Month: October 2023

Teaching and Discussing the Israel-Hamas Conflict

Posted on by Scot Wilson

In last week’s post, we provided some background about what is happening in Israel and Gaza. In this week’s post, we offer some additional resources that could help students and teachers understand what is happening.

Axios gathered a list of people, places, and terms that could help people engage with news stories about the conflict.

U.S. News and World Report created a timeline, going back to 1896, that gives historical context to the conflict. Additionally, the Council on Foreign Relations created a timeline, going back to 1947, to help people understand the Israel-Hamas crisis.

Our partners at A Starting Point created this explainer about the fact that the U.S. Department of Defense is considering deploying troops to Israel in an advisory capacity.

 

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To provide additional context for debates about the role of the U.S. in the world, A Starting Point also has background videos on different views about foreign aid and the question of why the United States should commit resources to conflicts in other parts of the world.

Instead of discussion questions, we close this blog post with two questions for teachers:

  1. What are your goals when teaching about or discussing the Israel-Hamas conflict with your students?
  2. What resources have you found helpful when teaching about this challenging issue?

As always, we encourage you to join the discussion with your comments or questions below.

 

Sources

Featured Image Credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters

 

The Israel-Hamas War

Posted on by Scot Wilson

HamasThe Hamas Attack Launches

On the morning of October 7, 2023, the militant Palestinian nationalist group Hamas unleashed an unprecedented terrorist attack against Israel. Over 5,000 rockets launched from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip (one of two semi-autonomous regions of Israel designated for Palestinian residents). These rocket attacks were immediately followed by thousands of Hamas fighters tearing down fences and barricades and crossing into Israel on trucks, on armored vehicles, aboard boats, on foot, and in some cases via small paraglider aircraft. Hamas killed over 1,400 Israelis, wounded over 3,000 more, and took over 200 Israeli hostages who remain in captivity.1

Hamas has claimed its actions are justified by what it views to be the criminal treatment of Palestinians in Israel by the Israeli government, citing the conditions Palestinians live under in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Israel has categorized the Hamas attack as unprovoked and unjustifiably brutal while also criticizing the role they have played in disrupting peace efforts and preventing government aid from reaching Palestinians living in Gaza.2

The Israeli Response

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel is in a state of war. The ensuing counterattack by Israeli Defense Forces, including ground operations by Israeli troops and bombing attacks in Gaza, have claimed the lives of over 3,000 Palestinians and injured an additional 12,500.3 The IDF has begun to amass hundreds of thousands of soldiers along the border for an expected invasion of the Gaza Strip.4 As the air campaign has continued and the invasion is prepared, the Israeli government has issued an evacuation warning to the over one million Palestinians currently living in the northern part of the territory, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.5 Another Israeli response has been to shut down water and electricity to the Gaza Strip which, as an already impoverished and overpopulated area, faces the possibility of a humanitarian crisis as access to food, shelter, clean water, and medical care dwindles.6

The Role of the United States and Allies

Adding to the stakes in the Israel-Hamas conflict have been a series of rocket and artillery exchanges between Israel and soldiers in southern Lebanon along Israel’s northern border on the opposite side of the country. These soldiers are suspected of belonging to another militant faction—Hezbollah—who have bases of power throughout Lebanon and Syria.7 Israel has also bombed airstrips in Lebanon and Syria in an effort to limit the supply lines of Hezbollah fighters.8 Hezbollah and Hamas have historically benefited from the support of many of Israel’s neighboring countries, particularly Iran. This has prompted suspicions that Iran may have been involved in both the Hezbollah and Hamas attacks.9 Meanwhile, Iranian officials have released statements warning Israel about the consequences of invading Gaza.10

While Israel does not have many close allies in the region and has been at odds with most of its Arab-majority/Muslim-majority neighbors since it was founded in 1948 (including several wars), Israel does benefit from strong relations with many powerful nations around the world, including most members of the European Union and, particularly, the United States. Since 1951, the United States has provided over $225 billion in military aid to Israel (adjusting for inflation), accounting for over 70 percent of all military aid Israel receives from other countries. U.S. aid to Israel accounts for a full 16 percent of Israel’s defense budget.11

In general, pro-Israeli policies are widely popular in the United States. Every president since 1948 has made a firm commitment to supporting the State of Israel and affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself; nearly every member of Congress has gone on record expressing the same.12 A small minority of U.S. elected officials have expressed criticism of Israel and its policies toward its Palestinian citizens, but these statements typically are met with fervent opposition by colleagues.13 However, the United States has also directed several billion dollars of aid to the Palestinian Authority over several decades.14

The U.S. role in the conflict was recently highlighted by two developments in the Israel-Hamas war. On October 17, a hospital in Gaza suffered a missile strike, drawing alarm from the international community. Initially, the strike was attributed to Israel. However, the IDF was quick to release intelligence suggesting that the incident was the result of a misfired missile from Islamic Jihad, a pro-Hamas faction within Gaza. The confusion surrounding the attack hung over President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel the following day, during which he announced an agreement between the United States and Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza from Egypt under the conditions that it be subject to inspection and that it be kept from pro-Hamas forces.15

The Fear of Escalation

The strength of the U.S.-Israel alliance, as well as the staunch opposition to Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah, and most of its neighboring countries—many of which also have unfavorable views of the U.S. role in the Middle East—contributes to fears of escalation. As the well-armed and organized Israeli military prepares to take action in Gaza, speculation swirls around what actions the international community will deem acceptable and what might be considered going too far. Conversely, on top of launching the first strike, Hamas has encouraged Palestinians to refuse to comply with IDF evacuation warnings and prepare to fight, and has shown no willingness to end the fighting.16 The stakes of the conflict have left many wondering if the Israel-Hamas war can remain confined and others asking whether it should.17

Discussion Questions

  1. Should the international community, including the United States, take a more active role in the Israel-Hamas war? What kinds of actions do you think would be appropriate? Are there any actions which should be avoided?
  2. At least 30 American citizens were killed in the initial Hamas attacks that began the war. Does this give the United States the right to take direct military action itself? Should the United States take such action?
  3. As explained in the article, the United States currently provides foreign aid to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Should the United States continue to support both groups or should these priorities be re-evaluated?
  4. Several countries around the world, not including the United States, have shut down and even banned protests that express pro-Hamas or antisemitic (anti-Jewish) messages on the grounds that they promote violence. Do you agree with this policy? How, if at all, should the U.S. government or state/local governments address similar protests in the United States?

RELATED POSTS

As always, we encourage you to join the discussion with your comments or questions below.

 

Sources

Featured Image Credit: Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times
[1] https://abcnews.go.com/International/timeline-surprise-rocket-attack-hamas-israel/story?id=103816006
[2] https://www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/war-hamas-always-wanted
[3] https://abcnews.go.com/International/timeline-surprise-rocket-attack-hamas-israel/story?id=103816006
[4] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/16/israeli-forces-tanks-amass-at-border-with-gaza
[5] https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/16/why-israels-gaza-evacuation-order-so-alarming#:~:text=On%20Friday%2C%20the%20Israeli%20army,for%20the%20safety%20of%20civilians.
[6] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-says-gaza-water-still-cut-off-israel-says-some-provided-south-2023-10-16/#:~:text=Israel%20stopped%20piping%20water%20to,it%20was%20resuming%20some%20supplies.
[7] https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-hezbollah-clashes-cadccde8c6ce5400ee36fd12d3bfea52
[8] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-state-tv-says-israeli-attack-targets-aleppo-damascus-airports-2023-10-12/
[9] https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-palestinian-hamas-hezbollah-iran-2ccfaa49139358e6d2add89878a0cfe4
[10] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/17/iran-warns-of-preemptive-action-against-israel-amid-gaza-war
[11] https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-military-aid-does-the-us-give-to-israel/#:~:text=Between%201951%20and%202022%2C%20Israel,Israel%20has%20funded%20military%20efforts.
[12] https://www.chosenpeople.com/u-s-presidents-israel-1948-today/
[13] https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4260972-tlaib-criticizes-biden-after-israel-strikes-hospital-in-gaza-we-will-remember-where-you-stood/
[14] https://www.state.gov/u-s-support-for-the-palestinian-people/
[15] https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-heads-middle-east-inflamed-by-gaza-hospital-blast-2023-10-18/
[16] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-tells-gaza-residents-stay-home-israel-ground-offensive-looms-2023-10-13/
[17] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/15/iran-warns-israel-of-regional-escalation-if-gaza-ground-offensive-launched

 

Young Americans’ Views on the 2024 Presidential Election

Posted on by Scot Wilson

Over the last two weeks, we have explored results from American University’s Reimagining the American Dream Survey, conducted in partnership with Close Up, the Generation Lab, and the Millennial Action Project. This third and final post will examine Gen Z’s’ 2024 election views and ideas.

As a reminder, the survey from American University’s Sine Institute of Policy & Politics explored “what the American Dream actually means for young Americans, who are trying to sort through the churning dynamics shaping their lives, including: spiraling technological innovation, major economic transitions, changing attitudes about social justice, and what constitutes a good, or ‘successful,’ life after a devastating global pandemic with profound impacts on their physical and mental health, the extent of which is still unknown.” The 2024 presidential survey explored a broad range of issues including the upcoming election.

The first major finding is that young Americans do not yet feel fully engaged or invested in the 2024 presidential election, even though a majority agree that the outcome of the election will have a major impact on their lives. Gen Z leans toward supporting President Joe Biden, but almost a third lean toward the Republican Party and a quarter of respondents are undecided.

When young Americans were asked to list the top three issues that will drive their decisions in 2024, four out of the top five issues they listed were economic issues. Healthcare (25%), the economy and cost of living (24%), affordable housing (24%), and issues related to the workforce (21%) were all listed as a top 3 issue by at least 20 percent of respondents, indicating the extent to which Gen Z is thinking about the economy. Three other issues—reproductive rights (23 percent), the environment and climate change (21 percent), and gun violence (20 percent)—were also listed as top-three issues by at least 20 percent of respondents.

Of course, the 2024 election is still over a year away, so there is plenty of time for Gen Z—and all voters—to become more engaged, to reassess their priorities, and to reconsider their vote. This 2024 presidential survey is only a snapshot, but it is a snapshot of young Americans’ views, and Gen Z tends to be underrepresented in the political discourse. That makes this snapshot important and useful for those who care about engaging young people in U.S. democracy.

Discussion Questions

  1. Have you begun to pay attention to the 2024 election? What are your thoughts and observations?
  2. How do your political preferences align with the views of young Americans in Image 1? Are you leaning toward a Democratic, Republican, or independent candidate, or are you undecided?
  3. How does the list of priorities in Image 2 compare to your own list? Is there an issue that you would rank more highly than health care, affordable housing, or the economy?
  4. Are there any issues that you would add to the list of priorities that young Americans identified? (see Image 2)

As always, we encourage you to join the discussion with your comments or questions below.

 

Sources

Featured Image Credit: EPA-EFE; AFP; Reuters (compiled by Straits Times)

 

Young Americans’ Views on Politics and Political Engagement

Posted on by Scot Wilson

Last week, we introduced the results of American University’s Reimagining the American Dream Survey, conducted in partnership with Close Up, the Generation Lab, and the Millennial Action Project.

The survey explored “what the American Dream actually means for young Americans, who are trying to sort through the churning dynamics shaping their lives, including: spiraling technological innovation, major economic transitions, changing attitudes about social justice, and what constitutes a good, or ‘successful,’ life after a devastating global pandemic with profound impacts on their physical and mental health, the extent of which is still unknown.”

This week, we are examining what the results tell us about young Americans’ views of politics, political engagement, and civic life. One key finding is that youth involvement in politics includes a wide variety of activities like voting, signing petitions, volunteering for service organizations, and staying informed about issues.

The findings of this youth civic engagement survey also show how young people think about what they want from political action. In the image nearby (Image 2), we see which forms of political engagement are most effective. This shows that many respondents did not believe that working on a campaign, participating in demonstrations and rallies, or contacting elected officials are likely to be effective. However, they largely believe that voting in elections is effective.

What’s more, young people say that being effective and having an impact is the most important priority when they think about taking political action. They also view helping people and creating social and political change as highly important.

One piece of data that stands out in this survey is that young people do not rank convenience, ease, or the ability to do the work online as high priorities. These findings cut against a common narrative or stereotype about young people, that they will take action only if it is easy or can be done through social media.

Finally, the findings of this youth civic engagement survey show that young people have a clear agenda for political leaders. Topping the list of priorities is ensuring a healthy environment, offering quality education for all, and making higher education more affordable.

In next week’s blog post, we will look at the results of this survey one more time—to see what young Americans are saying about the 2024 presidential election.

Discussion Questions

  1. What political activities do you think are most effective? How do your responses match the views of young Americans in this survey (see Image 2)?
  2. What political activities, if any, have you engaged in? Why did you do those things in the past? What political activities could you see yourself participating in in the future?
  3. What do you want from your political engagement? How do your priorities match the survey respondents’ answers (see Image 3)?
  4. What issues are most important to you? How do your priorities match the survey respondents’ answers (see Image 4)?

As always, we encourage you to join the discussion with your comments or questions below.

 

Sources

Featured Image Credit: Pexels / Markus Spiske