Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Palestinian human rights organisation Al Haq took its legal action against the UK government to the High Court in London on Monday over several decisions not to suspend licences to export weapons and military equipment to Israel. The organisation told the High Court the government continued sending F-35 fighter jet components to Israel despite knowing there was a “clear risk” that they could be used to “commit or facilitate a serious violation” of international humanitarian law (IHL).
Following a review of Israel’s compliance with IHL in the continuing conflict, the Labour government suspended around 30 licences in September. The decision was made after the previous Conservative government refused to do so in December last year and April and May this year.
Protest against British government's arms exports to Israel - in pictures
But an exemption was made for some licences related to components of F-35 fighter jets, and around 330 others continued unaltered, which concerned items such as training and air defence equipment. Al Haq is now seeking the green light to challenge the decision not to suspend all licences in September, the move to “carve out” licences for F-35 components from the suspension, and decisions by the former Tory government not to suspend licences in December 2023 and April and May this year.
The government is opposing the legal challenge, with its lawyers telling the court that the licensing of arms exports to Israel “is being kept under close and continuous review”. In written submissions for a hearing on Monday, Sir James Eadie KC, for the department, said that the suspension was made after the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy had concluded that Israel is “not committed to complying” with IHL.
This was itself based on a conclusion that “Israel had committed possible breaches of IHL in relation to humanitarian access and the treatment of detainees”, which led the Foreign Office to advise the Department for Business and Trade that there was a “clear risk” that some military equipment to be deployed in Gaza could be used to breach international law.
Israel's international ripples – in pictures
But Sir James said that the decision to “carve out” licences related to F-35 components followed advice from Defence Secretary John Healey, who said a suspension would impact the “whole F-35 programme” and have a “profound impact on international peace and security”. Mr Healey added that it would “undermine US confidence in the UK and Nato at a critical juncture in our collective history and set back relations”, and could cause “adversaries” to “take advantage of any perceived weakness”.
“It did not follow from this (September) assessment that all licences to Israel had to be suspended, but only those in respect of which there is a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of IHL," Sir James said. “Notwithstanding the ‘clear risk’ assessment, for the reasons given in the Defence Secretary’s advice, it has been determined that there is a good reason to depart from the strategic export licensing criteria and not to suspend exports into the F-35 programme.
“The F-35 carve out accepts that there is clear risk that F-35 components might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of IHL, but determines that in the exceptional circumstances outlined by the Defence Secretary, these exports should nonetheless continue.”
Israeli strikes on Gaza – in pictures
The war between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7 last year, has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced. The Gaza health ministry says around 43,800 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities.
The court was told that at the time of the September suspension, 361 licences had been issued for arms exports to Israel. In her written submissions, Phillippa Kaufmann KC, for Al Haq, said the government was using a “categorically wrong” and “highly improper” approach to assess whether Israel had breached IHL, which led to “flawed” decisions being made as to whether to suspend licences.
“What is in question here is whether its (Israel’s) stated commitment is a true commitment, and in order to make that determination the best evidence is how has it gone about these hostilities," she said. “What one is looking for is, for example, patterns indicating systemic non-compliance with international humanitarian law.
“The defendant simply does not have information from Israel about individual acts of military action, strikes, demolitions. It does not have that because Israel would not give it to them.”
Ms Kaufmann added that the challenge to earlier decisions “raise important issues of principle” which were “strongly in the public interest”. But speaking in court in London, Sir James said “historic decisions” taken by the previous government had been “superseded” by the September decision, making challenges to them “academic”. The hearing before Mr Justice Chamberlain is expected to conclude later on Monday.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
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Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
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Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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- Flexible work arrangements
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MATCH INFO
Day 2 at the Gabba
Australia 312-1
Warner 151 not out, Burns 97, Labuschagne 55 not out
Pakistan 240
Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52
