“Describing the conflict in Gaza as ‘gutwrenching’, [US secretary of state] Blinken said what was needed to resolve the situation was a Palestinian state with a government structure ‘that gives people what they want and works with Israel to be effective.’ [Further, he said or thought ‘And while this is a worthy goal to pursue at some point, right now the US is supporting Israel politically and with the weapons they’re currently using to kill thousands of Palestinian children, women, and other innocent civilians in just these last months.]'”
“[The secretary went on,] ‘The suffering breaks my heart [even though it’s with my and the US’s support that Israel is destroying buildings with civilians in and around them. But you must remember that President Biden and I are Democrats; Israel’s AIPAC significantly funds our party. And since our administration is interested in keeping our jobs after November, we’re not exactly in a position to demand they end this. And just because they’re killing thousands of this ethnonational group’s children, women, and other innocents by systematically leveling buildings and infrastructure with them in it, general bombing, cutting off food aid, water, power, disabling hospitals/blocking medical attention and medicine, forcibly moving masses of them from one Israel-made death trap to another within Gaza doesn’t mean they’re committing genocide. It’s only effectively that, since they’re saying they’re really just going after military targets]’ he said during a keynote session at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, adding: ‘The question is what is to be done [other than force an end to the effective genocide].'”
[Except for brackets and their contents, which are added by thoughtsontrails] From “Blinken says US in demand as he mourns ‘gutwrenching’ scenes in Gaza”, Reuters website, January 17, 2024
Thoughts on Trails 