Skip to content

Tag: Middle East

Democrat Or Republican, War Is Always Waged For Profit

Posted in Act Out!, Creative Commons, Journalism, and Video

A curious thing happened recently when Donald Trump fired Tomahawk missiles at an airbase in Syria in early April, then dropped a bomb of record-breaking size on Afghanistan soon thereafter.

After less than 90 days of so-called “resistance,” during which even the mainstream media became so worked up that the Washington Post changed its motto to “Democracy Dies In Darkness,” suddenly that heap of dung coated in spray tanner was deemed “presidential.”

A candidate who makes it a point of congratulating dictators that moonlight as ISIS suppliers was apparently moved by the appalling footage of suffering chemical weapons victims — or his daughter was and then ran to daddy, or something like that.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Spearheads Effort To Cut US Funding To ISIS, Al-Qaida

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii, is spearheading a bipartisan effort to force the United States to stop arming extremist groups in Syria.

The bill, known as the Stop Arming Terrorists Act, would make it illegal for U.S. funds to be spent in ways that directly or indirectly support terrorist groups such as al-Qaida and Daesh (an Arabic acronym for the terrorist group commonly known in the West as ISIS or ISIL).

“The bill singles out ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (the ‘rebranded’ version of al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front) and forbids support to them, their allies,” Jason Ditz reported for Antiwar.com on Thursday.

Gabbard is a distinguished veteran of the Hawaii Army National Guard who has served in the Middle East. In the House, she serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees.

Most Americans Would Rather See $38 Billion Invested In Vets & Education Than Israeli Military Aid

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

The announcement of a massive new aid package recently offered to Israel isn’t sitting well with many Americans, who would rather see the money used domestically, according to a new online poll.

On Sept. 14, the White House announced a Memorandum of Understanding under which the United States will provide Israel with an unprecedented $38 billion in “security assistance” over a ten-year period, between fiscal years 2019 and 2028. At about $3.8 billion annually, the deal marks a significant increase from the current levels of foreign aid to Israel, which total more than $3.1 billion each year.

“The majority of the proposed spending is for Foreign Military Financing to provide Israel advanced and upgraded jet fighters, to continue developing Israel’s missile defense systems and to purchase other U.S. weapons,” Grant Smith on Tuesday, director of the Institute For Research: Middle Eastern Policy, wrote in an analysis published by Antiwar.com on Tuesday.

From Drone Killings To Hospital Bombings: 15 Years Of Civilian Deaths In The Global War On Terror

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

The recent bombing of a hospital in northwestern Yemen has drawn international outrage and new criticism of the Saudi-led, U.S.-backed forces fighting there, but it’s just the latest in a slew of war crimes committed over the past 15 years in the name of the U.S.-backed global war on terror.

Nineteen people were killed and 24 were injured in the Aug. 15 bombing, which struck Abs Hospital in northwestern Yemen. Among the dead was Abdul Kareem al Hakeemi, a staff member of Doctors Without Borders (frequently referred to by its French name, Médecins sans Frontières, or MSF).

It was the fourth and deadliest bombing of an MSF-supported hospital since the attacks on Yemen began in early 2015, leading the NGO to evacuate its six hospitals in the region three days later.

3 Years After Brutal Rabaa Al-Adaweya Square Massacre, US Still Funding El-Sissi Dictatorship In Egypt

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

Three years ago this week, Egyptian forces opened fire on a sit-in, killing hundreds of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi.

At least 817 people died in the Aug. 14, 2013 attack on Rabaah Al-Adawiya Square, where protesters — mostly supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood — had gathered after the coup.

For the survivors and their families, justice remains a far off dream today.

$3.1B And Counting: US To Give Israel Biggest Military Aid Package Ever

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Israel could soon accept its largest ever military aid deal from the United States, which is reportedly increasing an annual support package that already numbers in the billions.

Currently, Israel receives over $3.1 billion in aid annually from the U.S. under a 10-year deal forged under President George W. Bush and set to expire in 2018, but the Obama administration could soon sign another 10-year agreement to increase that aid even further.

“In addition, Congress has provided additional money for missile defense,” noted The Washington Post on Friday.