At a long and rambling press conference with US President Donald Trump on Monday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could do little more than sit in silence offering occasional gushing praise as Mr Trump fired off diplomatic plans for the Middle East, strong statements about tariffs and reminders of how much Israel needs his country.
Mr Netanyahu's government has made a sudden bid in recent days to end Israeli financial restrictions on US imports. But Mr Trump only responded with “maybe not” when asked in the Oval Office whether the US would reduce a 17 per cent levy slapped on Israeli products as part of sweeping tariff plans that have upended the world economy.
“Don't forget, we help Israel a lot. We give Israel $4 billion a year. That's a lot. Congratulations, by the way,” Mr Trump said. This came despite Mr Netanyahu promising to “eliminate” all trade barriers with the US during the meeting.
It was just one instance among many that turned Mr Netanyahu’s surprise White House visit, the second since Mr Trump came to office, into a far more complicated affair than the exchange of diplomatic pleasantries that the prime minister was hoping for, as he tries to boost his prestige at home while fighting a number of internal challenges. These include controversy over the sacking of a key internal security official, anger over the fate of Israeli hostages in Gaza and the lack of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
Mr Trump did have plenty of kind words for Mr Netanyahu and he reiterated his desire to forcibly depopulate Gaza and turn it into a real estate development, a policy that Mr Netanyahu and his far-right coalition strongly support.
“You know how I feel about the Gaza Strip,” Mr Trump said. “I think it's an incredible piece of important real estate. And I think it's something that we would be involved in. Having a peace force like the US there controlling and owning the Gaza Strip would be a good thing.”
Dmitri Diliani, a member of Palestinian faction Fatah’s revolutionary council, said the latest expression of Mr Trump’s support for the Gaza plan would lead to “nothing short of a structural transformation of the besieged strip into a network of de facto concentration camps”.
“This plan embodies the physical implementation of a brazenly declared policy of ethnic cleansing, executed with impunity by a settler-colonial regime emboldened by unwavering American support,” Mr Diliani said.
Mr Trump also expressed solidarity with Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza. Many of the Israeli public believe their government is not committed enough to securing the release of the captives despite a majority wanting them home above all else.
Mr Trump said releasing hostages was “a long process” but also that he wanted the Gaza war to end, despite Israel walking away from a ceasefire deal in March and massively increasing its bombardment of the enclave.
“I'd like to see the war stop, and I think the war will stop at some point, that won't be in the too-distant future,” Mr Trump said.
In a worrying development for Mr Netanyahu, Mr Trump also had kind words for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who just over a week ago asked God to “damn Zionist Israel”.
Turkey-Israel relations have been deteriorating throughout the Gaza war, and after the fall of former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, Israel is worried about Turkish plans to expand its influence in the country, which shares a long, restive border with Israel.
“I have great relations with a man named Erdogan. Have you heard of him? I happen to like him and he likes me,” Mr Trump said.
Mr Trump congratulated Mr Erdogan for being “very smart” and doing “what nobody has done in 2,000 years, taking over Syria”. Turning to Mr Netanyahu, he said: “Any problem that you have with Turkey, I think we can solve, as long as you are reasonable, you have to be reasonable.”
There was also the revelation that the US was holding talks with Iran on its nuclear programme. “We have a very big meeting, and we’ll see what can happen. And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable,” Mr Trump said.
Iran’s foreign minister confirmed on Tuesday that senior representatives from both countries would meet on Saturday in Oman, although he said the talks would be “indirect”.
Preventing Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon has been one of Mr Netanyahu’s key priorities throughout his long career as Israeli leader, and Mr Trump’s stated preference for “diplomacy” will have caught Israel’s attention, where many favour a military operation with essential help from Washington to end Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Israeli journalist Anshel Pfeffer, who wrote a biography of Mr Netaynahu, posted on X that the meeting was “peak humiliation” for the Israeli Prime Minister.
“Trump isn’t treating Netanyahu like he did [Ukraine President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy in the White House but in many ways this meeting is even more humiliating. He’s not demanding Israel act like America’s vassal state, he’s assuming it already is,” Mr Pfeffer wrote. “As one Israeli official just described it to me, 'Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister to give America total control over its foreign policy. Israel’s foreign policy is now whatever Trump says it should be'.”
More on animal trafficking
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
The years Ramadan fell in May
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
THE BIO
Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Kandahar%20
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WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Frida%20
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
