IN THIS EPISODE:
- Middle Eastern experts have a discussion about whether a peaceful resolution is possible in the region as the Israel-Hamas war continues.
- The University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs released a new poll ahead of Election Day.
- The Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence organization is on the front lines battling domestic violence after an increase in cases.
Watch on KPRC 2 and KPRC 2+ at 10 a.m.
History is not a positive indicator for peace in the Middle East
The Hamas attack against Israel two weeks ago has ignited days of intense attacks by Israel on what military leaders say are critical Hamas targets. Hamas also continues to fire rockets toward Israel. It is a pattern seen before, and if history is an indicator, the region is a long way from a peaceful resolution.
“People from Henry Kissinger to James Baker to Antony Blinken have all tried to work on it,” said Mark P. Jones, a political science fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. “No one’s had any success, and it’s one of those situations that seems pretty intractable. While there’s hope for peace, at the present time it doesn’t seem likely, at least in the near or immediate term.”
Jones is a guest on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall, along with Emran El-Badawi, the University of Houston ‘s Director of Middle Eastern Studies. It is a wide ranging discussion about the causes of this latest conflict and ways to bring it to an end end. El-Badawi says it’s important not to conflate Palestinians with Hamas.
“There’s a problem of course, which is the complete dehumanization of Palestinians by associating them with Hamas, with ISIS Nazis,” El-Badawi said. “These are literally the native inhabitants dying in their own homes.”
See more of our Middle East conversation on this week’s Houston Newsmakers EXTRA
Undecided voters lead in the Houston Controller race
The latest poll from the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs paints a clear picture on a number of issues Houston area voters will be asked to vote on starting on Oct. 23. The poll gives the mayor’s nod to Texas Senator John Whitmire (D-Houston) by a small margin in the general election with a bigger margin in an anticipated runoff against Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston). The poll also shows a huge number of voters are unsure about who to vote for in the City of Houston Controller’s race with former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins leading former Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez with 45% of likely voters asked saying they don’t know who they’ll vote for. We also talk about the ineffectiveness of Congress because of the GOP’s inability to pick a leader who can be elected speaker of the House.
Domestic violence incidents and deaths increase
The Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence (AVDA) is an organization that is on the front lines in the fight against domestic violence. AVDA CEO Maisha Colter says the evidence is all the incentive they need.
“We had 204 people killed by an intimate partner here in Texas last year,” she said.
Colter says AVDA provides many services to those needing help getting out of dangerous situations.
“Leaving is a dangerous time, so they need to understand how to leave and how to leave safely. We try to do that through many of the organizations,” Colter said. “Whether it’s a shelter or an organization like ours that’s not a shelter but a real resource.”
Find out how the partnerships with other organizations enhance the help provided throughout the region and how you can help.
For more information on this week’s Houston Newsmakers
· Emran El-Badawi, Ph.D. Director, UH Middle Eastern Studies Program
· Website: https://www.uh.edu/class/mcl/faculty/el-badawi_e/index
· Mark Jones, Ph.D. Political Science Fellow, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University
· Website: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/mark-p-jones
· Maisha Colter, CEO AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse
· Website: https://avda.org/about/our-leadership/