Ali Mamouri, Deakin University | – (The Conversation) – Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has vowed to inflict “harsh punishment” on Israel in retaliation for the assassination of the top Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. Haniyeh’s killing is a critical escalation in the already volatile and increasingly hostile region. But the severity […]
Israel’s Military starts drafting Ultra-Orthodox Jews, but will they Dodge the Draft on Religious Principle?
By Michael Brenner, American University | – (The Conversation) – In late July 2024, the Israeli military sent out the first 1,000 conscription notices to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, following a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that the government must stop exempting them. But will these Haredim, as the ultra-Orthodox are called in Israel, actually join the […]
The only Way to address the Threat of Microplastics in the Great Lakes is to Cut Plastic Production and Consumption
By Lewis Alcott, University of Bristol; Fereidoun Rezanezhad, University of Waterloo; Nancy Goucher, University of Waterloo; Philippe Van Cappellen, University of Waterloo; and Stephanie SlowinskiUniversity of Waterloo | – You would be hard-pressed to find a corner of the world free from microplastics, plastic particles measuring less than five millimetres. They contaminate our drinking water, […]
Polio in Gaza: What does this mean for the Region and the World
By Michael Toole, Burnet Institute | – (The Conversation) – As war continues to devastate Gaza and its people, we learnt last week that a variant of poliovirus has been detected in the region. The virus was isolated in six sewage samples collected in late June from Khan Younis and Deir al Balah. Most infections […]
Can Israel and Hezbollah be pulled back from the Brink of War?
By Amin Saikal, Australian National University | – (The Conversation) – The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in intense diplomacy to persuade the protagonists to pull back from the brink. But US efforts have […]
As Hamas War drags on, Israeli Democracy Craters
By Michal Ben-Josef Hirsch, Suffolk University | – (The Conversation) – As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to address a joint session of U.S. Congress on July 24, 2024, the nation he leads continues its slide away from democracy. Even before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the country was engulfed by an […]
US pays Lip Service to a Palestinian State — But Blocks it in Practice
By Dennis Jett, Penn State | – Spain, Ireland and Norway recognized a Palestinian state in May 2024, bringing the total number of countries that do so to 144. The United States is not one of them. The U.S. has officially favored a two-state solution, meaning both Israel and a Palestinian state would be recognized […]
Massive IT Outage spotlights major Vulnerabilities in the global information Ecosystem
By Richard Forno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County | – (The Conversation) – The global information technology outage on July 19, 2024, that paralyzed organizations ranging from airlines to hospitals and even the delivery of uniforms for the Olympic Games represents a growing concern for cybersecurity professionals, businesses and governments. The outage is emblematic of […]
Lebanese Society is Split over a Potential War with Israel
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 […]