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Israel's military would prevail even if the war with Hamas escalates to a wider regional conflict, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday.
Mr Barak, who served as Israel's leader from 1999-2001, warned that Hezbollah has 10 times more rockets and missiles than Hamas but Israel is “still stronger” and would win even if Syria and the West Bank are drawn into the conflict.
“It's not an existential threat, but it will take more time, more losses and more friction with our supporters in the world,” said Mr Barak, speaking via video link to an event hosted by Foreign Policy magazine.
Before becoming prime minister, Mr Barak, 81, served as the top officer in the Israeli army. He went on to serve as defence minister from 2007 to 2013.
His comments came as Israel bombards the Gaza Strip and conducts increased ground operations. The Israeli government has said it wants to eradicate Hamas after gunmen attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostage.
According to local tallies, more than 8,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and a humanitarian crisis is worsening in the besieged enclave, home to 2.3 million people, with Israel blocking the entry of water, food, medicine and fuel.
Only a trickle of aid has been allowed through the Egyptian border but this has increased in recent days.
Gaza's high death toll, which includes more than 3,000 children, has sparked international protests.
But US President Joe Biden's administration has staunchly supported Israel's right to defend itself and has opposed calls for a ceasefire.
The US has blocked two UN Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire and has pledged more military support to Israel.
“The United States stood behind us in an impressive and unprecedented way from day one,” Mr Barak said.
International support is likely to wane in the coming weeks, Mr Barak said, and so could international public opinion, complicating Israel's goal of eradicating Hamas.
As the death toll in Gaza soars, the Biden administration's tone has shifted slightly in recent days, with calls for Israel to do more to avoid civilian casualties.
“We know from our experience our universal support will erode very quickly and the legitimacy of the whole operation will be put under question,” Mr Barak said.
“Still, America will be with us – but it will be more complicated to them to stay there behind us.”
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Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
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Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
