In the past week, the Palestinian Authority has made its most intense show of force in years. Its security forces have surrounded and are attacking the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp, long centres of Palestinian resistance.
At least three militants have been killed, including commander Yazid Ja’aysa, and one civilian, while about 20 people have been injured. The people of Jenin are familiar with deadly fighting, but almost exclusively at the hands of Israelis, not Palestinians.
The operation is viewed as a test or a sign of desperation for an organisation that has fast been losing legitimacy among its people, particularly in the north of the West Bank. It faces accusations of corruption and helplessness in the face of escalating violence from the Israeli military and settlers.
The Palestinian Authority is “trying to demonstrate to the Americans that they have full control and are able to do what they were mandated to do … particularly if annexation is looming,” Tahani Mustafa, Crisis Group’s senior Palestine analyst, told The National about the latest operation. “This is more of a stunt that the PA trying to get to grips with things on the ground.”
In recent months, The National has spoken to Palestinian Authority officials who deal with security and visited their base of operations. In Nablus, a city neighbouring Jenin that is surrounded by many Israeli settlements, Palestinian Authority governor Ghassan Daghlas spoke about the increasing difficulty of keeping order in his city.
“There are 440,000 inhabitants in Nablus governorate. They suffer the most of anyone in the West Bank from Israeli violence and settler attacks,” he said.
Israeli forces recently killed four men inside a car next to a busy market in broad daylight. Mr Daghlas was still shaken by the killing. The men, former militants from a refugee camp in the city, had been in his office hours before their deaths, negotiating their surrender to the Palestinian Authority.
This was part of an arrangement that has long been in place, viewed as an effective way for the Palestinian Authority to get men away from violence. In exchange for their weapons, the Palestinian Authority gives them jobs in security and tells the Israelis that they no longer bear arms.
“The Israeli raids really weakens us as an authority and the ruling power here. The four guys that were assassinated last week – an hour before they were killed they were sitting here in my office. They were here to solve an issue. They didn’t have a single weapon on them when they were killed,” Mr Daghlas said.
“Israel is embarrassing us with their raids. Embarrassing us and weakening us. We are trying to makes achievements and Israel is destroying everything we worked on.”
From officials to officers and senior generals, all agree that the situation has never been more complex.
At Al Istiklal University in Jericho, more than 700 of the Palestinian Authority's latest generation of officers marched around a sprawling campus of parade grounds, sports facilities and living quarters. Discipline was high and cadets quickly salute senior officers.
Ali Ayaydeh, deputy chairman of the university, said the institution’s mission is to create officers who embody “peaceful resistance according to the vision of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas”.
“What we teach here is to meet the needs and security demands of Palestine, whether in the West Bank or Gaza.”
Once the cadets leave, many will go to areas like Jenin and the rest of the north of the West Bank, where the most acute security issues are found.
“We work not on physical strength but on intelligence, how to think, to work and to see things, particularly because we are in a very sensitive situation as officers working under occupation,” Dr Ayaydeh said.
Officer cadet Riad Darraj from Ramallah agreed. “We come here to support Palestine and its society. Some young people go abroad but we say no, we’re staying here to support our land and nation,” he said.
Cadet Darraj and his many young colleagues were clear about the danger of joining an organisation that might include a role in postwar security in Gaza, likely a very dangerous task that the young recruits said they were ready to take on, as if managing the West Bank was not hard enough.
But despite their determination in the pristine campus, problems were clear. Brig Gen Zaher Sabah, deputy chairman for military affairs at the university, spoke at length about the difficulty of providing an education. “One of the biggest challenges is the checkpoints that face us and our students,” he said.
The general, like many Palestinian Authority employees, had been on a significantly reduced salary for months given an economic crisis and financial disputes with Israeli authorities who collect tax revenue on behalf of the body.
The far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu, in power for almost two years, has many members who would happily watch the Palestinian Authority collapse. The events of October 7 last year that cost 1,200 Israelis their lives heralded a heavy Israeli security presence in the region and spurred unprecedented settler violence.
Another challenge for the Palestinian Authority came in November, when Donald Trump won the US presidential elections. He is a staunch pro-Israel supporter with a clear determination to quickly end the war in Gaza, perhaps by permitting Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, which would lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority.
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The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
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HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Price: From Dh590,000
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
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Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
Remaining fixtures
Third-place-play-off: Portugal v Mexico, 4pm on Sunday
Final: Chile v Germany, 10pm on Sunday
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SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Biography
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related
Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
Family: Wife and three children.
Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
The specs: 2018 Renault Megane
Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200
Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission Continuously variable transmission
Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May
