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Former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, who had several confrontations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's war in Gaza before being sacked in November, announced his resignation from parliament on Wednesday evening.
In a televised speech, Mr Gallant accused the government of undermining national security but said he would remain a member of Mr Netanyahu's Likud party.
Mr Gallant had often broken ranks with Mr Netanyahu and his coalition allies of far-right and religious parties, including over exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service.
In his statement, Mr Gallant said drafting the ultra-Orthodox Jews was a “necessary security and military need”.
“Due to my insistence on prioritising the good of the state of Israel and the needs of the IDF, I was removed from my position as minister of defence," he said. "Just as it is on the battlefield, so it is in public service. There are moments in which one must stop, assess and choose a direction in order to achieve the goals."
Mr Gallant has also clashed with Mr Netanyahu over the need to reach a ceasefire with Hamas to ensure the return of hostages seized by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in Gaza during an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The militants killed nearly 1,200 people and took about 250 captives back to Gaza, leading to the Israeli military war on Gaza in which more than 45,500 people have been killed so far.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant, as well as Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, who the Israeli military says it killed in Gaza.
The court said it had found "reasonable grounds" to believe the two ministers bore "criminal responsibility" for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.
Mr Gallant's resignation came as relatives of the hostages and activists blocked a main road in Tel Aviv during a protest to demand a ceasefire deal and the immediate release of hostages.
Holding placards showing photos of their loved ones, and shouting slogans, protesters criticised Mr Netanyahu's failure in reaching an early agreement with Hamas to release about 100 hostages still being held in Gaza, some of whom are believed to be dead.
"Our loved ones are enduring a living nightmare in Hamas captivity because Netanyahu is deciding to abandon them there,” hostage families said in a statement. “Instead of ending the war through a comprehensive deal that would bring all captives home, Netanyahu continues to sabotage the negotiations.”
Opposition figures and families have accused Mr Netanyahu of obstructing a ceasefire deal for political survival. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have threatened to withdraw from the government if a ceasefire is agreed on.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
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Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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