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Australia has joined several other Western nations in pledging to recognise a Palestinian state at next month’s UN General Assembly. But is this enough?
Middle East expert Amin Saikal argues recognition won’t change much on the ground unless Israel also agrees to move forward on a two-state solution. And this will take action from Western states, not just symbolic messages.
Saikal says there are four things Western governments, and their allies and partners, can do to increase the pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to accede to a two-state solution.
Australia and its allies have tools at their disposal, Saikal writes. The question now is whether they have the political will to use them.
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Justin Bergman
International Affairs Editor
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Amin Saikal, The University of Western Australia
Western countries agree a two-state solution is the way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But are they willing to take action to make it happen?
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Sonia Mycak, Australian National University
Ukraine has already seen what a failed security arrangement leads to. The West must assume Russian promises won’t amount to anything.
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John Hawkins, University of Canberra
Behind the closed doors of the Cabinet Room, the treasurer is pushing for ‘concrete ideas’ that won’t cost Australia more.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a stunning attack on Prime Minister Albanese, calling him ‘weak’ and saying he ‘abandoned Australia’s Jews’.
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Micah Boerma, University of Southern Queensland; Daniel You, University of Sydney
World-first legislation will ban under 16s from certain social media platforms in less than four months. This could be a shock – but there are ways to prepare.
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Niven Winchester, Auckland University of Technology
England are clear favourites to win the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which kicks off on August 23. But that oval ball can bounce in unexpected directions.
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Simon Copland, Australian National University
A journalist’s deep dive into the manosphere asks big, important questions about why men are susceptible and what we can do. But it struggles to provide answers.
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Thomas Jeffries, Western Sydney University
This is a significant scientific development, but several hurdles remain before we might see these antibiotics available for use.
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Patrick Finnerty, University of Sydney; Euan Ritchie, Deakin University; Rhys Cairncross, University of Sydney
It’s entirely possible to see shy mountain pygmy-possums, alpine dingoes or furry cuscus with your own eyes – if you know where to go and how to look.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
After the Home Affairs Department cancelled the visas of prominent Israeli politicians, the Netanyahu government quickly retaliated.
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Health + Medicine
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Hunter Bennett, University of South Australia
Bone density is strongly linked to your risk of a fracture.
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Samuel Cornell, UNSW Sydney; Nick Haslam, The University of Melbourne
Certain personality traits may help explain why some educated, well-intentioned people sometimes reject conventional medicine in favour of fringe practices.
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Business + Economy
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Amir Arjomandi, University of Wollongong; Hassan F. Gholipour, Western Sydney University; Mohammad Reza Farzanegan, University of Marburg; Sharon Yam, Western Sydney University
Rising land values might sound good, but can create unexpected problems for farmers – including pushing younger farmers out altogether.
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Environment + Energy
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Robert Turnbull, The University of Melbourne; Joanne Birch, The University of Melbourne
Advances in imaging, text recognition and machine learning are transforming what can be done with collections of plants and fungi in herbaria and museums globally.
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Science + Technology
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John McCormick, Swinburne University of Technology
They’re not in our homes yet, but it might be just a matter of time as tech companies bet big on humanoid robots.
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Mojtaba Rajabi, The University of Queensland; Abbas Babaahmadi, The University of Queensland; Dee Ninis, Monash University
Australia is a long way from the tectonic plate boundaries where most earthquakes happen – but we can’t escape the forces they create.
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Arts + Culture
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Lauren Ball, The University of Queensland; Emily Burch, Southern Cross University; Pearl (Pui Ting) Wong, The University of Queensland
Most of us will, at some point, eat and drink certain things to impress others. This is usually fine, but in some cases can become a problem.
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The words of war
"Please, call it an 'invasion' of Ukraine, for that it is what it is, without any question. Invasion butchers sovereignty and everyone has a vested interest in it never succeeding, being tolerated, let alone rewarded."
Graeme Tychsen, Toronto NSW
BYO bags
"Fresh food markets like Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market are some of the worst culprits with soft plastics. They sell unpackaged fruits, vegetables, meat and fish but the stalls have giant rolls of plastic bags readily available. A single customer can and often does take a bag for each item they buy – including things like garlic, bananas and avocado. Just like we successfully banned plastic carry bags in supermarkets, we should insist that the fresh food markets phase out this practice."
Catherina Toh 
Rider rules
"People get on e-bikes often without any knowledge of the rules around using them or the rules other vehicles operate by. We wouldn't let people loose with motorcycles, cars or trucks unless we were sure they knew how to operate them safely. Why do we treat these vehicles differently?"
Mike Shellshear
We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.
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AUT
Auckland CBD, Auckland, New Zealand
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Full Time
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Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Parkville, Melbourne, Australia
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Contract
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Auckland University of Technology
Auckland, New Zealand
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Contract
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