Hello and welcome to Background Briefing, available 24-7 at background briefing.

I'm Ian Masters, and today we'll look into a number of stories and issues in the news.

We will begin with Prime Minister Netanyahu dissolving Israel's war cabinet

as the danger of a war breaking out on the border between Israel and Hisbalah intensifies.

Joining us from Israel is Asha Kaufman,

Director of the Crock Institute for International Peace Studies,

and a professor of history and peace studies

at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to that, he taught at Hebrew University of Jerusalem

and was a research fellow at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace

and headed its Middle East unit. And his latest book is Contested Frontiers, Cartography, Sovereignty and Conflict at the Syria-Lemnon

Israel-Triborder region. Then we'll speak with Bob Dreyfus, an independent investigative journalist

who specializes in politics and national security and is a contributing writer to the nation.

We'll discuss his article at Tom Dispatch.

Biden's Middle East policy is horrific.

Trump's would be even worse and investigate Trump's record on Israeli-Palestinian issues

and the kind of people who advised him during his presidency,

including Jason Greenblatt, a real estate lawyer who he appointed as a senior

White House official, he used to do guard duty at an illegal Jewish settlement on the West Bank

armed with an M-16 assault weapon. Then finally, with the U.S., the UK and Canada warning that Putin

is actively trying to sabotage the upcoming elections in

Moldova to oust the pro-Western president and prevent a majority vote on a referendum to join the

EU. We will speak with Rachel Smolz, who was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach English in

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