Live updates: Follow the latest from Israel-Gaza
Jordan has condemned a plan by an Israeli ministry to fund Jewish visits to the Al Aqsa Mosque complex, the holy site central to the Palestinian struggle for Jerusalem, and called for UN Security Council action to curb what it labelled illegal Israeli measures on an “explosive” issue.
Israel's Ministry of Heritage announced plans on Tuesday to finance tours for Jews and tourists to the compound, which contains Al Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites. The Israeli police had approved the plans, according to public broadcaster Kan.
The announcement came a day after Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he “would put an Israeli flag” in the complex and build a synagogue there if he could. The UAE and Egypt, which has a formal peace treaty with Israel, condemned his remarks.
They were followed late on Tuesday by Ayman Al Safadi, Jordan's Foreign Affairs Minister, who said on X that the UN Security Council must act to “stop the illegal Israeli measures that violate the historical and legal status quo at occupied Jerusalem’s holy sites … before it is too late”.
Jordan, one of only two Arab countries to have signed a peace treaty with Israel, claims custodianship of Al Aqsa and other holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.
The complex is administered by an Islamic trust funded and controlled by Jordan in a security arrangement with Israel after they signed the peace treaty in 1994. Under the arrangement, Jews are not allowed to pray in the grounds of the compound but can pray at the nearby Western Wall.
The compound is a site considered holy by Muslims, Jews and Christians, and is a focal point of Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
Mr Al Safadi said “the situation [in Palestine] is already explosive. The hate-driven ideology enabling the designs to change the identity of the mosque will provide the spark. The consequences will be dangerous.”
He urged the UN Security Council to intervene, saying it “must adopt a binding resolution preventing Israel from further violations and escalation at Al Aqsa Mosque”.
Jordan's custodianship is at the centre of its foreign policy in support of the Palestinians and is a major domestic plank for King Abdullah in a country where a large proportion of the population are of Palestinian origin.
Jordanian authorities have allowed limited anti-Israeli demonstrations since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7, but have banned assemblies near the border with Israel, stoking accusations on social media that the kingdom was not doing enough in support of the Palestinians.
In a separate statement, Jordan's Foreign Ministry said the proposed tours into Al Aqsa constituted illegal incursions and that financing them would be an “escalatory step by the extremist Israeli government, reflecting systematic Israeli policy” to change the status quo at the mosque.
There has been no official Israeli endorsement of the proposal or the statements by Mr Ben-Gvir.
Iran-backed militant group Hamas has said it carried out its October 7 attack on Israel in defence of Al Aqsa. Israel responded to that assault with its invasion of the Gaza Strip, now in its 11th month.
Jordan has historically owed its outsize role in Al Aqsa to its location across the Jordan River from Israel and the dynamics of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Its peace treaty with Israel does not specifically mention Jordanian custodianship of Al Aqsa, but scholars in the kingdom have argued that the spirit of the agreement is predicated on Israel respecting the status quo that existed before the 1967 Middle East War, when the kingdom lost the West Bank and East Jerusalem to Israel.
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The%20specs
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TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Meydan Sprint Group 2 US$175,000 1,000m
Winner: Ertijaal, Jim Crowley (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap $60,000 1,400m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Handicap $160,000 1,400m
Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group 3 $200,000 2,000m
Winner: Folkswood, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile Group 2 $250,000 1,600m
Winner: Janoobi, Jim Crowley, Mike de Kock
9.25pm: Handicap $125,000 1,600m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
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
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJesse%20Armstrong%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brian%20Cox%2C%20Jeremy%20Strong%2C%20Kieran%20Culkin%2C%20Sarah%20Snook%2C%20Nicholas%20Braun%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
More on animal trafficking
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECVT%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E119bhp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E145Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh%2C89%2C900%20(%2424%2C230)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
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Wayne Rooney's career
Everton (2002-2004)
- Appearances: 48
- Goals: 17
Manchester United (2004-2017)
- Appearances: 496
- Goals: 253
England (2003-)
- Appearances: 119
- Goals: 53
More on Quran memorisation:
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets