Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to drastically limit the power of Israel’s judiciary has sparked the biggest protest movement in the country’s history.
Following the sacking of defence minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday after he urged Mr Netanyahu to pause the reforms, demonstrators are planning mass industrial action, holding hunger strikes outside Mr Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence and blocking access to the country’s airport, forcing authorities to stop all departing flights.
The National spoke to Israelis across society about why they have been turning out week after week, and why public anger is escalating so quickly.
We don’t think the country belongs to the extreme right
Erel Margalit,
venture capitalist
Anne from the northern city of Netanya, who leads an assembly of hundreds of protesting grandmothers, said her diverse group had “come together out of shared concern for the future of our grandchildren”.
“You reach a certain age, especially when you're a woman, when you tend to become invisible. Old ladies with white hair are kind of passed by and ignored. No one thinks they have any energy left. But at least 1,500 grandmothers demonstrating as we just did, some with walking sticks, shows that that’s simply not true,” she told The National.
“The response to our protest has been overwhelmingly supportive. I don’t know of a single instance of people being rude. When young people saw us coming they stopped whatever they were doing and stood at the side of the road and waved and clapped us on.”
Competing visions of Israel
Erel Margalit, one of Israel’s leading venture capitalists and a former politician, said the country belonged to the people.
“We don’t think the country belongs to the extreme right," he told The National.
“In the last 25 or 30 years we built a very active, tech-heavy and vibrant economy which is completely different to the older economy."
Mr Margalit, whose venture capital company sees first hand market jitters over the reforms, fears this legacy is under threat.
“The struggle will be harsher before it gets resolved. I don’t think it will break Israeli society, but I do think that sometimes in the history of the making of the nation of Israel, a fundamental debate is needed to define not only the character of the country, but also something more fundamental within the Jewish people worldwide. Do we want to be closed off? Do we want to be extremists? Or do we want Israel and the Jewish people to be open, creative and collaborative?”
He is worried that the government is damaging regional openness.
“The breakthrough of the Abraham Accords put Israel in a new chapter,” he said.
“With our companies now in countries such as the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, we can reach countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Malaysia to an unprecedented extent today.”
The tech and start-up community, which Mr Margalit represents internationally on a daily basis, is one of the groups most starkly opposed to Mr Netanyahu’s reforms, which critics say could undermine the economy and end Israeli democracy.
But not all sectors of society are as united.
Mahmoud, an Israeli Arab who runs a cafe in Jerusalem, thought that it is “incredibly important” that his community engages with the protests to oppose the reforms.
“We live here, too,” he said.
His colleagues, also Israeli-Arabs, disagreed. “I view these protests as nothing more than children crying,” one said.
And while some are finding hope in the hundreds of thousands of Israelis turning out to voice their opposition, none are forgetting how grave today’s political crisis really is.
“I remember [Yitzhak] Rabin’s assassination as a very dark time,” Anne said.
“I felt tremendous polarisation in the country. That’s probably the only time that feels as dark as this,” she added.
"The wars Israel has had since I’ve been here have all been awful, but somehow people come together during them, whereas now there are these two fractured camps that are awful to witness.”
But she still feels hope that her coalition of grandmas can bring an important voice to Israel’s bitter national debate.
“Young people, especially young men, are very often hotheaded, and their answer to things is to push and shove and shout. That’s not the answer of a group of grandmas.
Our message is more to those who are educating those young men. To teach them tolerance, and ask them to step back and talk to people who don’t share their views.”
With Mr Netanyahu’s coalition under the highest levels of strain since its rise to power at the beginning of the year, Israel will need all the historical and contemporary strength it can find to guide it through arguably one of its darkest hours.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Fresh faces in UAE side
Khalifa Mubarak (24) An accomplished centre-back, the Al Nasr defender’s progress has been hampered in the past by injury. With not many options in central defence, he would bolster what can be a problem area.
Ali Salmeen (22) Has been superb at the heart of Al Wasl’s midfield these past two seasons, with the Dubai club flourishing under manager Rodolfo Arrubarrena. Would add workrate and composure to the centre of the park.
Mohammed Jamal (23) Enjoyed a stellar 2016/17 Arabian Gulf League campaign, proving integral to Al Jazira as the capital club sealed the championship for only a second time. A tenacious and disciplined central midfielder.
Khalfan Mubarak (22) One of the most exciting players in the UAE, the Al Jazira playmaker has been likened in style to Omar Abdulrahman. Has minimal international experience already, but there should be much more to come.
Jassim Yaqoub (20) Another incredibly exciting prospect, the Al Nasr winger is becoming a regular contributor at club level. Pacey, direct and with an eye for goal, he would provide the team’s attack an extra dimension.
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You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Brackets denote aggregate score
Tuesday:
Roma (1) v Shakhtar Donetsk (2), 11.45pm
Manchester United (0) v Sevilla (0), 11.45pm
Wednesday:
Besiktas (0) v Bayern Munich (5), 9pm
Barcelona (1) v Chelsea (1), 11.45pm
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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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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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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What is a robo-adviser?
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These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
