The Israeli prime minister’s political obituary has been written before. But U.S. officials are already gauging potential successors.

Highlights: Joe Biden and top aides have discussed the likelihood that Benjamin Netanyahu’s political days are numbered — and the president has conveyed that sentiment to the Israeli prime minister in a recent conversation.

Biden has gone so far as to suggest to Netanyahu that he should think about lessons he would share with his eventual successor, the two administration officials added.

    • Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
      1136·
      1 year ago

      I really am tired of throwing an important term like genocide around. When you say “Stop Palestinian Genocide” ask why the Palestinian population in Gaza increased by 100% in 20 years (The pop birth must decline for genocide). Why is there no prerequisite systemic mass murder of EVERY ONE OF THE 2.1 MILLION GAZANS? … like Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia, or what HAMAS tried on 10-7. Try some facts before you throw around terms you obviously don’t understand.

        • Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
          525·
          1 year ago

          Just bc it’s your OPINION it isn’t a legal basis of fact. Has Israel’s policy skirted it in aspects? Clearly, but War against terrorists is not genocide by definition even with civilian casualties.

            • FlowVoid@lemmy.worldEnglish
              67·
              1 year ago

              Genocide requires an intent to destroy an ethnic group. The article does not make a good case for this, eg citing comments by Biden and von der Leyen that were clearly directed at Hamas, not Palestinians in general.

              That’s not to say that Israel is doing the right thing. I don’t they are. We are certainly seeing the horror of a botched war. I’m not so certain we are seeing genocide.

              • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.worldEnglish
                82·
                1 year ago

                FTA:

                “It’s not only Israel’s leaders who are using such language. An interviewee on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 called for Israel to “turn Gaza to Dresden.” Channel 12, Israel’s most-watched news station, published a report about left-leaning Israelis calling to “dance on what used to be Gaza.” Meanwhile, genocidal verbs—calls to “erase” and “flatten” Gaza—have become omnipresent on Israeli social media. In Tel Aviv, a banner reading “Zero Gazans” was seen hanging from a bridge.”

                • FlowVoid@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  47·
                  1 year ago

                  Ok, but you can see similar public sentiment in any war. In fact, the general public in states neighboring Israel sometimes use similar language about erasing Israel.

                  Widespread expressions of hatred towards an enemy and wishing to see them suffer is as old as war itself. It is not the same as actually committing genocide. At a minimum, genocide requires an actual plan.

                  Is the Israeli leadership actually planning to “erase” Gazans, or just Hamas? I don’t know yet. But the former is definitely not the goal of Biden or der Leyden, and Israeli leadership has definitely been made aware of that.

                  • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.worldEnglish
                    51·
                    1 year ago

                    I get the feeling there’s not much that will convince you. Could you tell me what would be an unequivocal example of what a genocide would look like to you in this instance?

          • TinyPizza@kbin.social
            121·
            1 year ago

            I mean, it’s the opinion of a well respected (Israeli) historian whose focus is history’s largest genocide. Does his opinion not merit your consideration? Who would you have to hear define this as a genocide to begin considering it as such?

      • ahal@lemmy.ca
        152·
        1 year ago

        It seems you are the one who doesn’t understand the term. There’s a very specific definition for it established by the UN: https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide.shtml

        Namely:

        In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

        Killing members of the group;

        Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

        Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

        Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

        Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group

        Nowhere does it say every member of the population needs to be murdered. And Israel is very clearly checking the first three boxes at the very least.

      • Ashyr@sh.itjust.works
        103·
        1 year ago

        The UN Genocide Convention lists five acts that fall under its definition. Israel is currently perpetrating three of these in Gaza: “1. Killing members of the group. 2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group. 3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”

        Israel has loudly proclaimed this intent. Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant declared it in no uncertain terms on October 9th: “We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza. No electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we will act accordingly.”

        https://jewishcurrents.org/a-textbook-case-of-genocide

      • Lexi Sneptaur@pawb.socialEnglish
        4·
        1 year ago

        They’re ethnically cleansing Gaza as we speak. I understand you are likely an American with pro-Israel sentiment, likely born out of a respect for the Jewish people and decades of history of America supporting this state, but you need to stop missing the forest for the trees here. They are committing war crimes on the daily, bombing hospitals and refugee camps. This is not acceptable and is a crime against humanity.

        • Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
          14·
          1 year ago

          This affair began with butchery for sure and yes war crimes. But, I didn’t hear your voice when it happened. If you publicly support the innocent Palestinian People, as I do, you had better condemn HAMAS in the same breath.

          • Lexi Sneptaur@pawb.socialEnglish
            3·
            1 year ago

            “I didn’t hear your voice in this” ???

            My dude. I’m a random stranger on the internet. You just met me. Come on.

            I’ve supported the Palestinian people since day one. And I’ll gladly condemn any he actions or Hamas, though I can understand that the way their people have been treated over the years would lead them to this. It’s Israel’s 9/11. Just like America; this was an inevitability for Israel.

      • Zorque@kbin.social
        74·
        1 year ago

        Ah, right, Hamas is the one committing genocide. Of course! Why didn’t we see it before!