Rola El-Husseini, Lund University | – (The Conversation) – Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel in solidarity with Palestinians shortly after the start of the war in Gaza. These attacks prompted skirmishes along the border that have escalated and spread further into the territory of both countries. On July 10, for example, the Israeli […]
Hopes for Gaza Ceasefire Fade Again
Sam Phelps, The Conversation | – Northern and central Gaza have been hit by Israeli airstrikes this week as troops return to battle Hamas fighters in areas they claimed to have cleared many months ago. The intensified military offensive unfolded just days after mediators thought they were making headway in negotiations for a ceasefire. On […]
‘One inch from a potential civil war’ – near Miss in Trump shooting is also a close call for American democracy
By Arie Perliger, UMass Lowell | – With an assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, the U.S. experienced another violent episode in its increasingly polarized politics. Former President Trump, who’s about to formally become the GOP nominee for president in the 2024 election, survived the attempted assassination […]
How Israel has brought the Palestinian Authority to the Brink of financial Collapse
By Dalia Alazzeh, University of the West of Scotland and Shahzad Uddin, University of Essex | – (The Conversation) – Israel’s ultranationalist finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced in May that he would be witholding tax revenues earmarked for Palestine. The decision was made in response to Spain, Ireland and Norway’s recognition of a Palestinian state. […]
Record Israeli Land Grab fuels already soaring Tension in the West Bank
By Serag El Hegazi, University of Bradford | – (The Conversation) – Israel has reportedly approved its largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades, according to a report released on July 3 by Israeli anti-settlement watchdog, Peace Now. The seizure involves more than 12 sq km of land in […]
Extreme Heat Waves Broiling the US in 2024 aren’t Normal: How Climate Change is Heating up the World
By Mathew Barlow, UMass Lowell and Jeffrey Basara, UMass Lowell | – (The Conversation) – Less than a month into summer 2024, the vast majority of the U.S. population has already experienced an extreme heat wave. Millions of people were under heat warnings across the western U.S. in early July or sweating through humid heat […]
Iran’s new Reformist President offers Hope to the West and Cover for the Conservative Establishment
By Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, SOAS, University of London | – (The Conversation) – Good news for democracy in Iran – words which in recent times, particularly in western news reports, are rarely seen in the same sentence. But the election of Masoud Pezeshkian as president of Iran must be seen as a positive development. Pezeshkian is […]
Climate Crisis sees rise in illegal Water Markets in the Middle East
By Christian Klassert, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ and Samer Talozi, Jordan University for Science and Technology | – (The Conversation) – In Jordan’s cities, green tanker trucks supplying water are a common sight. The average Jordanian only receives one and a half days of access to piped water per week. When taps run dry, […]
Sudan is now Confronting its most severe Food Security Crisis on Record
By Rob Vos, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Khalid Siddig, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | – (The Conversation) – After 14 months of escalating internal conflict, Sudan is now confronting its most severe food security crisis on record. The latest situation report, released on 27 June, reveals a grim picture: more […]