Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says it will continue to operate in the occupied Palestinian territories, despite an Israeli ban on its work that comes into effect on Thursday.
The Israeli parliament passed legislation effectively prohibiting UNRWA from carrying out its work and barring Israeli officials from communicating with the agency in October. Israel has not given details on how it plans to enforce the ban.
Director of external relations and communications at UNRWA, Tamara Al Rifai, said its staff would be continuing their work “within an exceptionally hostile environment”.
“There will be a lack of protection guarantees for our staff – so that if anything happens to them, UNRWA will no longer have access to Israeli officials,” Ms Al Rifai told The National.
“It's going to be very difficult for us as a UN agency to protect our staff.”
Risks include an escalation in “intimidation, harassment and even detention” by Israeli authorities, she said.
“Let's not forget that we've had staff members detained from Gaza over the past 15 months and it's of great concern for us not to be able to communicate with the Israeli government if anything happens,” she added.
The no-communication order also impacts the flow of aid, Ms Al Rifai said, especially because bringing lorries through borders requires communication with the Israeli authorities in control of deliveries.
UNRWA is the largest distributor of aid across Gaza and the West Bank and the second largest employer in occupied Palestine after the Palestinian Authority, with 17,000 workers under its wing. Visas for international staff working for UNRWA expired on Wednesday.
“This is an eviction of international civil servants and UN personnel and an act by the Israeli government that contravenes Israel's obligations under international law,” Ms Al Rifai said.
She said the ban could set a dangerous precedent that challenges the multilateral global system.
“We can easily slip into a trend where any government that doesn't agree with the role, mandate or values that are being promoted by a UN agency, can dismantle or remove it,” she said.
“This is a system that took a lot of effort to put in place and it's now at risk.”
With the closure of healthcare centres and schools that benefit millions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, Israel is obligated under international law, as an occupying force, to provide the basic services that UNRWA has been performing since its creation in 1949 in response to the Nakba.
“There is no other UN agency that runs a full-fledged primary healthcare system with clinics, mobile health teams, doctors, nurses and an e-health digital system that keeps records of all patients. There is no other UN agency that has the mandate or the resources to run a full-fledged school system with teachers, educators or the know-how and money to do so,” Ms Al Rifai said.
The UN official said, however, that Israel has not offered an alternative plan to cover the gaps that will arise once the ban is in place.
If there is a political solution that solves the issue of Palestinian refugees and allows them basic access to services, then UNRWA will no longer need to exist and can phase out its service, Ms Al Rifai said.
Right now, the focus is on Jerusalem and the closure of UNRWA's offices there, which Ms Al Rifai say are in a highly coveted spot.
“UNRWA's offices are in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah which is a prime real estate spot in East Jerusalem. There's been a focus on dislodging UNRWA from its east Jerusalem compound and replacing it with illegal settlements and housing units,” Ms Al Rifai said.
Details remain unclear on how the Israeli law is going to be implemented across the West Bank and Gaza, she added.
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THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
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Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
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Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
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
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors
Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km
Price: from Dh199,900
On sale: now
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Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
About%20My%20Father
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
