פרסומים

This article examines whether house demolitions are an effective counterterrorism tactic against suicide terrorism. We link original longitudinal microlevel data on houses demolished by the Israeli Defense Forces with data on the universe of suicide attacks against Israeli targets. By exploiting spatial and time variation in house demolitions and suicide attacks during the second Palestinian uprising, we show that punitive house demolitions (those targeting Palestinian suicide terrorists and terror operatives) cause an immediate, significant decrease in the number of suicide attacks. In contrast, Palestinian fatalities do not have a consistent effect on suicide terror attacks, while curfews and precautionary house demolitions (demolitions justified by the location of the house but unrelated to the identity of the house’s owner) cause a significant increase in the number of suicide attacks. The results support the view that selective violence is an effective tool to combat terrorist groups and that indiscriminate violence backfires. 

In this book about creative thinking in the teaching of natural sciences, you will find insights into teaching scientific subjects in a creative way.

The book relies on the author's forty years of experience in teaching and research in the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University and teaching in the educational system in all its frameworks, kindergartens, schoolchildren, students and teachers. The purpose of the book is to encourage and nurture unconventional thinking - sometimes called "out of the box thinking", "creative thinking" or "higher order thinking" - in teaching scientific subjects. The book is designed to enhance the skills and ability of teachers, professors, science students, students and naturalists to think creatively when they study, teach or observe nature.

The book presents examples of teaching diverse subjects. Each example stands on its own in a way that arouses the curious reader to say with amazement: "How did I not think of it before?" The author's experience shows that the skills of self-reflection and the ability to criticize are not taught in the educational system in an orderly fashion. The book attempts to open a window for the curious observer to see things in a different way than usual.

Prof. Eliezer (Eli) Zamski is Professor emeritus of the Hebrew University. He has published over 100 scientific articles in the professional literature, wrote and edited six science books in Hebrew and English and three books in non-scientific fields in Hebrew. Prof. Zamski was formerly Chief Scientist of the Nature and Parks Authority and president of the Achva Academic College.