On today’s NOTICE News: Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the Middle East this week with a difficult mission—try to ease tensions between Israel and Palestine following the worst violence there in years. Plus: A radioactive capsule goes missing. Here’s a transcript of today’s show.
Discussion Questions
- How is the violence between the Israelis and Palestinians in the past month different from the usual state of things?
- Why would it be important for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet with both Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on his trip to the Middle East?
- For what reason was the state of Israel created in 1948?
- Just prior to the creation of Israel as a Jewish state in 1948, who had been ruling over the native Palestinians?
- Why do you think there were severe consequences for the coach imitating a player on the court, and why might those consequences have even extended to the team itself, costing them their season?
- Why was the lost capsule so dangerous to be out in the open, unaccounted for? Even if people didn’t come across it in the remote area of the Australian outback, how else could it have been harmful?
Writing Prompts
- For what reason would the Palestinian population have been against the creation of Israel in the Middle East in 1948? Explain why many thought at the time that creating a Jewish state was still necessary. Even without a lot of background knowledge on this root conflict in the Middle East, do you think there could ever be a resolution, and how so?
- While some people believe that a two-state solution could solve the conflict between the Israelis and Palestianians, there has also been increased frustration over time about Palestinian territory being relegated or based only in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Why would it be natural for a people to be frustrated by limits to their allocated territory? Can you think of any other examples in history that illustrate a similar frustration?
- Materials used in scientific research or other scientific purposes can often have unknown and even dangerous consequences, causing panic when those materials are released. Is such panic warranted? If such problems can arise from materials being mishandled or lost, is it still worth using such things in order to forward scientific knowledge?
Further Reading
- Our top story: In West Bank, Secretary of State Blinken Presses For Two-State Solution (Reuters)
- Go deeper with this analysis: Israel And Palestinians Risk Deeper Conflict In A Distracted World (Reuters)
- Seriously: High school girls basketball team’s season over after 22-year-old coach impersonates 13-year-old player (Yahoo)
- How a tiny radioactive capsule was found in Australia’s vast outback – a good explainer from the BBC