Trump's Gaza plan fails reality test for Egyptian leaders


Damien McElroy
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Egyptian MP Sahar Albazar has called for Arab countries to formulate an alternative to US President Donald Trump's Gaza evacuation demands, calling the White House proposal a distraction from realistic and sustainable solutions for peace.

Speaking to The National at the Munich Security Conference, Ms Albazar said the starting point in moving beyond Washington's proposal is that displacing people breaks international law.

“We should not entertain unrealistic proposals because that distracts our focus and energy in bringing about realistic, sustainable solutions for peace in the Middle East.

“If there’s no peace in the Middle East, there will be a lot of problems for neighbouring countries,” she said.

“I'm sure that the Arab world, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar were going to bring another proposal that rebuilds Gaza while keeping Palestinians in their own land."

A member of the foreign relations committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives, Ms Albazar noted the trip this week of new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Middle East as a chance to change direction.

Israeli measures are not allowing us to send as much aid as we need
Ayman Safadi

“I hope that after his visit in the Middle East we can find a common ground between the Arab proposal and the US proposal, where we can at least maintain the ceasefire,” she said. “We definitely need to empower Palestinians and push for the sustainable peace solution, which is the two state solution.”

Gaza aid

The ceasefire has led to an increased flow of aid into Gaza, but the bottlenecks imposed by Israel have again created shortages.

“We see some obstacles when it comes to the number of aid [shipments],” she said. " There are difficulties when it comes to the other party because it's definitely not a question of why one track goes and the other does not. This kind of situation creates a struggle to continue with the ceasefire.”

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Ayman Safadi, Jordan's Foreign Minister, shared the same concerns.

“I just want to address the humanitarian situation,” he told a Munich Security Conference panel. “Our priority number one is that the ceasefire holds (and) that we go through phase one, phase two and phase three of the deal.

“We have a route through which we're sending trucks; Israeli measures are not allowing us to send as much aid as we need.

“We have a problem of getting aid into Gaza. People are starving. Foods not is getting in, tents are not getting in, caravans are not getting in, medicine is not getting in. We have two hospitals operating in Gaza, and we're told horror stories of what's happening there.”

Sigrid Kaag, the UN Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, spoke of Palestine at risk of “dropping out of sight permanently” as a result of the situation on the ground, not just in Gaza but the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Cairo Statement

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2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred

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5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.

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Investment raised: $4 million 
At a glance

Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free

Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland

UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan

Scoreline

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Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'

While you're here

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THE BIO

Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.

Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.

She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.

She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.

Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring  the natural world.

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RACE SCHEDULE

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm

Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm

Sunday, October 1
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From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

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Roll of honour 2019-2020

Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain

West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership

UAE Premiership
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Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes

UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II

UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.

The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.

But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.

At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.

The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.

After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.

Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.

And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.

At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.

And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.

* Agence France Presse

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Who is Enric Sala?

Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.

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According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.

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Directed by: Todd Phillips

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix

Rating: Five out of five stars

Brief scores:

Huesca 0

Real Madrid 1

Bale 8'

How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019

December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'

JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.

“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”

November 26:  ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’

SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue. 

SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."

October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'

MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.

“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December." 

MATCH INFO

Championship play-offs, second legs:

Aston Villa 0
Middlesbrough 0

(Aston Villa advance 1-0 on aggregate)

Fulham 2
Sessegnon (47'), Odoi (66')

Derby County 0

(Fulham advance 2-1 on aggregate)

Final

Saturday, May 26, Wembley. Kick off 8pm (UAE) 

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.

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Updated: February 15, 2025, 5:20 PM`