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Some folks on social media have been speculating about President Joe Biden’s recent debate performance wherein the president looked puzzled and frequently spoke haltingly with a blank stare in his eyes. Some conspiracy theorists speculate that Biden’s stumbles were due to a directed energy weapon attack, possibly related to Havana Syndrome. Havana Syndrome, also known as anomalous health incidents, is a mysterious condition reported primarily by U.S. diplomatic, intelligence, and military officials stationed overseas.Social media influencer Igor Sushko even cited a former KGB spy, Yuri Shvets, who defected to the U.S. in 1993. Shvets suggested that Biden’s symptoms during the CNN debate resembled Havana Syndrome, and he floated another conspiracy theory involving a Russian government plane¹. However, it’s essential to approach such claims with skepticism and rely on evidence-based assessments.
🚨 URGENT: Scientist whose previous work included directed energy beam research for the US intelligence community said Biden’s symptoms during the CNN debate made him think of the Havana Syndrome.
This is according to former KGB spy Yuri Shvets who defected to the US in 1993. pic.twitter.com/h53u0NoIHt— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) July 1, 2024
Those affected with Havana Syndrome experience acute symptoms like sudden onset of perceived loud sounds, visual disturbances, intense pressure or vibration in the head, and pain in the ear or head. Chronic symptoms include balance issues, cognitive problems, insomnia, and headaches. The first cases were reported by U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in Havana, Cuba, but incidents have occurred in other locations as well. Some theories suggest attacks by unidentified foreign actors, while others blame unknown technologies like ultrasound or microwave weapons. The cause remains unknown and controversial. Studies have ruled out hostile power involvement, and psychogenic factors, environmental causes, or pre-existing medical conditions are being explored as potential causes.In March 2023, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that foreign adversaries’ involvement was “very unlikely” in causing Havana syndrome. It is to be noted that conspiracy theories can be captivating, but critical thinking and evidence-based analysis are crucial to separate fact from fiction.
Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs)
While directed-energy weapons (DEWs) have been a topic of interest in both science fiction and real-world military research, the scientific evidence regarding their health effects is still limited.DEWs encompass various technologies, including lasers, microwaves, and particle beams. They can be used for communication, surveillance, or even as weapons. These devices emit microwave radiation, which can potentially cause tissue heating and damage. However, the specific health effects depend on factors like frequency, power, and exposure duration.Some non-lethal DEWs are designed to disperse crowds or deter individuals without causing permanent harm. These typically use low-power microwave or acoustic energy.As mentioned earlier, Havana Syndrome has been associated with directed energy exposure. However, the exact mechanism remains unclear. Rigorous scientific studies on DEW health effects are scarce due to ethical concerns and limited access to classified information. Different DEW types, exposure levels, and individual susceptibilities make it challenging to draw definitive conclusions. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, in the US, conducted a study on Havana Syndrome, but their report did not definitively link it to DEWS. Some studies suggest that microwave exposure can cause neurological symptoms, but more research is needed.
In summary, while there’s intriguing evidence and speculation, we lack conclusive scientific proof regarding DEWs’ health impact. Researchers continue to investigate, but for now, skepticism and critical analysis are essential.
The latest episodes of so-called Havana syndrome, a series of unexplained ailments afflicting US and Canadian diplomats and spies, span the globe. They include two diplomats in Hanoi, Vietnam — which disrupted Vice President Kamala Harris’s foreign travel schedule — in August, several dozen reports at the US Embassy in Vienna earlier this year and a pair of incidents at the White House last November.
The cause of these incidents is unknown, but speculation in the US centres on electromagnetic beams.
If Havana syndrome turns out to be caused by weapons that shoot energy beams, they won’t be the first such weapons. As an aerospace engineer and former Vice Chair of the US Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, I’ve researched directed energy. I can also personally attest to the effectiveness of directed energy weapons.
In 2020, a study on Havana syndrome by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concluded that the more than 130 victims experienced some real physical phenomena and that the cause was most likely some form of electromagnetic radiation.
These incidents began in 2016 with reports of multiple personnel at the US embassy in Havana, Cuba, experiencing alarming and unexplained symptoms. The symptoms included a feeling of pressure on the face, loud noises, severe headaches, nausea and confusion. In some cases, the victims seem to have been left with permanent health effects.
Scientists from Cuba’s Academy of Sciences issued a report refuting the US National Academies report and ascribing the reported symptoms to psychological effects or a range of ordinary ailments and preexisting conditions. But based on my own experience, directed energy appears to be a plausible explanation.
Here’s how these beams affect people.
There is a very wide range of electromagnetic waves that are characterised by wavelength, which is the distance between successive peaks. These waves can interact with different types of matter, including human bodies, in a variety of ways.
The electromagnetic spectrum spans radio waves to gamma waves. NASA
At short wavelengths, a few hundred-billionths of a metre, ultraviolet rays from the Sun can burn the skin’s surface if someone is exposed for too long. Microwaves have longer wavelengths. People use these every day to reheat meals. Microwaves transfer energy into the water molecules inside food.
The US military has developed an Active Denial System that aims microwaves at people to cause pain without injury. US Air Force
The US military has developed a directed energy technology that shoots beams of a slightly longer wavelength in a focused area over distances up to a mile. This directed energy technology was designed for nonlethal control of crowds. When these waves interact with a person, they pass through the skin and transfer energy to the water that lies just under the surface.
I had the opportunity to be zapped by one of these systems. I stood about a half-mile from the source and the beam was turned on. The portion of my body exposed to the beam got hot really quickly, and I immediately stepped out of the beam. The feeling was as though someone had just opened the door of a large furnace right by me.
A demonstration of a military Active Denial System.
At even longer wavelengths, electromagnetic radiation can interact with electronic systems and can be used to disable computers and control systems. For these waves, interaction with matter generates electrical currents and fields that interfere with the electrical systems. The military is developing these technologies to defend against drone attacks.
Defence through detection
It’s plausible that at just the right wavelength, an electromagnetic beam could be projected over hundreds of yards to create the symptoms seen in Havana syndrome incidents. If this is the case, it’s likely that these beams are interfering with the electrical functions of the brain and central nervous system.
For example, the Frey effect involves microwaves activating the auditory sensory nerves. Other studies have noted potential effects of microwaves on the central nervous system, such as decreased response time, social dysfunction and anxiety.
Further study is needed to determine the cause of Havana syndrome incidents. Unfortunately, this type of electromagnetic radiation does not leave a telltale trace like sunburn, which makes it difficult to be certain of the explanation.
While the results of the National Academies study were made public, it is likely that federal agencies are carrying out additional activities behind the scenes to try to explain these incidents and determine who is to blame.
Similar to responding to cyberattacks, though, the government may be reluctant to release too much information to the public because it could reveal techniques for detecting and countering the attacks.
If the source of Havana syndrome turns out to be electromagnetic waves, then in principle, buildings could be hardened against them. However, it would be expensive and would still leave people vulnerable outdoors.
Perhaps the best option to prevent further attack is detection. It is relatively simple and inexpensive to install sensors to detect electromagnetic waves on buildings and vehicles. Such sensors could also help identify the location of the source of the attacks and, in this way, act as a deterrent.
Assuming Havana syndrome is the result of deliberately targeted electromagnetic beams, employees of the US government and other nations will remain susceptible to these attacks until governments take such defensive measures.
[Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week. Subscribe to The Conversation’s science newsletter.]
Iain Boyd, Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The attacks were first identified in Cuba in 2016 in what became known as “Havana Syndrome.” American diplomats were believed to have been targeted with directed energy from an unknown source. Victims of the suspected attacks have reported symptoms including severe headaches, ringing and pressure in the ears, and even long-term brain damage. Since then the incidents have stumped officials across the U.S. government, where a massive investigation is beginning to take shape as the threat to American personnel has increased — both overseas and on U.S. soil.
“The response was inadequate in the early stages. I think it’s gotten better but still not good enough,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), vice chair of the intelligence committee, said in a brief interview. “It’s almost like the burden of proof is on these individuals, and given the nature of the injuries they’ve suffered, I don’t think it was initially treated the way it should’ve been.”
After POLITICO first revealed the Pentagon’s recent warnings to congressional committees amid a rising number of incidents, lawmakers lamented that individuals hit with suspected attacks were not getting the necessary medical care. Rubio, for example, said victims were facing “bureaucratic hurdles” to get proper treatment.
Last year, former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller approved a plan for the Pentagon to cover medical care for victims of the suspected attacks who sought treatment at the department’s facilities, according to two former national security officials with direct knowledge of the matter.
In the meantime, though, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told POLITICO she is working on legislation that would allocate funding for medical care and other financial compensation for the alleged victims. Collins, a senior member of the intelligence committee, also wants to give targets of directed-energy attacks access to the brain injury unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Sen. Susan Collins speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the federal coronavirus response on March 18.
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Susan Walsh, Pool/AP Photo
“I have been very concerned for two years about the battle that government personnel have faced in getting proper medical treatment for these mysterious attacks that have occurred while they’ve been serving our country — and it just should not be that way,” Collins, who has spoken directly with some of the victims, said in a brief interview.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s top deputies are facing growing pressure from lawmakers to figure out who is responsible for the suspected attacks, which officials believe have also occurred on U.S. soil, including near the White House and in the D.C. suburbs. Despite CIA Director William Burns’ renewed focus on the matter, lawmakers want to see more done.
“Too much of that information has been classified, to the detriment not just of those people who have been affected, but also to the response to address it,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), an Armed Services Committee member who has led the push on “Havana Syndrome” for years.
Shaheen added that the Biden administration is “at least beginning to address it” while the Trump administration didn’t do enough.
Due to the nature of the suspected attacks and the sophisticated weaponry used, they are extremely difficult to attribute. Officials have told lawmakers that they suspect the GRU, Russia’s military-intelligence unit, may be behind the incidents, as POLITICO first reported, but the U.S. intelligence community has not yet made a formal determination.
Lawmakers and aides say the yearslong failure to determine who is responsible means the executive branch has kept too much information about the phenomenon under wraps. It’s a familiar spot for members of Congress, who, Republican and Democratic alike, grew frustrated with the Trump administration for its lackluster congressional engagement that often led to lawmakers first learning of major developments through the press.
Even the ultra-secretive Gang of Eight — the group of congressional and intelligence committee leaders privy to top-secret information — has been in the dark about key elements of the episodes. Rubio, a Gang of Eight member, said the Biden administration was not providing enough concrete information to the committees of jurisdiction on Capitol Hill.
“We’re demanding to know more. It’s a legitimate thing for us to oversee … not just on how they’ve responded, but how that’s ongoing,” Rubio said in a brief interview. “I know I haven’t been [told enough]. And I think you’ll find everybody else agrees with that.”
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the former chair and a current member of the intelligence committee, said the panel has not been briefed about the suspected domestic incidents involving directed energy, adding: “I would think most people would assume that we have been [briefed].” A source familiar with the committee’s briefings noted that the panel has been informed about the suspected incidents on U.S. soil.
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Alex Brandon/AP Photo
A representative for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment. A spokesperson for the CIA referred questions about the broader engagement with Congress to the National Security Council but added: “CIA is committed to continued and robust engagement with intelligence oversight on our work to care for affected officers and to determine the cause of these anomalous health incidents.”
“In our first 100 days, the Biden administration had both more open and closed member and staff engagements on this issue than the entire Trump administration,” said National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne. “We will keep working closely with Congress on this issue and very much appreciate efforts by members to support improved access to medical care for impacted individuals.”
Complicating matters further is the fact that in addition to the intelligence panels, the House and Senate Armed Services committees are pushing for additional information on the attacks, which have also impacted Defense Department personnel. The Pentagon, which launched a task force on the suspected attacks last year, has been briefing both committees and told lawmakers last month that the threat against U.S. personnel was growing and urgent.
The investigation has intensified in recent months, and now includes all 18 agencies of the U.S. intelligence community. Burns in particular has stepped up his personal involvement in the matter.
“There are a lot of entities within the government looking at this,” Warner said. “We need to have it better coordinated, and I think there’s a level of seriousness given to this now that, frankly, was not there until Director Burns came and made this a priority.”
At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, Shaheen pressed Biden’s pick to be the Pentagon’s top civilian intelligence official, Ronald Moultrie, on making more information about the mysterious attacks publicly available. The details released have been “very dispersed” and “very classified,” Shaheen said.
“Sometimes I’m not sure that one agency talks to the other agency in terms of what we’re doing,” she added.
Shaheen urged Moultrie to push for an “unclassified accounting” to ensure lawmakers and the public get “consistent information” on directed-energy attacks.
Moultrie vowed he would “find ways to disseminate this information to our citizens and to those who need to know in our installations and facilities around the world.”
Lara Seligman and Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden delivered a stunningly bad performance last week during his debate with Donald Trump, causing many Democrats to worry about the future of American democracy. But some folks on social media think they’ve figured out why Biden looked so puzzled and frequently spoke haltingly with a blank stare in his eyes. Maybe the president was hit with a directed energy weapon that’s giving him Havana Syndrome.
Havana Syndrome is the name for a group of mysterious illnesses that have cropped up among U.S. spies over the past decade. The working theory has been that adversarial countries like Russia or China are intentionally targeting Americans with invisible rayguns to give them brain damage. And while the science is still very much in question, some people seem convinced that’s what happened at Thursday’s debate.
“URGENT: Scientist whose previous work included directed energy beam research for the US intelligence community said Biden’s symptoms during the CNN debate made him think of the Havana Syndrome. This is according to former KGB spy Yuri Shvets who defected to the US in 1993,” social media influencer Igor Sushko wrote on X late Sunday.
Sushko even included a video that was supposed to show the contrast between Biden on the day of the debate on June 27th and a rally the president held the next day in North Carolina. The suggestion is that Biden’s stumbles can only be explained by a targeted attack.
🚨 URGENT: Scientist whose previous work included directed energy beam research for the US intelligence community said Biden’s symptoms during the CNN debate made him think of the Havana Syndrome.
This is according to former KGB spy Yuri Shvets who defected to the US in 1993. pic.twitter.com/h53u0NoIHt— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) July 1, 2024
Biden’s visible confusion and inability to sometimes even make complete sentences has caused panic among the Democratic Party, where donors and political leaders alike fear he could lose the presidential election. And defenses of Biden run the gamut, from people insisting he just had a bad night, to those who point out Biden has suffered his entire life from a stutter.
But the most dramatic explanation percolating on social media is that Biden is actually being interfered with by invisible weapons. Sushko even floated another conspiracy theory, that there was a Russian government plane that may have been involved in delivering the energy weapons.
“Shvets, a former KGB spy who was based in Washington DC during the 80s, does not believe in coincidences, and the fact that Russia’s IL-76 government plane landed in the US on June 27 before the debate and then left after the fact on June 29 could further suggest foul play,” Sushko tweeted.
It’s not entirely clear where the claim about the plane comes from. And Sushko’s source for quoting Shvets isn’t even clear, though it could be suggestions made during a Russian-language YouTube video posted Sunday. But it wasn’t just Sushko who was insisting Biden may have been the victim of nefarious forces at the debate.
“Biden was being assaulted with a directed energy weapon to diminish his performance. In spite of this he held on for 90 minutes. He’s a CHAMPION! This was to give TFG unfair advantage. #HavanaAct,” an account called Citizens That Know wrote in one of several tweets about the topic over the weekend.
Citizens That Know has accounts on platforms like X and Facebook dedicated to the concept of “targeted individuals,” a delusional belief many people have that they’re being stalked and harassed for no reason by largely unseen yet coordinated forces—often by criminal gangs or government agents.
“Note to @CNN and @CIA. This should be checked,” another account tweeted pointing to the directed energy claims. “The US hasn’t been taking Russia’s use of directed energy weapons against US Officials and Biden may be the latest victim.”
Whatever you think caused Biden’s embarrassing performance—whether you believe it’s typical cognitive decline that comes with old age or just an imperfect public speaker having a “bad night”—there’s no evidence it can be blamed on directed energy weapons. This is not to say that the U.S. government doesn’t have some highly advanced weapons at its disposal. The military has admittedly been working on laser weapons since the 1970s and we know the CIA developed a so-called heart attack gun around the same era. But in this case, the simplest explanation is the most likely.
Biden is 81 years old and clearly not performing like he used to. Trump, who’s just three years younger, is also slipping cognitively with repeated verbal stumbles and rants where he’ll frequently use the wrong name. Neither of these guys is at the top of their game, but it’s clear that Trump is the only one in this race with an agenda built on sadism and retribution.
Trump retweeted a call for Liz Cheney to be investigated for treason on Sunday, a crime he’s often pointed out includes the death penalty. Trump has even suggested his own top general, Mark Milley, should be executed for treason. If Trump gets back into office, things are going to get very bad very quickly.
No, Biden didn’t get hit with a directed energy weapon. But if the Democratic Party doesn’t get its act together and figure out how to convince voters that Biden or his potential replacement is fit for the job, the U.S. is going to be a very dark place to live come January.
Vladimir Putin is setting “no limits” on how much territory he seeks to snatch in his war on Ukraine, defense analysts have warned.
According to a new report from a leading U.S. thinktank, the Russian president and his Kremlin staff have “intentionally set no limits to their objectives of conquest in Ukraine and have suggested repeatedly that areas outside of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts are part of Russia.”
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) added that Russia sees a strategic need to maintain military operations on multiple fronts to prevent Ukraine from successfully conducting a counter-offensive.
Nicole Wolkov, Russia Researcher for the ISW, told Newsweek that Russia’s plans to “protract” the war will incentivize Putin to set new territorial objectives.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall to commemorate the 83rd anniversary of the Nazi German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941…
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall to commemorate the 83rd anniversary of the Nazi German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 Sergey Guneev/AP
“Russia is making creeping gains to advance in Ukraine to protract the war, prevent Ukraine from conducting significant counter-offensive operations, and outlast Western security support for Ukraine,” the ISW said.
Wolkov added: “Putin likely assesses that that he can leverage Russia’s ability to maintain the initiative during that time to seize more territory. A protracted war would also provide Russia with time to continue to expand its defense industrial base and generate manpower.”
The ISW warned that a protracted war will “incentivize” Putin to explicitly set new territorial objectives as long as he believes Ukrainian forces cannot hold back his advances nor conduct meaningful counter-offensives to regain lost territory.
“Russian officials have routinely denied the existence of Ukrainian statehood and culture and have indicated their interest in territories on lands beyond these four oblasts”, the ISW said.
The ISW also stressed the importance of delivering military aid swiftly to help turn the tide of the war in Ukraine’s favor.
“If weapons are delivered in a timely fashion and consistently, this could help Ukraine conduct offensive operations,” Wolokov said amid the ongoing conflict.
It comes after documents obtained by the Washington Post suggest Russia accidentally dropped glide bombs on its territory nearly at least 38 times.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia fired hundreds of glide bombs at his country in the last week.
Putin speaks during a press briefing with Vietnamese President To Lam at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi
Putin speaks during a press briefing with Vietnamese President To Lam at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi
Minh Hoang/AP
Writing on X, he said: “This week alone, Russia has used more than 800 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine. Against our cities and communities, against our people, against everything that makes life normal”
Glide bombs are Soviet-era munitions that have been modified to include wings and navigation systems that allow for a gliding flight path to a target. The bombs can have a payload of 1.5 tonnes.
The gliding additions allow bombs to travel much further as the heavy weaponry is fitted with precision guidance systems and launched from an aircraft flying out of range of air defenses.
Ukraine dismissed allegations from Belarus that it was amassing troops to reinforce their shared border. The Belarusian Defence Ministry claimed on Sunday that Ukraine was moving troops and weapons to the border.
Border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko told Ukrainian TV: “It is not the first time Belarus offers information about Ukraine presenting a threat and strengthening itself. This is another part of the information operation conducted by Belarus with support by Russia.
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A highly anticipated ruling by the Supreme Court that former presidents enjoy wide-ranging immunity for their official acts while in the White House was repeatedly praised by former President Trump in the hours after the high court’s blockbuster opinion.
“BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN AND WISE,” Trump wrote in a social media post about the ruling, which likely dealt a major blow to the ongoing prosecution of Trump on charges he aimed to subvert his 2020 election loss to President Biden.
“THE SUPREME COURT DECISION IS A MUCH MORE POWERFUL ONE THAN SOME HAD EXPECTED IT TO BE,” Trump spotlighted.
The move on Monday by the conservative-dominated court – including three justices nominated by Trump – means that the trial judge in the lower court case against Trump will now have to hold hearings on whether the charges against Trump were based on official acts by the then-president or unofficial ones.
WHAT TRUMP TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT RULING
That process will take time, and it’s extremely unlikely Trump will go on trial for trying to overturn the 2020 election before voters cast ballots in the 2024 rematch between the former president and his Democratic successor.
Trump called it a “big win for our Constitution and for democracy” during an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Brooke Singman.
TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE: SUPREME COURT RULES EX-PRESIDENTS HAVE SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTION FROM PROSECUTION
But Biden principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks, in a conference call with reporters, charged that “this decision will give Donald Trump cover to do exactly what he’s been saying he wants to do for months, which is enact revenge and retribution against his political enemies.”
“This is a pivotal moment for our country. The conservative justices on the court, three of whom are only there because of Donald Trump, just made it easier for him to pursue a path to a dictatorship,” Fulks argued.
A major question going forward is what kind of impact the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity will have on the Biden-Trump rematch with just over four months to go until the November election.
The president has long charged that Trump is a threat to democracy and his argument is a central tenant of his campaign for a second term in the White House.
And in an address Monday night, Biden hammered home the point.
“The American people must decide if Trump’s embrace of violence to preserve his power is acceptable. Perhaps most importantly, the American people must decide if they want to entrust the presidency to Donald Trump once again. Now knowing, he’ll be even more emboldened to do whatever he pleases, whenever he wants to do it,” the president emphasized.
Some Biden supporters see a silver lining in the move by the Supreme Court.
Longtime Democratic strategist and presidential campaign veteran Maria Carodona said the “ruling is a shot in the arm to voters who care about our democracy, our Constitution, and the rule of law. It is a shot in the arm for them to work their butts off to elect President Biden because the Supreme Court ruling was a victory for one person, Donald Trump, and it was a huge loss for the country, and our democracy.”
Voters need to understand that presidents matter when it comes to the make up of the court. Today’s dangerous decision that came out of the Trump-molded MAGA court is proof of that,” Cardona, a committee member on the Democratic National Committee, argued.
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Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, another veteran of multiple presidential campaigns, emphasized that voters will remember the ruling when they cast their ballot in the autumn.
“The stakes of the election continue to grow as this activist court has attacked reproductive rights, environmental protection and now the integrity of the ability to hold elected officials accountable for their actions. Voters will remember this in November,” Caiazzo said.
But longtime Republican consultant and communicator Ryan Williams, who served on a handful of GOP presidential campaigns, spotlighted that the ruling “makes it less likely Trump will be in courtrooms before the election. That’s a win for Trump.”
“The general consensus was that the more serious charges were in the federal cases and by moving them to after the election, they are removed as a distraction during the campaign,” Ryan added. “Trump can now continue to campaign and focus on the election rather than preparing for trial prior to Election Day. That’s a win for him.”
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
7 hours ago
By Yolande Knell, BBC Middle East correspondent
EPAUltra-Orthodox Jews in full time study have been exempt from conscription since the beginning of the state
When Israel’s ultra-Orthodox or Haredi Jewish community gathers in force you realise just how large it is.
Thousands of men and boys dressed in black and white are crammed into the streets of Mea Shearim – which is the heart of the ultra-Orthodox community – in Jerusalem for an angry protest against the military draft.
It is the latest demonstration since the Supreme Court’s historic ruling that young Haredi men must be conscripted into the Israeli military and are no longer eligible for significant government benefits.
Young men who are full-time students in Jewish seminaries, or yeshivas, tell me that their religious lifestyle is in jeopardy. They believe that their prayers and spiritual learning are what protects Israel and the Jewish people.
“For 2,000 years we’ve been persecuted, and we’ve survived because we’re learning Torah and now the Supreme Court wants to remove this from us, and it will cause our destruction,” says Joseph.
“Going to the army will make a frum – religious Jew – not religious anymore.”
“The draft does not help militarily. They don’t want us Haredim, us orthodox Jews, they don’t need us,” another student tells me, withholding his name as he does not have his rabbi’s permission to give an interview.
“They’re just gonna give us some dirty job there. They’re there to make us not Orthodox no longer.”
Anadolu via Getty ImagesClashes erupted in Jerusalem between Israeli police and ultra-Orthodox Jews over the weekend
For decades, there has been controversy over the role of the ultra-Orthodox in Israeli society. From a small minority, the community is now a million-strong, making up 12.9% of the population.
Ultra-Orthodox parties have often acted as kingmakers in Israeli politics, giving support to successive governments headed by Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in return for continuing the draft exemption and hundreds of millions of dollars for their institutions.
This has been a long-standing cause of friction with secular Jewish Israelis who mostly do compulsory military service and pay the largest share of taxes. But the issue has now come to a head at the most sensitive time as the army faces unprecedented strain following its longest ever war in Gaza, and a possible second war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“My son has already been in the reserves for 200 days! How many years do you want him to do? How are you not ashamed?” demanded Mor Shamgar as she berated Israel’s national security adviser at a recent conference in Herzliya.
Her exasperated rant about her son – serving as a tank commander in southern Israel – was widely shared on social media.
With army leaders complaining about a shortage of military manpower, Ms Shamgar – who says she has previously voted for the prime minister’s party – believes that the government has “handled the situation very poorly,” putting its own political survival ahead of national interests on the draft issue.
“Netanyahu and his gang made a major judgement mistake on thinking they can dodge it,” she tells me. “Because once you enforce on half the population that you have to go to the army, you cannot enforce that the other half will not go to the army. It’s not even secular versus religion. I see it as an equality issue. You can’t make laws that make half a population, second grade citizens.”
Earlier this year, a survey by the Israel Democracy Institute indicated that 70% of Israeli Jews wanted to end the blanket exemptions from military service for the ultra-Orthodox.
Despite earlier threats, so far ultra-Orthodox parties have not left the governing coalition over army conscription. Attempts continue to push forward an older bill – once rejected by Haredi leaders – that would lead to partial enlistment of their community.
At an ultra-Orthodox synagogue in Jerusalem, men of different ages are draped in their prayer shawls gathering for the morning service. Their conservative way of life is based on a strict interpretation of Jewish law and customs.
So far, just one Israeli army battalion, Netzah Yehuda, was set up specifically to accommodate ultra-Orthodox demands for gender segregation with special requirements for kosher food, and time set aside for prayers and daily rites.
Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer has called on the army to improve its relationship with the ultra-Orthodox community
But an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who works on issues of integration and is on the board of an NGO that supports the battalion, believes more compromises are possible and that a new Haredi brigade should be formed.
“It’s up to the Haredim to come to the table and say, we’re ready for real concessions, we’re ready to step out of our traditional comfort zone and do something proactive in finding the right framework that will allow more Haredi to serve,” says Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer.
He suggests thousands of young ultra-Orthodox men who do not currently do full-time Torah study – finding themselves unsuited to academic rigours – should be encouraged to join the army like other Jewish Israelis their age.
For the Israeli military to live up to its reputation as “the People’s Army,” Rabbi Pfeffer also calls on it to do more to build trust and improve its relationship with his community. “There are a lot of accommodations needed, but they’re not rocket science,” he comments.
So far, the process of implementing the ultra-Orthodox draft appears gradual.
More than 60,000 ultra-Orthodox men are registered as yeshiva students and have been receiving an exemption from military service. But since last week’s Supreme Court ruling, the army has only been told to draft an additional 3,000 from the community, in addition to about 1,500 who already serve. It has also been told to devise plans to recruit larger numbers in coming years.
Back in Mea Shearim, after nightfall there are some protesters who take an extreme position, throwing stones at the police and spreading out in Jerusalem to attack the cars of two ultra-Orthodox politicians who they feel have let them down on military conscription.
Historically, this is an insulated section of society that resists change but now amid rising public pressure in Israel and the possibility of widening war, change appears unavoidable.