May 26, 2021
The Threat of Hamas’ Naval
Commando Units 
Troops during an exercise by Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza City in December.

When it comes to Hamas’ military capabilities, much of the focus has been on the vast network of tunnels it uses to launch attacks against Israel or the arsenal of missiles it aims at Israeli cities. But Israeli military experts and officials say there is another, less-discussed and murkier threat: clandestine naval commandoes entering or hitting Israel by sea.

Prof. Rear Admiral (Ret.) Shaul Chorev, Director of the University of Haifa's Maritime Policy & Strategy Research Center, explains the threat of Hamas’ naval commando units to the New York Times.
The Conflict Continues
Unabated Online
There are a worrying number of videos about the Israel-Hamas conflict that have been published on TikTok, often garnering hundreds of thousands if not millions of views, over 100,000 likes and more than 10,000 shares. University of Haifa Prof. Gabriel Weimann (pictured) notes that there is an alarming amount of fake news, and anti-Israel and anti-Jewish messaging being shared in these short films.

In a Jerusalem Post interview, Prof. Weimann said: “Since no one controls, regulates or checks these videos, you can post whatever you want.”
Discussing the Future of
Israeli-Arab Political Leadership
In a Jerusalem Post article exploring coexistence between Arabs and Jews in the city of Acre (pictured), Prof. Alexander Bligh of the University of Haifa’s School of Political Science, and a former adviser to the Prime Minister for Arab Affairs (1987-1992) notes that Israeli-Arab political leaders have moved from “illegitimate in the eyes of the Zionist majority” to “full and legitimate partners in any possible coalition.”

However, alongside the development of mainstream Arab leadership that is based on coexistence, the country is seeing the beginnings of a new, spontaneous leadership – a small minority that uses violence to promote its interests.
Jews and Arabs Discuss
Hope and Fears
in Virtual Roundtable
Following the ceasefire with Hamas, the University of Haifa held a roundtable discussion where more than 120 students, faculty, administrative staff and the general public were able to discuss the impacts of increased tensions and attempt to find solutions to restore harmony in the region. The meeting was hosted by the University's Jewish-Arab Community

Arabs comprise some 30 percent of the University of Haifa's student body – more than the average among Israeli academic institutions and the Arab share of the nation’s total population. Since its establishment almost 50 years ago, the University of Haifa has served as a model of peaceful coexistence for the region. Canada Morning Post article