Water as a source of hope in the Middle East

+ UAW's tentative deal with Ford and Stellantis US Edition - Today's top story: Collaborative water management can be a building block for peace between Israelis and Palestinians [View in browser]( US Edition | 30 October 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [‘The days of low-wage, unstable jobs at the Big Three [automakers] are coming to an end’]( - [When criticism of Israel is and isn’t antisemitic]( - [The little-known ways Halloween has influenced Day of the Dead]( Lead story With Israeli troops pushing into the Gaza Strip, it’s hard to envision peace between Israelis and Palestinians in the near term. But there are areas where cooperation has been possible in the past, and might be so again. One of them is a looming challenge across the Middle East: water. Environmental scholars Clive Lipchin and Richard Friend explain how Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians have worked together at the Arava Institute in southern Israel to develop technologies and strategies for providing water and sanitation to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. As they see it, [working together on shared water challenges]( “is the only future that is possible for the intertwined reality of Israelis and Palestinians.” [ [Understand what’s going on in Washington and around the world. Get our Politics Weekly newsletter.]( ] Jennifer Weeks Senior Environment + Cities Editor Palestinians fill drinking water containers at a distribution site in Khan Yunis, south Gaza, on Oct. 8, 2023. Mohammed Talatene/picture alliance via Getty Images [Collaborative water management can be a building block for peace between Israelis and Palestinians]( Clive Lipchin, Tel Aviv University; Richard Friend, University of York As the war between Hamas and Israel grinds forward, two experts explain how Israelis and Palestinians have cooperated to tackle their region’s water challenges. Economy + Business - [United Auto Workers union hails its tentative strike-ending deals with Ford and Stellantis that would raise top assembly-plant hourly pay to more than $40 as ‘record contracts’]( Marick Masters, Wayne State University Rank-and-file union members employed by the automakers have to ratify the new contracts before they can become final. Politics + Society - [Jewish response to Hamas war criticism comes from deep sense of trauma, active grief and fear]( Dov Waxman, University of California, Los Angeles Many people who aren’t Jewish are responding as if what’s been taking place is just another episode of Israeli-Palestinian violence. But it’s different for many Jews. - [In the Israel-Hamas war, children are the ultimate pawns – and ultimate victims]( Omer Bartov, Brown University For Jewish people, Hamas’ violence against children was reminiscent of the Holocaust. For Palestinians, the Israel Defense Force’s killing their children reminds them of a painful past, too. Ethics + Religion - [Day of the Dead is taking on Halloween traditions, but the sacred holiday is far more than a ‘Mexican Halloween’]( Mathew Sandoval, Arizona State University Halloween’s influence is transforming popular festivities around Día de los Muertos and its ceremonial customs in rural and urban areas of Mexico in some fascinating ways. - [Palestinian Christians and Muslims have lived together in the region for centuries − and several were killed recently while sheltering in the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius]( Christine Shepardson, University of Tennessee Many Christian and Muslim families in Gaza today were displaced following the creation of new Arab and Jewish states. Today, Palestinian Christians occupy a complicated place in this region. Education - [This course uses big data to examine how American newspapers covered lynchings]( Rob Wells, University of Maryland Student journalists are using spreadsheets and databases to examine one of the darkest chapters in American history. Health + Medicine - [Violent and disturbing war images from the Mideast can stir deep emotions − a PTSD expert explains how to protect yourself and your kids from overexposure]( Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University People, including children and adolescents, are being exposed to horrifying imagery in the news and on social media. But there are ways to stay informed without overconsuming harmful content. Science + Technology - [Are ghosts real? A social psychologist examines the evidence]( Barry Markovsky, University of South Carolina Ghosts can be spooky fun, but there’s no evidence they exist. Trending on site - [Being humble about what you know is just one part of what makes you a good thinker]( - [Turkey faces competing pressures from Russia and the West to end its ‘middleman strategy’ and pick a side on the war in Ukraine]( - [Space rocks and asteroid dust are pricey, but these aren’t the most expensive materials used in science]( Reader Comments 💬 “Important to note that roundabouts fit cars, but not walking (crossing distance is extended), cycling (more exposed to be mowed-down by a vehicle) or public transport (bus passengers are exposed to uncomfortable centrifugal forces). When inserted in cities, the overall effect is often anti-urban because they further entrench car-dependency and transport related carbon-emissions. ‘Efficient’ for cars doesn’t always mean good for society. There are of course differences depending on size and the particulars of the design.” – Elek Pafka on the story [What are roundabouts? 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