🇳🇴 Inside the Extreme Plan to Refreeze the Arctic | WSJ Future of Everything
“A method normally used to create ice-skating rinks is now coming to the rescue of melting sea ice in the Arctic. Since satellite records began in 1979, summer Arctic sea ice has shrunk by around 13% per decade. Could making more ice be a potential solution to this issue?”
#Video length: eight minutes and eighteen seconds.
#France canceling Israel's participation in a major defense exhibition.
The #Maldives banning Israeli citizens from entering the country.
A British coffee shop chain, Pret a Manger, canceling its franchise agreement with an Israeli company.
McDonald's facing a boycott in some countries due to its Israeli operations.
The Israeli hi-tech industry, which is a significant contributor to the country's economy, is also being affected by the boycotts.
[...] "McDonald's network also faced a pro-Palestinian boycott that hurt its sales worldwide, according to its reports. In April, the global network acquired the Israeli operation, which consists of 225 branches, from franchisee Omri Padan, [...] McDonald's entry into Israel was one of the harbingers of the end of the Arab boycott that Israel had faced since its establishment. The acquisition of the Israeli operation by the global network was intended to reduce friction between the network and Muslim customers worldwide - among other things, by reducing the identification of the local operation with IDF soldiers and the captives held in Gaza [...] After October 7, Padan led an unprecedented operation of offering a 50% discount to soldiers in uniform at all network branches - and this increased the pressure on the global network. Estimates are that after the deal is completed, McDonald's will reduce or cancel the discount - in the hope of weakening the criticism and boycott against it worldwide."
Possible long-term effects these boycotts will have on the Israeli economy: higher living costs and reduced competitiveness. But the Israeli government's policies and actions are leading to increased international isolation and economic damage, and Israelis will, ultimately, bear the costs of these decisions.
#Palestine / Norway, along with Ireland and Spain, to recognize Palestinian state (to be followed by Slovenia and Malta)
With over 140 UN member states now recognizing Palestine, the wave of European support signals growing impatience with the stalled peace process and a willingness to challenge U.S.-backed insistence on direct negotiations favoring Israel's position.
[...] "In the middle of a war, with tens of thousands of dead and injured, we must keep alive the only thing that can provide a safe home for both Israelis and Palestinians: two states that can live in peace with each other," --- Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere (#Norway)
Israel swiftly condemned the move, recalling its ambassadors from Norway and Ireland, and warning of "dire consequences" if Spain follows through. The Israeli Foreign Minister accused the countries of "undercutting Israel's sovereignty and endangering its security."
[cont’d] Norwegian Foreign Minister: We Decided to Recognize a Palestinian State Now Due to Netanyahu's Government's Policies
In an interview with Haaretz, Anniken Huitfeldt said that the government's position against negotiations with the Palestinians, its support for the establishment of settlements and its policies in the West Bank pushed her country and its partners to initiate the move now.
[…] "There is a feeling that with the current government, it is impossible to continue sitting and waiting for an agreement, […] This encourages countries to take action."
[…] "Our commitment to a two-state solution has existed for decades, but we always believed that it would come as a result of an agreement and mutual recognition,"
[…] "The current Israeli government is very clear in its position against negotiating (with the Palestinians), and this certainly influenced us, […] Some said we should have done this long ago."
Huitfeldt accused Netanyahu's current government of
[…] "supporting the establishment of new and illegal settlements, and an overall policy that distances an agreement in the West Bank."
In response to #Haaretz's question about the Israeli criticism that the three countries' decision is an achievement for Hamas, Huitfeldt said that in her view the opposite is true:
[…] "We want to strengthen the moderate forces in the Palestinian Authority and in Israel that support the two-state solution and are enemies of Hamas. We want to strengthen the anti-Hamas, and I hear reactions from Palestinians today telling me – 'This is an important step for those who oppose terror, oppose violence, and support a political solution.' That is our goal, to convey a message of support for the two-state solution, which Hamas does not support."