Author: Joe Meadors

Joe Meadors grew up in Saudi Arabia and spent 22 years living in the Kingdom. He was aboard the USS Liberty when the ship was attacked by the Israeli Defense Forces in 1967 and has been in the forefront of the effort to ensure the US government finally investigates the attack. He also participated in Freedom Flotilla I in 2010 whose goal was to break the blockade of Gaza only to be brutally attacked by the IDF who killed 9 human rights activists on the MV Mavi Marmara. The death of one American citizen on the Mavi Marmara elicited nary a peep of outrage or condemnation from the State Department. This follows the outrageous precedent the State Department initiated when 34 Americans were killed on the USS Liberty which was followed by silence from the State Department. Meadors is an eye-witness to and a victim of this policy. His background gives him a unique perspective as an American citizen when it comes to issues involving the Middle East. He will be sharing that perspective in his articles for The Arab Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected].