Palestinian officials and financial leaders have strongly criticised Israel's military raid on a currency exchange in central Ramallah on Tuesday, saying the large-scale incursion is part of a wider, politically motivated push to destabilise the occupied West Bank by targeting the Palestinian economy.
The rare daytime incursion took place a few hundred metres from the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 33 people suffered injuries from live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, including a 13-year-old boy who was shot in the abdomen.
The Israeli military said the target was a currency exchange that “transfers terror funds to Hamas”, and that five people “suspected of terrorist activity” were arrested.
The raid is the latest instance of Israel unilaterally going after Palestinian finances and institutions in the name of stopping money from being transferred to its enemies. Israeli police said on Wednesday that security forces seized roughly 1.5 million shekels ($447,000) of “terror funds” during the raid.
Many Palestinians say these raids are politically motivated attempts to destabilise Palestinian life. Threats to the economy, which has contracted massively since the Gaza war began nearly two years ago, are widely feared to be one of the biggest risk factors for a security collapse in the West Bank.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's office described the raid as a “theft of funds” in which property was destroyed, the news agency Wafa reported. It called on the US to put pressure on Israel to call off attacks on the West Bank.
“The Israeli government is pushing the situation towards a major explosion aimed at forcing Palestinians from their land and displacing them,” it said. “The Palestinian people will neither leave nor relinquish their land and holy sites.”
Footage shot near a major roundabout in Ramallah showed at least five Israeli armoured vehicles and troops on the streets. Wafa reported that Israeli snipers positioned themselves on rooftops as soldiers carried out the raid.
Surveillance footage showed terrified Palestinians seeking shelter in shops. Groups of mostly young men were filmed throwing stones at Israeli forces in response to the raid.
Palestinian businessman and economist Samir Hulileh said he believed the raid was “a way to frighten people and make the economy and all of the West Bank tremble”.
He criticised Israel for deploying the military to deal with financial cases, arguing that Palestinian and Israeli authorities, with international oversight, have long worked on specialist approaches to dealing with monetary crime.
“We have regulated this since the Oslo Accords and the regulations have been valid all the time except during this [Israeli] government,” Mr Hulileh told The National. He said the Palestinian Monetary Authority and Bank of Israel, with the guidance of the US Treasury and International Monetary Fund, have “excellent” procedures to tackle financial crime.
“Of course, a money changer could be doing something wrong, but to tackle the problem properly, you don’t destabilise the market. You don’t raid violently, injuring and killing people,” he said.
The Israeli government “seems not to care very much”, Mr Hulileh said. “Chaos is maybe what they want … what they’re trying to do is dismantle and pressure the PA for political reasons.”
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
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.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
Results:
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1.400m | Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Saab, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Majd Al Gharbia, Saif Al Balushi, Ridha ben Attia
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed Dh 180,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Money To Burn, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh 70,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Kafu, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 2,400m | Winner: Brass Ring, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
Mobile phone packages comparison
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if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
Kanye%20West
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
