Members of the Palestinian national women's team expressed their pride at playing football in front of artwork featuring the Irish and Palestinian flags at Dalymount Park stadium in Dublin on Nakba Day.
“Walking through the pitch and seeing our flag here, it feels like home," said Palestinian-German player Nadine Mohamad, 20, before the team's match against local Irish football club the Bohemians Women.
"Ireland is a European country which supports us and I think will join Spain and Malta and Slovenia and recognise Palestine soon, so we are so excited about what's going to happen in the future.
"This is the most special moment we’ve ever had."
Mohamad, who travelled from Berlin where she plays for local club Turkiyemspor, said German authorities are restricting pro-Palestine and anti-war protests and trying to deny what is happening in Gaza.
“When you see a kid who's five years old looking for his mom or dad who's buried under the rubble of their house, how do you ignore it?” she asked.
Jihad, one of the Palestinians organising the trip, said the match at Dalymount Park was about reminding the world that Palestinians do not want to die in Gaza.
“They have hopes and dreams too,” he said. “We want people to see Palestinians playing football – not just dying in war.”
George Dabit travelled to Dublin from Canada to support his granddaughter, Charlotte Phillips, who plays in the goal for the Palestinian national team.
Born in Jaffa in 1945, Mr Dabit and his family were forced to flee their home during the 1948 Nakba, or "catastrophe", after the formation of Israel .
His family lived in Jordan before returning to East Jerusalem where he met Phillips’s grandmother, Odette.
“It’s only in the last two and half years that I’ve been able to talk about what happened to my family during the Nakba,” Mrs Dabit said.
Her family had planned to flee from their home in the city of Ramla in 1948 but after her eldest brother Zachary, who was 18, died from a gunshot wound inflicted by a Jewish militia her mother refused to leave.
“She said 'over my dead body are we leaving the land where my son is buried',” Mrs Dabit said.
Just a few years later in 1956, Mrs Dabit saw her father, who was a Catholic Palestinian, being killed in an axe attack after he refused to sell his popular restaurant in Ramla to a group of Jewish Iraqis who had moved into the neighbourhood.
“He died on my sister’s knee,” she recalls emotionally.
Various members of Mrs Dabit's family emigrated to Canada before she and husband George decided to emigrate too, in 1968.
The couple had been living in Beit Hanina, a neighbourhood near Jerusalem which was occupied by Israel after the 1967 war.
“Canada gave us a country and a flag and treated us like everyone else,” Mrs Dabit said.
“I didn’t want my kids to know about politics. I wanted to give them a fresh start, but I can’t deny who I am.”
The Dabits are proud to see their granddaughter play for Palestine.
“Charlotte’s so passionate about playing with the team,” Mrs Dabit said.
But she worries whether playing for a Palestinian team could hurt her granddaughter’s future, with the current climate on university campuses and in workplaces.
Speaking before Wednesday night's match, Phillips said that she was excited to represent Palestine in front of her family and that the players are always trying to do their best.
“It’s very competitive, no one wants to be replaced,” she said.
The friendly game marks the first time the Palestinian women’s team has played a match in Europe and coincides with the annual Nakba Day.
Bohemian defender Abbie O’Hara said the Irish team had been looking forward to the match since they heard it had been organised with the Palestinian Football Association this year.
“We’re all just really excited to play,” said O’Hara.
The Bohemian Football Club has previously raised funds for sports programmes for Palestinian children living in the Tulkarm camp in the occupied West Bank.
Proceeds from this match will support the cost of the team travelling to Ireland, as well as the work of charitable organisations including Palestine Sport for Life, Medical Aid for Palestinians and Aclaí Palestine.
Palestinian players facing the Bohemian women’s team in the sold-out match travelled this week from the West Bank through Jordan, and from Israel, Lebanon, Germany, Sweden, the US and Canada.
Bisan Abuaita, 26, who normally plays right-wing for the Palestinian team, travelled from Bethlehem.
Abuaita said the team has never had players from Gaza, as even before the war began it was too difficult for them to travel for matches because of the total blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt.
The team last played in Jeddah in a friendly game against the Saudi Arabian women’s team in May 2023.
Before the match, a delegation from the Palestinian team was hosted at Aras an Uachtarain on Tuesday by Irish President Michael Higgins, and at the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithi de Roiste.
Mr Higgins and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald attended the football match on Wednesday evening.
A Palestinian flag was placed on every seat in the ground and shortly before kick-off, a mural of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza, was unveiled outside the ground.
Fans who were not able to buy a ticket were encouraged to purchase a stream of the game or a non-attendance ticket, or to make a donation online.
The Palestinian team scored a last-minute goal, taking them to a 2-1 win against The Bohemians.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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
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
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
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
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EDate%20started%3A%20January%202022%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Omar%20Abu%20Innab%2C%20Silvia%20Eldawi%2C%20Walid%20Shihabi%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20PropTech%20%2F%20investment%3Cbr%3EEmployees%3A%2040%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Seed%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Multiple%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
More on animal trafficking
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
