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Fury erupted in Israel after news broke late last week that the country’s foreign ministry had to move urgently to evacuate one of its citizens from Brazil after reports that he was about to be arrested on suspicion of committing war crimes during his service in the Gaza war.
The unnamed soldier was rushed out of Brazil with the help of Israel’s Foreign Ministry after a Brazilian court brought a case against him based on content he had filmed himself while serving in Gaza.
The incident is the latest example of international legal difficulties Israel faces amid widespread criticism of how it is conducting war on the enclave, which began in October 2023. These include the International Court of Justice investigating whether the country is committing genocide and the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
The Brazil case raises concerns that regular Israelis could too find themselves in serious legal trouble because of the conflict. Israel’s Foreign Ministry was aware of at least 12 cases of war crimes charges being filed against Israeli soldiers while they were abroad, Israeli outlet Channel 12 reported on Sunday. The countries included popular tourist destinations for Israelis such as Thailand and Cyprus, as well as close allies, such as the Netherlands.
Tammy Caner of the Israeli think tank INSS told The National she believed there will be more such cases and that Israel should deal with the phenomenon “through diplomatic channels more than anything”.
“As a democratic and liberal country Israel also has to investigate different operations where there is a suspicion that war crimes were committed,” Ms Caner added.
The material in the Brazil case was flagged to authorities by pro-Palestinian NGO the Hind Rajab Foundation, which says it organises legal campaigns against “perpetrators, accomplices and inciters of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine”.
The Belgium-based organisation adds that it is “devoted to breaking the cycle of Israeli impunity” and to “[holding] perpetrators accountable and ensuring that the stories of the victims are never lost to history”.
It draws on material posted by Israeli soldiers, who, despite a number of warnings from senior leadership not to do so, frequently publish identifiable images and videos that are used to argue that troops are committing or endorsing war crimes, including destruction of property and inhumane treatment of prisoners. The military also advised soldiers not to visit certain countries for risk of being detained.
Palestinian commentator Nour Odeh said the case showed that the work of organisations such as the Hind Rajab Foundation “is effective and has a deep psychological impact on Israeli soldiers who have never dreamt of being pursued”.
“Just like this genocide has been transformative in many ways and fronts, it has transformed civil society’s work and understanding of what needs to be done,” Ms Odeh said, adding that such initiatives put pressure on Israel's western allies.
“We’ve seen cases in Germany of Syrian officers being tried, even in absentia. That’s OK, but it should not be counter-intuitive in the west that [Israeli] soldiers who have posted videos of themselves committing obvious crimes should be tried no matter what they've committed.”
Shortly after the news of the Brazil incident broke, opposition leader Yair Lapid slammed the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a post on X for the “huge political failure” of the incident and called for a state inquiry. “How did we get to the point where the Palestinians are better than the Israeli government in the international arena?” added Mr Lapid, who previously served as both a prime minister and foreign minister.
Current Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called Mr Lapid a “charlatan” in response, adding that the latter “knows full well that such incidents also happened during his tenure”.
“Even the sly Lapid knows that what we are seeing before our eyes is a systematic and antisemitic system aimed at denying Israel's right to self-defence,” he added. “A patriotic opposition leader would write something about Brazil, whose antisemitic president Lula accused Israel of genocide at the beginning of the war and claimed that the [Israeli military’s] actions were similar to the actions of the Nazis”.
Relations between Brazil and Israel have dramatically worsened during the Gaza war, with Israel declaring Lula a persona non grata after the latter accused Israel of committing genocide in February.
Arsen Ostrovsky, of Israeli think tank Misgav, told The National that the actions of the Hind Rajab Foundation amounted to “lawfare,” a term used to describe the strategic use of legal action to damage an opponent.
“The biggest impact here will be a reconsideration of soldiers’ travel plans to certain destinations and an adverse effect on diplomatic relations between Israel and those countries that entertain these baseless legal assaults,” he added.
“The incoming Trump administration will also have a key role to play. They have already threatened to unleash a fury of sanctions against the International Criminal Court, which ought to be extended to any country that seeks to entertain this egregious abuse of the law by extremist anti-Israel groups hounding IDF soldiers.”
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
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Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
The%20specs
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The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
