When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the order to launch a massive attack against Iran last week, sparking an open-ended war between the arch enemies, many thousands of Israelis, Palestinians and other residents were left with next to no options to return home.
Ben Gurion Airport, a proud, ultra-high security symbol of Israel's resilience, was shut down indefinitely, so great is the risk from Iranian missile fire.
The national carrier El Al, whose planes are fitted with advanced air defence systems, spirited its planes off to airfields abroad. The airline is known for almost always flying, even when other carriers cancel for security reasons. Only at the worst moments since Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel in 2023 has it been forced to cancel or delay a handful of services.
While open at certain times, many land border crossings are unpredictable, in particular the Allenby Bridge, which links Jordan to the occupied West Bank, which itself is under draconian restrictions.
Only at the Eilat-Taba border crossing with Egypt, on a quiet and scenic corridor of land in the very south of Israel, have things been working almost as normal since the war began. The pocket of continuity is a testament to the oft-tested, still-enduring 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty.
Despite trepidation and official warnings, most people The National spoke with at Taba and Eilat on Monday seemed calm. After crossing into a modern Israeli terminal, the first thing to be seen was a photo of the former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin shaking hands as the beaming US president Jimmy Carter looked on. It was the moment that heralded peace between two countries who for many decades had been bitter, warring enemies.
On the more ornate Egyptian side of the border, just after a line of hotel resorts, soldiers in white uniforms scanned bags and asked a trickle of passengers only a few questions about why they were travelling. A glimpse of an Israeli passport or work visa was enough to end any line of interrogation.
The most direct exercise of authority was a soldier, without asking, taking a piece of chewing gum from a traveller’s pile of pocket items left at the side of a metal detector, to smiles all round. Most of the conversations were held in Arabic, because most of the people crossing were Palestinians who hold Israeli passports.
Israelis have nonetheless been urged not to use crossings with Arab states. Israel's National Security Council has warned its citizens not to try to get home through Jordanian or Egyptian land crossings.
Moaz, an Egyptian taxi driver ferrying passengers to the crossing, said he did not understand the trepidation. “Israelis need to understand there are never any problems here,” he said. “The government is strong, the place is safe and people want to earn a living from travellers.”
As the sun rose over Sinai’s martian landscape, the bleak lack of Israeli tourism after October 7 became clear. Sharm El Sheikh, home to luxurious hotels and concert venues, and the world-famous diving hotspot Dahab further up the coast, seemed to be doing fine. But Nuweiba, where there are dozens of simple camps that used to be full of young Israelis, were completely abandoned.
At the Eilat-Taba crossing, the only non-Arab Israeli citizens The National saw were security and border staff. An officer checking passports on the Israeli side asked with some bemusement why people were crossing into a warzone at all. “I get it for Israelis and people like journalists, but we still get some regular visitors and I just don’t understand why they come,” she said.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
