Israeli director Yuval Abraham says he has received death threats after branding his country's actions in the West Bank "apartheid".
On Saturday, after picking up the best documentary prize for No Other Land at the Berlin International Film Festival with Basel Adra, who is Palestinian, he gave a speech on stage criticising Israel's attacks in Gaza and called for a ceasefire.
Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
It sparked an outcry in German media, with politicians accusing him of being "anti-Semitic". Israeli media also aired a small segment and labelled it as anti-Semitism.
On Tuesday, he took to social media to say he was unable to return home as a result, with threats made to him and his family.
“A right-wing Israeli mob came to my family’s home yesterday to search for me, threatening close family members who fled to another town in the middle of the night,” Abraham alleged on social.
“I am still getting death threats and had to cancel my flight home. This happened after Israeli media and German politicians absurdly labelled my Berlinale award speech – where I called for equality between Israelis and Palestinians, a ceasefire and an end to apartheid – as 'antisemitic'.”
Abraham's film follows the struggles faced by journalist Adra to preserve his West Bank village as Israeli settlers encroach around it.
While receiving the award alongside Adra, Abraham said that when they returned home, they’d be returning “to a land where we are not equal".
“I am living under a civilian law and Basel is under military law; we live 30 minutes from one another, but I have voting rights and Basel [does not have] voting rights,” he said.
"I am free to move where I want in this land, and Basel, like millions of Palestinians, is locked in the occupied West Bank. This situation of apartheid between us, this inequality, it has to end."
At the ceremony, Adra said he struggled to celebrate the film’s success while people in Gaza were “being slaughtered and massacred” and urged Germany to cease arms exports to Israel.
Abraham said he was concerned for the safety of Adra, who has since returned to his village in the West Bank, which is surrounded by Israeli settlements.
After their speech, Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, said on X that the speeches at the film festival showed “once again” that Germany had a problem.
“Under the guise of freedom of expression and art, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric is celebrated,” Prosor said. “You don’t need seven professors to state the obvious: this is blatant anti-Semitic discourse."
The mayor of Berlin Kai Wegner also took to X to criticise the speeches, saying the filmmakers’ statements were filled with "intolerable relativisation" because they left out any mention of Hamas.
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1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
If you go
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Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
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Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
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Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
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Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
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