This Week in Politics
Hamas attack on Israel
October 7 marked a change in the Middle East, Hamas or the Islamic resistance movement launched a large attack on the State of Israel. Surprising the Israelis by shooting thousands of rockets into Israel, this was followed by an unprecedented land invasion reaching far into Israel’s territory with support from the air and sea. The target was military infrastructure. Furthermore, Hamas took hostages in the Gaza Strip, a densely populated area. In response the Israelis blocked all forms of transport between Israel and the 2 million people living in Gaza, the blockade included food and water. The Israeli response has seen criticism from humanitarian organisations such as Amnesty International, and organisations like the Red Cross are at hard work helping those in need.
The Prime Minister of Israel proclaimed that this was a declaration of war by Hamas, 120 Israeli soldiers and over a thousand Israeli civilians had been killed by this point. The surprising attack by Hamas has seen widespread condemnation by the West and the globe, with Sweden suspending all aid to Palestine in fear that the money may end up in Hamas’s hands. The European Union is moreover investigating their aid to Palestine, if they were to suspend funds it would be a devastating blow to Palestine and its residents. An Israeli land invasion of the Gaza Strip is a possibility, this would endanger countless lives, but, the pursuit of Hamas’s annihilation may be seen as a price Israel is willing to pay. Old wounds that never really healed have reopened, endangering millions. The conflict as it stands will only perpetuate, Hamas attacks Israel and Israel attacks Hamas, then Hamas attacks Israel for attacking them and so on. Hamas wants an independent Palestine. If Palestine and Israel are to work and end the conflict they must choose each other to move forward, despite their differences. If the killing and destruction are to end, the Israeli and Palestinian populations must combine to make efforts for peace and cooperation.
Labour gearing up for general election
The United Kingdom’s opposition leader and labour leader Keir Stamer is gearing up for the upcoming general election, starting with a conference in Liverpool. Presenting policy plans and what change Labour wants to accomplish, perhaps most importantly trying to portray the sense that their a government ready to go. Labours ahead in the polls, they are nearly twice as big as the Conservatives. However, Mr. Stamer is not leaving anything to chance, Hoping to stay in control of popular opinion and keep the image that his party is ready to lead. If this conference is any indication of the future it would be: Labourers are not going to sit tight and hope the polls hold all the way to election day, rather they’re going to continue striking the Conservatives while the iron is hot making sure they don’t rise.
CDU and AfD victory in Germany
After the devastating federal election of 2021, the main opposition party the CDU won big in state elections, showcasing the unpopular rule of current chancellor Olaf Sholtz and his coalition partners. The CDU gained votes in Hessen and the CSU (the CDU: ‘s sister party) was one of only three parties to not lose seats in Bavaria. The liberal FDP looked to be on track to not even reach 5% in both states, the minimum threshold to enter parliament. This is worrisome news for the FDP with the head of the FDP in the state of Thuringia saying that the party should be ready to leave the national coalitions, Thuringia is set for state elections next year. None of the parties in Mr Scholtz’s government made gains in Hessen or Bavaria; the best showing among the governing parties saw the SPD lose 1.3%. This reflects the national polls and is an indication that Germany longs back towards the CDU years of the past.
SMER suspended from the European socialist party
The winner of Slovakia’s election, the SMER party has been suspended by the European socialists party. This is because of their pro-Russia stance. The president of the European socialist party, Stefan Löven, already hinted that the Slovakian election winner may be suspended before the election due to their populist tilt. Notably, the SMER party wasn’t a full-on member, rater an associated party.
