Israel's fragile governing coalition is facing another split after the Arab-Israeli party Raam “suspended” its membership following violence at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem at the weekend when more than 170 Palestinians were injured.
The coalition, which includes a disparate mix of left-wing, hardline Jewish nationalist and religious parties, had already lost its majority this month when a religious Jewish member resigned in a dispute over leavened bread distribution at hospitals.
Incursions by Israeli security forces at Al Aqsa, Islam's third holiest site, on Friday and Sunday have now put Raam under pressure to leave the coalition.
“If the government continues its steps against the people of Jerusalem … we will resign as a bloc,” the party said on Sunday.
The announcement came hours after more than 20 Palestinians and Israelis were wounded in incidents in and around the Al Aqsa Mosque compound.
The latest violence comes at a tense time as the Jewish week-long Passover festival coincides with the fasting month of Ramadan and follows a spate of violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank in which 36 people have been killed starting in late March.
More than 150 people were injured when Israeli security forces entered Al Aqsa on Friday and used teargas, rubber bullets, stun grenades and batons against worshippers. Further violence was sparked on Sunday when police escorted a group of Jews to the site.
Jews are allowed to visit but not to pray at the site, the holiest place in Judaism.
Israeli police said its forces had entered the compound to remove demonstrators and “re-establish order".
The Palestinian Red Crescent said 19 Palestinians were injured, including at least five who were taken to hospital. It said some had been wounded with rubber-coated steel bullets.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the security forces “continue to receive a free hand … for any action that will provide security to the citizens of Israel”, while stressing every effort should be made to allow members of all religions to worship in Jerusalem.
The violence has been widely condemned across the region. King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday called on Israel to “stop all illegal and provocative measures” that drive “further aggravation".
The kingdom serves as custodian of holy places in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognised by most of the international community.
Senior Palestinian official Hussein Al Sheikh said on Sunday that “Israel's dangerous escalation in the Al Aqsa compound … is a blatant attack on our holy places”, and called on the international community to intervene.
The chief of the Hamas Islamist movement, which controls the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, had earlier warned Israel that “Al Aqsa is ours and ours alone".
“Our people have the right to access it and pray in it, and we will not bow down to repression and terror,” Ismail Haniyeh said.
The violence raises fears of another full-blown Israeli-Palestinian conflict after similar incidents during Ramadan last year contributed to a 11-day Israel-Gaza war.
Weeks of mounting tensions led to two recent deadly attacks by Palestinians in or near the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, alongside mass arrests by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.
On Monday, Israeli troops shot and wounded two Palestinians after an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military said it arrested 11 Palestinians in operations across the territory overnight, AP reported.
In a raid in the village of Yamun, near the city of Jenin, the army said dozens of Palestinians hurled rocks and explosives at troops.
Soldiers “responded with live ammunition” towards “suspects who hurled explosive devices”, the military said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said two men were taken to hospital after being critically wounded.
Turkey's president calls to 'end the Israeli escalation'
Israel has carried out a wave of arrest raids and other operations in recent weeks that it said was aimed at preventing further attacks after Palestinian assailants killed at least 14 people inside Israel.
Two of the attackers came from in and around Jenin, which has long been a bastion of armed struggle against Israeli rule.
Twenty-five Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in recent weeks, according to an AP count. An unarmed woman and a lawyer who appears to have been a bystander were also among them.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a call on Sunday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said he would contact all sides and appeal them to “end the Israeli escalation”, Mr Abbas's office said in a statement.
Pope Francis prayed for peace as Christians celebrated Easter on Sunday, including at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem where they believe Jesus died and was resurrected.
“May Israelis, Palestinians and all who dwell in the Holy City, together with the pilgrims … dwell in fraternity and enjoy free access to the holy places in mutual respect for the rights of each,” the Pope said in his Easter address.
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Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Mobile phone packages comparison
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR
Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Stereo speakers
Biometrics: Touch ID
I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular
Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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