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.”
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
More on animal trafficking
More on animal trafficking
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How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
