Palestinians must realise that the two-state solution “is no longer feasible on the ground” and is “basically dead”, according to Mohammed Dahlan, the former leader of the Fatah Party in Gaza.
“Israeli intransigence the measures taken by Israel over the past thirty years, especially with the expansion of settlements on the lands of the West Bank, as there are no longer contiguous lands on which a viable Palestinian state can be established,” Mr Dahlan, the exiled former leader of the Fatah Party in Gaza, told Sky News Arabia.
“The Israeli government has more or less killed the idea of a two-state solution. So we, the Palestinians, holding on to the idea of a two-state solution is like holding on to an illusion.”
Mr Dahlan said Israel is suffering from a threat from within its own government and that its current right-wing leadership is “declaring war” on the legal values on which the state was built on.
“The government is currently interfering in the affairs of the army, the judiciary and in all state institutions, which is what causes a continuing movement of rejection within Israeli society, which has become violently divided over these internal issues,” he said.
“But my responsibility towards the Palestinian people makes me demand that Palestinian officials stop pursuing the illusions of the two-state solution, after Israel has practically destroyed it.
“Therefore, we must not waste time and demand a one-state solution for two peoples with equal rights, and let Israel face its responsibilities as a government.”
Israeli police on Wednesday night fired stun grenades and water cannons at demonstrators who blocked a Tel Aviv motorway. Protesters scuffled with police near the Israeli leader’s home as weeks of anti-government protests turned violent for the first time.
In the late-night incident, dozens of police were called in to extract Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife from a salon besieged by protesters.
Thousands across the country staged a “national disruption day”, the latest in a string of mass protests against Mr Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul Israel's judiciary and weaken the country's Supreme Court.
Mr Netanyahu and his coalition partners, a collection of ultra-Orthodox and hard-line nationalist parties, said plan is needed to rein in the powers of unelected judges.
Critics say Mr Netanyahu, who is standing trial on corruption charges, holds a personal grudge against the justice system and is pushing the country towards autocracy.
Mr Dahlan urged Palestine to unify the West Bank and Gaza under one Palestinian leadership and urgently hold presidential and parliamentary elections.
Mr Dahlan was once the Gaza security chief for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party.
“Without [elections] no development can take place in the political process,” he told Sky News Arabia.
Mr Dahlan said he does not intend to not run in any upcoming elections and does not aspire to any future political position.
Rival Palestinian factions signed an agreement in Algiers last October to try to resolve 15 years of discord by holding elections within a year.
The leaders of 14 factions, including the two main rivals, Fatah and Hamas, held two days of talks in the run-up to an Arab summit in Algiers, in November, following months of mediation by Algeria.
The deal is aimed at ending a rift between President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement and the Islamist group Hamas that has split Palestinian governance in the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and hindered Palestinian ambitions of statehood.
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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
more from Janine di Giovanni
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
