Global Newsstand: The unseen costs of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and more
A roundup of global commentary for the Dec. 3, 2018 weekly magazine.
A boy rides his bike as Palestinians gather during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, east of Gaza City, on Sept. 14, 2018.
Felipe Dana/AP
The Jordan Times / Amman, Jordan
Unseen costs of Israeli-Palestinian conflict
“Another ‘war’ between Israel and Hamas has ended on [Nov. 13] with the declaration of yet another truce brokered by Egypt,” states an editorial. “The countless flare-ups between Israel and Hamas since the ‘big one’ in 2014, when an all-out war occurred between the two sides, do not seem to end.... The unseen casualties of the fighting, both physical and emotional, are many.... As long as a state of siege is applied on Gaza, the Palestinian people in the strip have no future.... The two sides need to enter into a serious dialogue on how to attain a permanent truce ... hopefully by peaceful means on the basis of the two-state solution.... That goal remains a dream for the time being.”
The Jakarta Post / Jakarta, Indonesia
Long-term solutions for Rohingya crisis demand regional intervention
“As leaders from [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations] are meeting in Singapore, it’s vital that they work together to find lasting solutions for Rohingya refugees across the region, and to address the root causes of the statelessness and displacement crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine State...,” write Lilianne Fan and Rachael Reilly. “ASEAN governments should commit to a concrete plan to improve conditions for and uphold the rights of all Rohingya refugees in the region.... This means putting diplomatic pressure on Myanmar to end discrimination and human rights abuses against the Rohingya.... The mistakes of the past must not be repeated. It’s time to break the cycle of persecution and flight....”
Haaretz / Tel Aviv
Facebook needs to manage fake news in Israel, too
“Facebook and its WhatsApp and Instagram apps have a monopoly on social media...,” states an editorial. “Since the November 2016 U.S. election, Facebook’s management has come under growing criticism for the social network’s propagation of rumors.... On [Nov. 14], it became clear that Moshe Leon’s victory in the second round of the Jerusalem mayoral election, [Nov. 13], was due in part to an enormous campaign of fake news.... Facebook made a major effort to fight fake news during the U.S. midterm elections. Inter alia, it labeled every political ad in America.... [T]hese steps have yet to be taken in the Israeli market. It looks like the ‘post-truth’ era isn’t going anywhere.”
The Sydney Morning Herald / Sydney, Australia
#MeToo voices should be trusted as they adjust to newfound attention
“For decades now women have been adjusting their voices in order to be heard,” writes Julia Baird. “To enter the world of men, in courtrooms, conferences and parliaments we’ve been told to lower and slow our voices.... Which brings me to #MeToo.... What we are witnessing now is a profound stirring, a torrent of voices, tales, experiences, that have never before been spoken, or believed. And we need to let the torrent run. It will have moments of chaos, confusion and over-reach and no one will agree with everything said but this is hardly surprising for a global mass mobilisation. The real problem is not whether you can trust women’s stories.... It is whether women can trust the investigative and legal processes that gauge the merits of charges of harassment or assault.”
Maclean’s / Toronto
May’s government seems determined to commit to Brexit, despite crisis
“On [Nov. 14], U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May announced that ... her government had a draft agreement in place with Brussels on the terms by which the U.K. could achieve Brexit...,” writes Tabatha Southey. “Two high-profile cabinet ministers ... resigned in protest of the nascent withdrawal agreement. Two junior ministers and two parliamentary aides joined them.... For her part, May seems determined to die on Brexit Hill, rebuffing any suggestion that the British people be given another vote.... This is all a cautionary tale on the inherent danger of trying to implement slogan as policy.... The lesson here is a simple one: never underestimate people’s ability to select the most outlandish answer on any questionnaire.”