Thousands call for Arab unity in pro-Palestine rally in Tunisia


Ghaya Ben Mbarek
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Thousands rallied in Tunisia's capital city on Thursday in support of Palestinians and to denounce Israel's continuing bombardment of the Gaza Strip as well as its complete blockade of the territory.

Tunisians also called on their government to criminalise any form of normalisation or co-operation with Israel, even through unofficial channels.

The protesters chanted slogans calling for Arab unity and condemning perceived western complicity in war crimes and what they said was the whitewashing of breaches of international humanitarian law committed against the people of Gaza.

“Unity, unity of all Arabs against the Zionist attack,” and “the people want to liberate Palestine”, they shouted.

Protesters wave signs and Palestinian flags at an anti-Israel demonstration in Tunis on Thursday. AFP
Protesters wave signs and Palestinian flags at an anti-Israel demonstration in Tunis on Thursday. AFP

Demonstrators yelled anti-French and anti-US slogans as the march reached the French embassy in central Tunis.

“French and Americans, partners in the aggression,” they shouted.

“The slightest level of faith tells us to at least speak up for them [Palestinians] while they are fighting there for their struggle," Moncef, 64, told The National.

"We kiss their foreheads and we tell them that we wish we were there to at least take a little of that burden that you carry on your shoulders."

Malik Kammoun, an MP who attended the rally, said legislators were speeding up the discussion and passing of a bill to criminalise any form of normalisation with Israel.

"It is crucial for us today to issue a law that affirms our stance against any current or future recognition of what is called the state of Israel,” Mr Kammoun told The National.

Thousands of civilians have been killed on both sides after fighters from the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israelis across the border on Saturday and Israel launched air strikes on Gaza in retaliation.

“Tunisia adheres to the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on all of the land of Palestine, with its capital being the holy city of Jerusalem,” the Tunisian presidency wrote on its Facebook page.

The statement came after an emergency meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo that called for an immediate halt of Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip and warned the violence could spiral out of control.

Tunisia's pro-Palestine stance is in alignment with the country's general public sentiment. Previous governments have maintained a position of support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hama Hammami, leader of the opposition Workers Party, told The National that Israeli aggression on Palestine "is not new to Israel but this battle is an important shift in the history of Palestinian resistance and a normal development for any liberation movement in the world”.

He said it was not enough for the Tunisian government to release statements and it should put pressure on the western world through every means available.

“What are we doing in Nato as an exceptional partner?" he said. "We have to leave. We should also pull out from any agreement that gives space for Israel in order to isolate it."

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Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland

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1. Christopher Froome (GBR/Sky) 68hr 18min 36sec,

2. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) at 0:18.

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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

In numbers

1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:

  • 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
  • 150 tonnes to landfill
  • 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal

800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal

Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year

25 staff on site

 

Tuesday's fixtures
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Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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Updated: October 12, 2023, 5:34 PM`