Israel is set to swear in its most right-wing government in its history on Thursday, stoking fears among its Arab citizens of a resurgence of racial violence in mixed cities.
Veteran leader and prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu was returned to power on the back of his alliance with ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties, which are expected to usher in a wave of changes to Israeli laws, including measures to expand and legalise settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank.
Widespread concern has already been voiced following the bloodiest year in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the Second Intifada in 2005.
While most of the violence has taken place in the West Bank, Palestinian citizens of Israel fear that the new government will usher in more discrimination and stoke tension reminiscent of the mob violence that shook large parts of the country in May 2021.
“Every year Israel goes to the right, but this is extreme,” Suha Salman-Mousa, executive director of the Haifa-based Mossawa Centre, told The National.
Violence broke out in several areas of Israel in May 2021, fuelled by the assault on Gaza and tension in Jerusalem amid incursions on Al Aqsa and the East Jerusalem district of Sheikh Jarrah.
A state of emergency was declared in Lod, an Arab-majority area near Tel Aviv, which was placed under curfew after intercommunal violence left a Palestinian man dead, property destroyed and tension high.
In the northern city of Acre, Jewish and Arab businesses were the target of mob violence that was splintered along ethnic lines.
Clashes were also reported in Bat Yam and Haifa, long lauded as a coexistence success story in Israel.
Arab residents reported that tear gas had been used on them, apart from them being the target of mobs in Palestinian-majority districts in the city centre.
“Mixed cities have not forgotten what happened in May [2021],” Ms Salman-Mousa told The National.
“In Lod and Jaffa, extremists will have more courage to attack. This happened before, without the power that [Itamar] Ben-Gvir has now,” she said, referring to the far-right politician.
Arab or Palestinian citizens make up 20 per cent of Israeli society. While they are mostly well integrated into society and enjoy largely equal rights, they also face systemic discrimination.
'Second-class citizens'
In 2018, the Nation State law stripped Arabic of its status an official language and cemented the position of Arabs “as second-class citizens”, according to Al Haq documentation centre in Ramallah.
The new government, headed by a prime minister still facing corruption charges, is expected to introduce more legislation enshrining right-wing positions.
The new laws are expected to exclude both Palestinians and liberal Israelis, including non-Orthodox converts to Judaism and women fighting for egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall.
“It is not only a threat to the Palestinian community, but to democracy and human rights. I don't know how these values can go alongside Jewish and democratic values,” said Ms Salman-Mousa.
One key figure in Israel's new government is Mr Ben-Gvir, a politician who has sat at the top of concerns of Israel's veer to the right over his incendiary views on Palestinians.
The incoming public security minister, who will now head Israel's police force, has called for Palestinian citizens to be stripped of their citizenship and the death penalty to be reintroduced for terrorists.
On Wednesday, the Knesset passed sweeping legislation to expand his powers as minister, allowing him to assume control of police and investigations policy, the Times of Israel reported.
Mr Ben-Gvir, who lives in the occupied West Bank, has been known for frequent visits to Al Aqsa compound.
Last month, he pledged to “do everything” to change the status of the site, currently under Jordanian custodianship.
Mr Netanyahu's Likud party said on Wednesday that the status-quo would be maintained at Israel's holy sites, but pledged to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Jordan's King Abdullah II has warned he has prepared for conflict if there is any change to their status.
“This is the spark for everything else,” said Ms Salman-Mousa. “If something happens in Jerusalem, it will spark in Gaza and the West Bank and this is what we are afraid of. This will happen, it is a matter of time.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
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'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Niki%20Caro%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jennifer%20Lopez%2C%20Joseph%20Fiennes%2C%20Gael%20Garcia%20Bernal%2C%20Omari%20Hardwick%20and%20Lucy%20Paez%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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MATCH INFO
World Cup 2022 qualifier
UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
SPECS
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
