UAlbany Experts Available to Discuss the Escalating Israeli–Palestinian Crisis

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 11, 2023) —Just before dawn on Saturday, Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip and that is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government, launched a surprise attack on Israel.

Since then, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared war against the group and the Israeli military has begun airstrikes into Gaza and cut off electricity and food and fuel deliveries to the region.

The combined death toll from the ongoing violence has passed 1,700, as of yesterday, with more than 900 killed and 2,700 injured in Israel and at least 830 people killed and 4,250 injured in Gaza, according to Palestinian and Israeli health services. Hundreds of buildings, including residential units, schools, hospitals and government buildings have also been damaged or destroyed.

The University at Albany has experts who can put Hamas’ attack and the ongoing tragedy into context—from a military, humanitarian, political and historical perspective.

• Victor Asal, professor, Department of Political Science, International Affairs, is an expert on the interaction of international relations and domestic politics and how this interaction influences ethnic conflict and ethnic terrorism. He teaches courses on world and comparative politics, political violence and oppression, negotiation and research design.
• David Banks, lecturer, Department of Geography and Planning, is the program director of globalization studies at UAlbany, which is designed to examine the social economic, cultural, political and environment forces that shape people and nations around the world. His teaching focuses on urban culture, digital technology, international planning cultures, and the finance industry’s influence on all of the above.
• Greg Nowell, associate professor, Political Science, International Affairs, researches the political economy of the oil market, economic regulation and technological transformation. He is author of “Mercantile States and the World Oil Cartel” (Cornell University Press 1994). Nowell’s interests include the dynamics of competition in global and Middle Eastern energy markets.

UAlbany experts are available via phone or live/recorded interviews. The University has an on-campus television studio available for remote interviews.

About the University at Albany:

The University at Albany is one of the most diverse public research institutions in the nation and a national leader in educational equity and social mobility. As a Carnegie-classified R1 institution, UAlbany and its faculty and students are creating critical new knowledge in fields such as artificial intelligence, atmospheric and environmental sciences, business, education, public health, social sciences, criminal justice, emergency preparedness, engineering, informatics, public administration and social welfare. Our courses are taught by an accomplished roster of faculty experts with student success at the center of everything we do. Through our parallel commitments to academic excellence, scientific discovery and service to community, UAlbany molds bright, curious and engaged leaders and launches great careers.

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