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Israel has lost “world sympathy” due to its actions in Gaza, which could fuel a much wider regional crisis, a leading Israeli-born academic has told The National.
Yossi Mekelberg warned that the conflict had reached a “boiling point” with the deaths of more than 8,000 Palestinian civilians, inexorably heightening the risk of spillover to other parts of the region.
The high civilian death toll reported by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which includes 2,700 children, is also having a detrimental effect on Israel’s mission to destroy the militant group by potentially sending more Palestinians into its ranks, he said.
“We are reaching a really crucial point in this conflict because it's starting to boil over,” said the Chatham House think tank Middle East expert.
“Obviously there was world sympathy for Israel’s loss, but Israel is responding in the way that it responds, and I think there is a big shift here.
“They felt that they needed to react with as much power as possible to stabilise the situation and to restore some deterrence but in this process, so many civilians have been killed on the Palestinian side, which is having a destabilising impact on the region.”
Boiling point
While many Middle East countries would not “mind to seeing the demise of Hamas”, the impact of the deaths of so many innocent people was “affecting their own societies and their own stability”.
“The rhetoric is getting worse and worse so we're getting to a boiling point that can be really, really dangerous,” said the academic, who is originally from Tel Aviv but is now living in England.
Within three weeks of war, there have been more deaths than during the four years of the Second Intifada, which ended in 2005 with 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis dead – but he added the spotlight was enhanced due to instant reporting via social media.
Miscalculation escalation
While Hezbollah and Iran have yet to become overtly involved in the war, mounting pressure from the Gaza assault might force them in, he suggested.
“The death and destruction gets you to a point where you expect certain actors to do something about it,” said the academic, who also lectures at Regent’s University, London.
“Hezbollah might feel that they have to do more than they're doing now and then there will be an Israeli response followed by an even harsher response.”
Iran was also trying to stay on the sidelines, as “it loves proxy wars”, but it could also be drawn in, as could the US, which has positioned two US aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean.
“My main fear is a miscalculation, because in this situation there's always going to be someone miscalculating a missile that hits a target for which it was not intended and then we are in a new situation,” he said.
Hamas void
Prof Mekelberg argued that it appeared Israel had embarked on a military campaign without a “grand plan” other than to eliminate Hamas.
“But what does it mean destroying Hamas? Hamas is a political movement, it's a military movement but most importantly it's an ideology, it didn't come out of nothing,” he said.
“Even if you destroy a lot of its military capability and political force by this massive bombardment and the massive killing, it will push more Palestinians into the hands, if not of Hamas, but a similar organisation that will again fill the void if Hamas is gone.”
Complex two-state solution
In the midst of conflict, it was difficult to consider a postwar settlement based on the decades old “two-state solution” of Palestine and Israel as individual sovereign nations.
Prof Mekelberg suggested that, with 500,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 220,000 in East Jerusalem, it would have to be a “complex two-state solution” that would require a “creative approach”.
“But the tragic irony of all of this is that it takes this [war] for people to go back to what probably should have been done many years ago.”
He added that neither Israel, Egypt or the Palestinian Authority were likely to want to take over Gaza after the war, with the likelihood of an “international regional mechanism” in charge until an election could be held to choose a legitimate government.
“But this gazing into the future is probably for another day as right now we're in the middle of a war,” he added.
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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.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
