Egypt said on Sunday it was joining the case filed by South Africa in the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, the strongest action taken by Cairo against Israel since the Gaza war began in October.
A Foreign Ministry statement said Egypt's decision to “officially intervene in support of South Africa's case” in the ICJ was motivated by the “sharp escalation and the scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip”.
Cairo has been sharply critical of Israel's conduct in the Gaza war since its start more than seven months ago, but Sunday's move - though largely symbolic - is by far the strongest rebuke it has handed its eastern neighbour.
Egypt and Israel are bound by a 1979 peace treaty. The most populous Arab nation, Egypt has strongly condemned last week's capture by Israel of the Palestinian side of its border crossing with Gaza, describing the move as a threat to its national security.
Sunday's statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry cited Israel's “methodical practices against Palestinians that include directly targeting Palestinian civilians, destroying the strip's infrastructure and forcing Palestinians into displacement or leaving their lands”.
It said Israel's actions in Gaza made the coastal enclave of 2.3 million residents not suitable for habitation and constituted a blatant violation of international law and the 1949 Geneva convention for the protection of civilians during times of war.
The International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, ordered Israel in January to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians after South Africa accused it of state-led genocide in Gaza.
Israel and its western allies described the allegation as baseless.
A final ruling in South Africa's ICJ case in The Hague could take years.
“The Arab Republic of Egypt calls on Israel to shoulder its responsibilities as the occupation force and carry out the temporary measures issued by the International Court of Justice which guarantee the passage of humanitarian and relief supplies in a manner that meets the needs of the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip,” said the Egyptian statement.
The Egyptian action came just days after the latest round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations ended in Cairo without a breakthrough. It was the latest failure by Egypt, the US and Qatar to broker a pause in the war and enact a prisoner and hostage swap between Israel and Hamas.
The three mediators have been unable to persuade the two sides to silence their guns since a week-long pause in late November collapsed.
On Friday, the US State Department said in a report submitted to Congress that it is “reasonable” to believe that Israel has used US-made weapons in Gaza in a manner that is inconsistent with international humanitarian law, but that “provision of defence articles” can continue.
The Gaza war was triggered by an attack on south Israel by Hamas in October that left 1,200 dead, mostly civilians. The Gaza-based group also captured 240 hostages.
The attack drew a devastating response from Israel, whose military onslaught in Gaza has since killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, wounded twice as many and displaced the vast majority of the strip's residents.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Tomorrow 2021
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Manchester City 3
Aguero 1', 44', 61'
Arsenal 1
Koscielny 11'
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Rating: 4/5
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Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
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How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
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FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
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Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule
12.30pm GP3 race (18 laps)
2pm Formula One final practice
5pm Formula One qualifying
6.40pm Formula 2 race (31 laps)
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Leicester City 1
Ghezzal (63')
Liverpool 2
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World Mental Health Day
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Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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Available: Now
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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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
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
HIJRA
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Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
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Tomorrow 2021
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