From swift deals with Jordan to a globetrotting foreign minister, Israel’s new government is on a mission to mend international ties that were strained under former leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
Only days before the Israeli elections in March, the steep decline in relations with Jordan came to the fore when Amman temporarily banned Mr Netanyahu from transiting its airspace.
It's been too long. There is a new government, a new energy, let's have a new start
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid
Israel had just prevented a senior member of the royal family from visiting Al Aqsa Mosque with his full security detail, despite Jordan serving as custodian of the holy site.
The incident proved deeply embarrassing for Mr Netanyahu, who had to cancel his visit to the UAE to celebrate a landmark deal reached last year with the Emirates.
Since the new Israeli administration led by led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett took office on June 13, it has moved quickly to ensure such mistakes are not made again.
At the end of June, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid was sent to the border, where he described Amman as “an important partner” and signed a deal with his Jordanian counterpart to increase water exports to the kingdom.
“The Foreign Ministry will continue to hold an ongoing dialogue in order to preserve and strengthen the relationship,” said Mr Lapid, a centrist leader and architect of Israel’s coalition government.
While Mr Bennett has held calls with presidents, like Egypt’s Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Russia's Vladimir Putin, Israel’s top diplomat has had a busy travel agenda.
After flying to Rome to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June, Mr Lapid travelled to Brussels to address his EU counterparts.
"It's been too long. There is a new government, a new energy, let's have a new start,” he told the European foreign ministers, highlighting their shared values.
Brussels had watched while Mr Netanyahu courted far-right EU leaders in a bid to prevent unified censure of Israel. Along with Jordan, the bloc had also firmly opposed Israeli plans last year to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
Oded Eran, an Israeli former ambassador to Brussels and Amman, described Mr Lapid’s visit as significant after an “almost total freeze” in relations with the Europeans.
“This is a very important step in the process of resuming the dialogue which has been broken at the highest political level for a decade now,” said Mr Eran, a senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies.
“In spite of the achievements of the previous government, such as the Abraham Accords which should not be underestimated, there were lingering problems,” he said, referring to the normalisation deals signed with Arab nations.
As well as the UAE, Israel under Mr Netanyahu forged diplomatic ties with Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
“Clearly the new government wanted and rightly so to try and change the equation” regarding its alliances abroad, said Mr Eran, particularly with Jordan, because the relationship remains strategically important for both sides.
“They will make an effort to maintain it,” he said. “The two sides already passed the threshold of the test of 25 years of the [peace] agreement.”
Despite the high-level diplomacy, the Israeli government is not expected to make any significant shifts on foreign policy. With eight parties from across the political spectrum, the fragile coalition could collapse if some within the government push for change, particularly regarding the Palestinians.
Nonetheless, thawing ties with Jordan could spark an opportunity, according to Merissa Khurma, director of the Middle East programme at the Wilson Centre in Washington.
“It’s very difficult with Jordan in particular to solely look at the relationship through the bilateral prism, because there’s a larger aspect to it with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” said Ms Khurma, who previously worked at the Jordanian embassy in Washington.
The water deal “was certainly a good step in the right direction in order to reset the bilateral relationship, but also to try to see if there’s a window of opportunity of new talks on the Israeli-Palestinian track”, she said.
There have been no substantial peace talks for more than a decade and, Ms Khurma cautioned, improved communication is only an initial step towards renewed negotiations in the long-term.
A new US leadership under President Joe Biden could also foster greater dialogue between Israel and its neighbours, after his predecessor Donald Trump largely favoured Mr Netanyahu and sidelined the Palestinians and Jordanians.
But while Mr Trump showed great interest in Israeli politics, it remains to be seen whether his successor will have similar priorities.
“Now it’ll be a watch and see, whether the Biden administration is going to move forward with the Palestinian-Israeli issue or bump it up on its foreign, or Middle East, policy agenda,” Ms Khurma said.
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
The biog
Name: Maitha Qambar
Age: 24
Emirate: Abu Dhabi
Education: Master’s Degree
Favourite hobby: Reading
She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
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Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
New schools in Dubai
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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SPEC%20SHEET
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE%20SPECS
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.0L / 100km
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
FA%20Cup%20semi-final%20draw
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Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
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Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
