The Obama Administration wants a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. They just don’t want it enough to actually do anything that might make it happen, if it threatens longstanding support for Israel’s bloated military.

Pentagon officials, addressing the war, insisted that under no circumstances would the US halt arms shipments or even threaten to do so as an attempt to coax Israel to the negotiating table. They insisted Israel is such a long-standing ally that they have to keep arming them.

With billions of dollars in annual military aid, the US is bankrolling the Gaza War more than anyone else. In addition to the arms and cash the US has provided, the NSA is also providing substantial intelligence on places for Israel to attack.

Israel has complained about US efforts to broker a ceasefire already, and those efforts haven’t involved any serious pressure beyond public criticism of massive civilian death tolls.