Lebanon Blast, Gaza’s Lost Generation, Jerusalem Settlements, and More
The latest at Inkstick Media.
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In the besieged Gaza Strip, high school students have lost time in the classroom as death and destruction continue to mount around them. As Muhammad Ali* reports, the war has prompted United Nations experts to accuse Israel of “scholasticide.”
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers have garnered the help of the country’s far-right government to ramp up settlement expansion in Jerusalem, a city that holds special importance in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike. As Hannah McCarthy notes in a new article, the settlement surge has left Palestinians and other minority groups in the city angry and desperate.
Elsewhere, Lebanon just marked the fourth anniversary of the deadly explosion that rocked Beirut in August 2020. In a new dispatch by Madeline Edwards, migrant workers in the country — already exploited — recount the tragedies they endured that day.
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“It’s Time to Rein in the Pentagon’s Costly Wishlists” by Sofia Guerra & Allen Hester (Aug. 5)
The Department of Defense uses so-called Pentagon wishlists to request tens of billions of dollars above the president’s budget request. This year alone, such lists totaled $30.8 billion of additional programming, on top of an already massive $895 billion defense budget request.
“How Myanmar’s Junta Misread China’s Intentions” by Jason Tower (Aug. 6)
While China’s interventions to halt fighting in Myanmar have failed, belligerents are more dependent on Beijing. As the conflict presses on, China will likely continue to exert significant sway over the battlefield.
“Four Years Later, Migrant Workers Reflect on Beirut Blast” by Madeline Edwards (Aug. 6)
In August 2020, a blast at the Beirut port killed hundreds and wreaked billions over dollars in damage across the city. Long neglected, Lebanon’s migrant domestic workers who survived the Beirut explosion feel forgotten and traumatized.
“Gaza’s Lost Generation” by Muhammad Ali* (Aug. 7)
For the residents of Gaza, war was already an occasional reality. Yet, since Oct. 7, Israel’s war in the besieged coastal enclave has destroyed schools and displaced the majority of the Strip’s residents. As a consequence, school students have lost crucial time in their studies.
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“Deep Dive: Taiwan’s Dynastic Politics” by Emily Tamkin (Aug. 8)
In a recent issue of Japanese Journal of Political Science, Nathan F. Batto and Benjamin L. Read pose a chicken or egg question of sorts: Are candidates from established political families more likely to win than their non-dynastic counterparts because of their family legacy, or because of the individual characteristics they bring to elections?
“With Eyes on Gaza, Israel Ramps Up Jerusalem Settlements” by Hannah McCarthy (Aug. 9)
Since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October, settlers have seized the opportunity to expand their presence in occupied East Jerusalem, once considered the future capital of a Palestinian state.
From the desk of Patrick Strickland, managing editor of Inkstick Media.
Photo: A sign in Jerusalem’s Old City points the way to the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Levi Meir Clancy via Unsplash)