The United States is taking a significant step to strengthen Israel’s defense capabilities by deploying a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to the region. This move comes in response to escalating tensions and recent aerial attacks on Israel by Iran.
What is THAAD?
THAAD is a state-of-the-art anti-ballistic missile system designed to intercept and destroy short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. It operates both inside and outside the Earth’s atmosphere, targeting missiles in their terminal phase of flight, just before they reach their intended targets.
The THAAD system comprises four main components:
Launch Vehicle: The platform that carries and launches the interceptor missiles.
Interceptor: The high-speed missile designed to collide with and destroy incoming ballistic missiles.
Radar: A powerful radar system that detects and tracks incoming threats.
Fire Control System: The command and control center that coordinates the entire THAAD system.
Why THAAD?
THAAD provides a critical layer of defense against ballistic missile threats, offering greater coverage and interception capabilities compared to other systems. Its deployment to Israel aims to bolster the country’s existing air defense network and enhance its ability to counter potential Iranian aggression.
The Current Situation
The deployment of THAAD follows a series of recent events, including Iran’s launch of nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel. While most were intercepted, the attacks underscored the growing threat and prompted the US to take decisive action. The situation in the Middle East is not new, as Israel and its western ally’s face global condemnation for committing genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. In spite of Israel committing war crimes with impunity, violating international laws, including laws against humanity, the Biden-Harris Administration has maintained its staunch support for the Israeli regime. The UN, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have condemned the atrocities taking place in Gaza. Additionally, The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor has requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief, and three Hamas leaders. The prosecutor alleges that these five individuals bear criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the ongoing conflict in Gaza that has reached Lebanon and Syria as tensions continue to rise in the region, and even threatening all out war with Iran.
US Commitment to Israel’s Security
The US has repeatedly affirmed its “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security. The deployment of THAAD, along with previous military aid and support, demonstrates this commitment in concrete terms.
As tensions continue to rise in the region, the presence of THAAD in Israel serves as a powerful a symbol of the strong alliance between the two countries. It sends a clear message to Iran and other potential adversaries that the US stands firmly with Israel in its defense against any threats.
A recent UN probe has delivered a scathing indictment of Israel’s actions in Gaza, accusing the country of deliberately targeting healthcare facilities and personnel as part of a broader assault on the region. The report, released by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry, alleges that Israel is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination, through its relentless attacks on medical infrastructure and personnel.
The commission, established in 2021 to investigate alleged international law violations in the region, found that Israeli security forces have killed, detained, and tortured medical workers, while also restricting access to healthcare for Gazan civilians. These actions, the report argues, have caused “incalculable suffering” and are contributing to the “destruction of generations of Palestinian children.”
The report also highlights the abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israeli military camps and detention facilities, where thousands, including children, have been subjected to torture, sexual violence, and other forms of mistreatment. The commission found that these abuses were often carried out under direct orders from Israeli officials, and fueled by government statements inciting violence and retribution.
In addition to its findings on Israel’s actions, the report also accuses Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the torture and abuse of Israeli and other hostages held in Gaza. The commission called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
The Israeli government has rejected the findings of the report, accusing the commission of bias and “systematic anti-Israeli discrimination.” However, the report’s findings are likely to add to the growing international pressure on Israel to end its offensive in Gaza and address the humanitarian crisis in the region.
The main findings of the UN probe into Israel’s actions in Gaza are:
Deliberate targeting of healthcare: Israel is accused of intentionally attacking healthcare facilities and personnel, leading to the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system.
War crimes and crimes against humanity: The report alleges that Israel’s actions constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination, due to the severe impact on the civilian population.
Abuse of Palestinian detainees: The probe found widespread abuse, torture, and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, including children, in Israeli military camps and detention facilities.
Responsibility of Israeli officials: The report states that the abuse of detainees often occurred under direct orders from Israeli officials and was fueled by government statements inciting violence.
Hamas and Palestinian armed groups also accused: The report also accuses Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the torture and abuse of Israeli and other hostages held in Gaza.
The legal basis for the UN probe into Israel’s actions in Gaza stems from its establishment by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2021. The commission’s mandate is to investigate alleged international law violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories. This implies that the probe is grounded in international humanitarian law and human rights law, which are applicable to the situation in the region.
The UN probe’s findings have several potential implications for the international community:
Increased pressure on Israel: The report’s accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity could lead to greater international pressure on Israel to cease its offensive in Gaza and address the humanitarian crisis. This pressure could manifest through diplomatic channels, economic sanctions, or calls for investigations by international criminal courts.
Calls for accountability and reparations: The report’s documentation of abuses against Palestinian detainees and the destruction of healthcare infrastructure could lead to demands for accountability and reparations for the victims.
Impact on Israeli-Palestinian relations: The report is likely to further strain relations between Israel and Palestine, making the prospect of a peaceful resolution to the conflict even more challenging.
Increased scrutiny of Hamas and Palestinian armed groups: The report’s findings also implicate Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in war crimes, which could lead to increased scrutiny and pressure on these groups to cease their attacks on civilians and release hostages.
Broader implications for international humanitarian law: The report’s findings could have broader implications for the enforcement of international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians in conflict zones.
Former Director, U.S. Department of State / Senior Advisor at DAWN / DAWN; Founded by Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, DAWN promotes democracy & human rights in the Middle East and North Africa.
We all remember the fiasco that was the “humanitarian pier” (and the airdrops – what happened to those, by the way?).
Yesterday, theUSAID Inspector General released their review of the pier, finding that this $230 million exercise “allowed for the delivery of aid in Gaza at a time when land routes were restricted, it operated for about 20 days and allowed delivery of enough assistance to feed only 450,000 people in Gaza.”
This is notable for several reasons, primary among which is the line that “and routes were restricted” – of course without adding “by Israel.” Under U.S. law (Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act) we are not permitted to provide any form of assistance, including military assistance, to a country that is restricting the delivery of US-funded humanitarian assistance. As if it had not been obvious for, frankly, many years (let alone the past 10+ months) that this was the case in Gaza, the USAID OIG report is further evidence from the lips of the U.S. Government that these restrictions exist. Every single day and every single dollar that funds the IDF’s capabilities is a violation of our laws.
You can read the entire OIG report HERE, including the finding that “multiple USAID staff expressed concerns that the focus on using JLOTS [the pier] would detract from the Agency’s advocacy to open land crossings in Israel and Egypt, which were seen as more efficient and proven avenues for delivering aid to Gaza.”
The DNC convention in Chicago has come to a close after four days of “Joybilee” and self adulation. Attendees, cloaked in the spirit of all the promises of The Declaration of Independence, fanned their happiness, prosperity and all the virtues America espouses. Have you ever seen a more enthusiastic crowd outside of a Beyonce or Taylor Swift concert? Probably not. And it’s strange because for the life of me I can’t understand what their cartoon-like expressions of joy are based upon. What do these people know that the rest of us don’t?
They ignored the mass protests miles outside their comfort zone, thanks to the “democratic” barriers erected around the DNC “Joy” festival to keep up the appearance of their own version of democracy in action. Huh, what fire?! The gaslighting and perception changing strategy was so profound and on-point, the DNC, Israel and mainstream media deserve an award for their effort to corral a weary American public away from cold hard truths.
Accepting her nomination for president, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke of how her childhood friend help shape her passion for law because, she said, “… I believe everyone has a right: To safety. To dignity. And to justice.” We must ask, however, safety for who? Who is deserving of dignity? And if elected, how and to whom will this passion for justice be delivered?
Harris also spoke of her late mother, saying, “She taught us to never complain about injustice. But…do something about it.” If this is truly her belief, why did the DNC circle their carnival wagons with barricades to silence protesters doing something about what’s happening in Gaza and across the country? What do her words mean outside of political posturing and proving, once again, that our elected officials have only perfected the art of lying and gaslighting us. Mind you, since Ronald Reagan not much has “trickled down” to the working class of America. As a matter of fact, the gap between rich and poor is greater and the American people, with so-called inalienable rights, are slowly and meticulously losing them, including their grip on the American Dream long ago promised. And Black folks can’t even mention reparations without indignation, including a loud and clear Harris response when the question of reparations was posed to her, “I’m not gonna to sit here and say that I’m gonna do something that’s only gonna benefit Black people. No.”
“A Bold Vision for America’s Future”
Our nation is in peril and these empty vessels full of arrogance, hypocrisy and self delusion brought The People a perfectly organized circus disguised as the second coming of the Obama era, as if hope and change are real options today. Compounding our serious domestic woes, including an out of control immigration problem, is the ongoing genocide being carried out in Palestine with American weapons of mass destruction by our “staunchest ally” and financial benefactor, Israel. Unfortunately, the truth of the state of America would put a real damper on all that Joybilee we witnessed at the convention. I’m surprised Truman Burbank from The Truman Show didn’t make an appearance to solidify the shit cake the DNC served in Chicago as an appetizer before the main course is delivered to We, the People after November.
Corporate media’s insidious censorship of independent journalism and pay-to-play tactic – forcing blatant lies, hypocrisy and double-standards down our wide-open conscientiousness – must also be noted and seen for what it is; an attack from a bona-fide enemy of The People. Man’s basic understanding of truth is no longer reliable by their measure and posturing. This, in spite of what our eyes are seeing, our empty wallets are experiencing, the loosening grip on that so-called “American Dream” is feeling like … our elected officials, compromised by AIPAC dollars and influence, demand We, The People believe that the fires raging across the country and the globe are just a figment of our imagination. And although Kamala Harris is serving America as a historic Vice President, she isn’t responsible for the trouble we are in, not just domestically, but globally. And Israel isn’t really slaughtering children by the thousands and actively carpet bombing Palestinians, piece by piece, safe zone by safe zone, school by school. First, it’s all Hamas’s fault because of October 7, and the atrocities most of the world is condemning is a mirage of what could be going on if you vote for Trump. And the public can be reassured of the DNC “truths” by simply turning on their TVs to listen to Joy Reed and all the other sycophants discuss what’s really happening from their prop news desks.
“I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself. And I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival.” – Harris
America’s dependable corporate media was naturally happy to oblige our government by turning all these elected, once grassroots people, into the “stars” (not leaders) they truly are meant to be for us. The message is clear. Public service and identity politics is your golden ticket to stardom when Hollywood fails to discover you. Accepting the nomination the vice president reminded us of the five words she spoke in front of a judge during her days as a prosecutor, “Kamala Harris, for the People.” The American people need clarity on who “The People” are that she’s referring to because from any logical standpoint, it’s not We, The People.
“A Fight for our Freedoms”
As expected, Democratic voters have lined up as usual to fawn and worship at the feet of the people they elected to serve them in a government supposedly for The People, and by The People. What we witnessed in Chicago was akin to the imagery of Sodom and Gomoriah. And these fawning people were worshiping hard, too. So hard, they forgot about the state of our economy. The state of housing all across America with the backdrop of the DOJ filing suit against a software company accused of colluding with landlords to price gouge Americans out of their money and homes. They forgot about all the wars our politicians are signing us up for. They seem to also have no recollection or interest in the fact that a foreign government, Israel, is deciding the outcomes of our elections.
And women’s right to an abortion and basic health care is still being debated and barbarically managed, as if Donald Trump didn’t spell out his own vision for his America First dream many, many moons ago. Even as he packed the courts to fulfill his Aryanism dreams, Democratic leaders and their “elites” only cared about themselves and all the money they were making while Trump was planning.
They counted on strong rhetoric to fool Americans into believing that they were working overtime to protect us from the boogeyman… until the boogeyman overturned Roe v. Wade on their watch. THAT’S how good Democratic pockets were getting lined to turn a blind eye to the political scheming taking place in Congress, including with their own AIPAC dollars to curry favor. All while illegal immigration is crippling large cities, and pitting poor people against each other.
Local lawmakers high on virtue didn’t just break their oaths to The People, they also broke their budgets to help the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, streaming across our borders like a scene from The Walking Dead. This, while their own residents go hungry, become homeless and jobless in a country built from their labor and sacrifice. Lawmakers in New York even wrote bills to give illegal immigrants a right to vote. Still, the DNC wants us to focus on what our former First Lady Michelle Obama said, “We don’t get to change the rules so we always win” … it’s true. Sad, said Trump. And California lawmakers, turning a blind eye to their homeless problem, are also working hard to ensure undocumented individuals benefit from the American dream of homeownership with AB1840 … a dream yet to be realized by most Americans who have waited generations for a bite of the apple from the trees they planted. We truly must be dreaming because the reality of America is unreal.
“I fought against cartels who traffic in guns, drugs, and human beings. Who threaten the security of our border and the safety of our communities. Those fights were not easy. And neither were the elections that put me in those offices. We were underestimated at every turn. But we never gave up. Because the future is always worth fighting for. And that’s the fight we are in right now. A fight for America’s future.” – Harris
Across the horizon of these empty words, the same cartel Harris fought against is granted asylum today and put up in hotel rooms where they can adequately plan their American dream while the rest of us pay for endless wars and Israeli socialism.
“For our Future”
As tension in the Middle East escalates, Americans are duty bound to ask our leaders where they are leading us. More than three years in office, and the Biden-Harris administration has not adequately lifted our tremendous burden, or keen on stopping the genocide being carried out by Israel. We live in a country that makes living, hell. And the Democratic Party is so indignant and cynical of the needs of the working class, they choose instead to fight culture wars. The management of American statecraft was laid bare in front of the American people in Chicago. We can no longer afford categorization as the future of our democracy, including humanity, is at stake.
Whether you’re on the right or the left, a progressive or an independent voter, we are at the precipice of change in the course of our nation and the world. Political categorization has cut us short. Democrats and Republicans are fighting against each other for control of the country, not for We, The People. And truth tellers are called to transcend partisan affiliation to heal our country and revive hope for a better world. Americans are at a crucial juncture in our unique history and culture where only truth can lead us from the grips of partisanship, stop the theft of our wealth by our government and military industrial complex wreaking havoc across the globe, and face the uncomfortable dilemmas of our nation.
Truth is uncomfortable because they outline our failures. Americans may believe they’re exceptional in the world, but it’s time we appreciate that there are limits to our power. We, The People are propagandized to believe many untruths, including that we only have two choices this November: Identity Politics or the racist Boogeyman. It’s time to face the irony of our own sins in the face of national and global crises and make a new beginning in a corrupt world.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention is starting today, August 19, in Chicago. The convention will feature speeches from prominent Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz.
The DNC is expected to focus on highlighting the Biden administration’s accomplishments and outlining the Democratic Party’s vision for the future. It will also serve as a platform to rally support for Vice President Harris and her running mate Tim Walz as they seek their own term to lead a deeply divided nation.
Stay tuned for more coverage of the DNC as it unfolds this week.
The DNC will focus on highlighting the Biden-Harris administration’s accomplishments and outlining the Democratic Party’s vision for the future. Key issues will include:
Economy: The Biden administration’s economic policies, job growth, and inflation.
Healthcare: Affordable Care Act, prescription drug costs, reproductive rights.
Climate Change: Environmental policies, clean energy initiatives.
Gun Violence: Gun control measures, safety reforms.
Education: Student loan debt, college affordability, K-12 education.
Foreign Policy: Relationships with allies, handling of global conflicts.
These are areas based on common Democratic priorities and current political discourse. The specific issues emphasized will likely become clearer as the convention progresses on the heels of planned pro-Palestinian protests focused on ending the on-going genocide being carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people. According to officials, the death toll since the start of the recent Oct. 7 conflict has surpassed 40,000 people, mostly civilians; children, women and the elderly.
Protests Disrupt DNC Delegate Party
As the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago, it’s not just party delegates and politicians making their voices heard. Anti-Israel protesters disrupted a delegate party on the eve of the convention, highlighting the range of views and concerns that will likely be present throughout the week.
While the DNC is expected to focus on the Biden-Harris administration’s accomplishments and the Democratic Party’s vision, external demonstrations like these underscore the diverse political landscape and the challenges Democrats face in unifying their base. It remains to be seen how these protests and other demonstrations might influence the convention’s proceedings and messaging.
Israel’s devastating bombing campaign and media blockade in Gaza threatens newsgathering in an unprecedented fashion. We are running out of time.
More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s four-week siege. Included in the mounting death toll are at least 36 journalists,according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in what the group calls thedeadliest conflictfor journalists since it began tracking deaths in 1992. Scores morehave been injured, detained, gone missing or seen their family members killed. As reporters, editors, photographers, producers, and other workers in newsrooms around the world, we are appalled at the slaughter of our colleagues and their families by the Israeli military and government.
We are writing to urge an end to violence against journalists in Gaza and to call on Western newsroom leaders to be clear-eyed in coverage of Israel’s repeated atrocities against Palestinians. Reporters in the besieged Gaza Strip are contending with extensive power outages, food and water shortages and a breakdown of the medical system. They have been killedwhile visibly working as press, as well as at night in their homes. Aninvestigationfrom Reporters Without Borders also shows deliberate targeting of journalists during two Oct. 13 Israeli strikes in South Lebanon, which killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and injured six other journalists.
Reporters’ families have been killed, too. Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief and a household name in the Arab world, learned on-air Oct. 25 that his wife, children, and other relatives had beenkilled in an Israeli airstrike. A Nov. 5 strike on the home of journalist Mohammad Abu Hassir of Wafa News Agencykilled him and 42 family members. Israel has blocked foreign press entry, heavily restricted telecommunications and bombed press offices. Some 50 media headquarters in Gaza have been hit in the past month. Israeli forces explicitlywarned newsroomsthey “cannot guarantee” the safety of their employees from airstrikes. Taken witha decades-long pattern of lethally targeting journalists, Israel’s actions show wide scale suppression of speech.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has urged Western journalists to publicly condemn the targeting of journalists. “[We] call on our fellow journalists around the world to take action to stop the horrifying bombardment of our people in Gaza,” the group said onOct. 31 in a published statement.
We are heeding that call.
We stand with our colleagues in Gaza and herald their brave efforts at reporting in the midst of carnage and destruction. Without them, many of the horrors on the ground would remain invisible. We join press associations includingReporters Without Borders, theArab and Middle Eastern Journalists Associationand theInternational Federation of Journalistsin demanding an explicit commitment from Israel to end the violence against journalists and other civilians. Western newsrooms benefit tremendously from the work of Gazan journalists and must take immediate steps to call for their protection.
We also hold Western newsrooms accountable for dehumanizing rhetoric that has served to justify ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Double-standards, inaccuracies and fallacies abound in American publications and have beenwell-documented. More than 500 journalistssigned an open letter in 2021outlining concerns that U.S. media outlets ignore Israel’s oppression of Palestinians. Yet the call for fair coverage has gone unanswered. Newsrooms have instead undermined Palestinian, Arab and Muslim perspectives, dismissing them as unreliable and have invoked inflammatory language that reinforces Islamophobic and racist tropes. They have printed misinformation spread by Israeli officials and failed to scrutinize indiscriminate killing of civilians in Gaza — committed with the support of the U.S. government.
Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, in which more than 1,200 Israelis, including four journalists, were killed and some 240 others captured, these issues have compounded. News coverage has positioned the attack as the starting point of the conflict without offering necessary historical context — that Gaza is a de facto prison of refugees from historic Palestine, that Israel’s occupation is illegal under international law, and that Palestinians are bombarded and massacred regularly by the Israeli government.
U.N. expertshave warnedthey are “convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide,” yet Western outlets remain hesitant to quote genocide experts and accurately describe the existential threat unfolding in Gaza.
This is our job: to hold power to account. Otherwise we risk becoming accessories to genocide.
We are renewing the call for journalists to tell the full truth without fear or favor. To use precise terms that are well-defined by international human rights organizations, including “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide.” To recognize that contorting our words to hide evidence of war crimes or Israel’s oppression of Palestinians is journalistic malpractice and an abdication of moral clarity.
The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. It is imperative that we change course.
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Writers of the letter are a group of U.S.-based reporters at both local and national newsrooms. Some members of the group were also involved ina 2021 open letter outlining concernswith U.S. media coverage of Palestine.
Editor’s Note:Writers Against The War on Gaza issued a statement of solidarity on October 26, 2023: Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG) is an ad hoc coalition committed to solidarity and the horizon of liberation for the Palestinian people. Drawing together writers, editors, and other culture workers, WAWOG hopes to provide ongoing infrastructure for cultural organizing in response to the war. This project is modeled on American Writers Against the Vietnam War, an organization founded in 1965.
