Netanyahu Thanks Trump for Ceasefire; Forgets 200 Million in US Munitions
Netanyahu’s gratitude to Trump for a ceasefire role, as reported by Al Jazeera, is a classic performance of selective memory. One might wonder if they're thanking each other for putting out the fire they helped ignite. This isn't the first time an Israeli PM has celebrated US 'peacemaking' after cycles of violence. Netanyahu himself previously thanked President Obama in 2014 for his 'unwavering
support' during Operation Protective Edge—a conflict that killed over 2,200 Palestinians, including 551 children. Today's thanks come after the Biden administration quietly approved sending Israel over 2,000 Paveway-guided bombs and 1,000 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs last year, according to a March 2024 Wall Street Journal report. These aren't exactly 'peacekeeping' supplies. The US role in
'ceasefires' often involves first supplying the arsenals used in the preceding bloodshed. It’s the rhetorical equivalent of providing gasoline to a fire, then taking credit for bringing a garden hose. How many times will American politicians facilitate vast military aid, only to then laud themselves for negotiating a temporary pause in the devastation their weapons enable? The true 'team' behind
these cycles includes a massive lobbying effort: In 2023 alone, AIPAC reported spending $3.5 million on lobbying, while their affiliated Super PAC, United Democracy Project, spent $13.5 million in primary elections. The gratitude, it seems, is a finely tuned performance.