally they say that it was Vietnam, a socialist/communist country, that went in to stop the Khmer Rouge, which is true.

        • nonailsleft@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          If you pressure them long enough they admit they consider them justified genocides

          • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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            Wow, really? I certainly wouldn’t want to hang around people who consider the Khmer Rouge’s genocide to be justified, maybe I made an account on the wrong instance. I mean, assuming that actually happened.

            In fact, I promise I will not only delete my account right now, but also never post on the fediverse again if you can provide a link to what you just claimed regarding the Khmer Rouge. Should be easy, right?

            • rottingleaf@lemmy.zip
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              Providing a link is easy. Providing something you’d yourself strictly agree with is harder. Providing a link that the opponent won’t discard if they want to discard it is possible, but unlikely. I’ve reached that last point with ML’s for a few times.

              I mean, assuming that actually happened.

              That’s just what fascists say.

              • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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                Providing something you’d yourself strictly agree with is harder. Providing a link that the opponent won’t discard if they want to discard it is possible, but unlikely

                No idea what you’re talking about. Have you, or have you not, seen an ML call the Cambodian genocide “justified?” There’s nothing for me to “strictly agree with” or “discard,” if you’ve seen someone say that, then all you have to do is show me, and there’s no room for disagreement.

                I’ve reached that last point with ML’s for a few times.

                Great, where’s the link?

                That’s just what fascists say.

                Fascists question whether ML’s call the Cambodian genocide justified? Wtf are you talking about?

                Oh, I get it. Now that you’ve been caught in a lie, you’re trying to pretend that I was asking for proof of the genocide itself, as opposed to what I actually asked for, which is proof of an ML calling it “justified.” Nice bit of weaseling.

                Let’s be absolutely clear - the Cambodian genocide happened and was not justified, and @nonailsleft@lemm.ee and @rottingleaf@lemmy.zip are blatantly lying and making things up by claiming to have seen MLs call it justified.

                • rottingleaf@lemmy.zip
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                  Have you, or have you not, seen an ML call the Cambodian genocide “justified?”

                  Yes, after calling it “putting unfavorable elements\burgeoisie\vermin to the wall” or something like that.

                  Just like I have seen the same with Stalin’s repressions in USSR.

                  Great, where’s the link?

                  I don’t keep links for things I don’t need.

                  Do you keep links of your conversations on the Web?

                  Oh, I get it. Now that you’ve been caught in a lie, you’re trying to pretend that I was asking for proof of the genocide itself, as opposed to what I actually asked for, which is proof of an ML calling it “justified.” Nice bit of weaseling.

                  Weaseling is what you are doing in this quote. I openly say that I don’t respect you and thus don’t bother following your turns.

                  are blatantly lying and making things up by claiming to have seen MLs call it justified.

                  Almost everybody has seen MLs call it justified, it takes only one case. Maybe you are bad with math and probabilities.

                  You could argue about this being commonplace or not, but since you are accusing others of lying in the same comment you are asking for proof in, I think everybody reading this has a measure of you.

                  • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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                    5 months ago

                    I don’t keep links for things I don’t need.

                    This website has a search function. Searching “Khmer Rouge Justified” returns precisely 5 comments, none of which were claiming it was justified or responding to someone claiming it was justified. “Khmer Rouge Wall” likewise turned up nothing of note. Liar.

                    Almost everybody has seen MLs call it justified, it takes only one case.

                    Great! Anyone is welcome to chime in and provide evidence. Where is it? Liar.

                    accusing others of lying in the same comment you are asking for proof in,

                    That… that’s not at all contradictory lmao. Liar.

                    I think everybody reading this has a measure of you.

                    Given your comments about how drowning puppies is justified, which everyone’s definitely seen but which I have precisely zero evidence of, I think you’re the one everyone has a measure of.

                    How could you say that?

                    Puppies? Really? Wow.

                    Ofc, I won’t provide evidence, because as you’re a puppy murderer, I don’t respect you and won’t play by your terms. Liar.

              • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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                5 months ago

                Liberals and making shit up to punch left, name a more iconic duo.

                Y’all never have the receipts for anything you say. Bunch of messy little drama queens.

    • masquenox@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Wtf did you think Biden is? Dark Brandon?

      It’s his job to do US policy - ie, enabling Israel’s genocide, just like all the other mass-murder US policy is responsible for.

      He is facing a lot of resistance amongst his electorate for doing his job - therefore he will be handing over to a regime that can perform this sacrosanct aspect of US policy without meeting any resistance from it’s electorate.

      It’s “liberal democracy” working the way it’s supposed to in all it’s pseudo-democratic glory.

    • Draedron@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 months ago

      Everyone who votes for trump because they think he is better for Gaza than Biden really deserves Trump

      • LotrOrc@lemmy.world
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        Idk if anyone is saying they’ll vote for trump over Biden because they think he will be better for genocide or for people in the states.

        Saying Biden and the Democrats are enabling genocide and watching it happen is not the same thing as saying “we will vote for trump”

        It’s calling out people and hoping they do better.

        But I guarantee you if Biden loses the election this November, all the pieces will be about why black and brown and Muslim voters didn’t come out, rather than examining why an absolutely massive proportion of white people vote for trump and the Republicans at every turn even though they’re destroying the country.

        • vonbaronhans@midwest.social
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          Oh they’ll blame all the demographics they can. The youths. “Progressives”. I doubt they’d go so far as to blame “wokeism” but I imagine some other made up demographic would apparate.

          I mean I’m voting Biden in the fall, swing state and all. But still, The DNC needs a lot of overhaul for sure.

      • ChillPenguin@lemmy.world
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        That isn’t really an effective strategy to convince someone to vote for someone else. That just pushes someone further entrenching them into their view.

        If we want anyone and everyone left of center to vote for Biden even though he’s fucking up Gaza. We’re going to have to convince them. Having that type of attitude only hurts us in the long run.

        • vonbaronhans@midwest.social
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          I’d suggest picking other issues to discuss where the average progressive/leftie would agree with the direction of the Democrats, esp where a Trump win would likely mean a severe worsening. The right to bodily autonomy, LGBT+ rights, student loan forgiveness, progressive tax brackets (that may be a stretch for importance to the morally disaffected, but still), unions. Democrats may not be the best on those topics, but they at least move things a couple ticks in the right direction in the face of the alternative, which would be a very fast reversal of those gains (see recent supreme court rulings for evidence of that).

          Just my $.02

        • Draedron@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          Why do you think Im trying to convince anyone? People who are not convinced now that Trump is a fascist are completely lost and trying to reason with them is a lost cause. Same with people who vote for the fascist party AfD in my country. All we can try is to fight against these people at every point attempting to make them hide in shame again instead of publicly puking out their shit.

      • Crikeste@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        America deserves Trump. Period.

        Y’all love your violence outside your borders. How about within?

        • JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca
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          5 months ago

          Frankly, I’d feel better about it if we could just have the violence at home instead of at other people’s places.

        • ChillPenguin@lemmy.world
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          I actually don’t love violence anywhere. Outside or inside our borders. I’ve voted every election since I became eligible. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be enough.