Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
A former World Central Kitchen staffer has accused the aid organisation of censoring critical material coming out of Gaza and only taking a stand on the months-long war after seven aid workers were killed in an Israeli attack.
In an opinion piece published on Mondoweiss, a liberal news website, Ramsey Telhami, who is Palestinian American, said he resigned in March from the aid organisation where he worked as an assistant video editor in protest against the group's refusal to call for a ceasefire and condemn Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
He also said important context in his work was often omitted in a way that undermined the severity of the situation in the enclave.
“WCK leadership is taking a stand six months too late, only after seven of its personnel were killed,” Mr Telhami wrote in the piece published on Thursday.
Earlier this month, World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres said Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip was no longer “a war against terror” but a “war against humanity itself”, after the Israeli army killed the seven aid workers.
He said the army had deliberately attacked the convoy, and he called for an independent investigation into the incident.
The organisation also announced that it was halting its operations in Gaza.
Charity boss Jose Andres says Israel targeted staff in Gaza – video
The attack provoked international outrage as well as a threat from President Joe Biden that US support for Israel could change unless more is done to address the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza.
Israel apologised and said it mistook the convoy for Hamas operatives. Israel has also allowed levels of aid into Gaza not seen since it launched a massive military operation in response to the October 7 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities.
More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza, according to local health authorities, and much of the coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble.
In a written response to the Mondoweiss piece, World Central Kitchen said it is committed to ensuring the safety of its staff and feeding people in need.
World Central Kitchen workers killed in Israeli strike – in pictures
“But all the safety training and armoured cars cannot protect against missiles,” the organisation told The National.
“As the [Israeli military] has acknowledged in taking the blame for these tragic deaths, WCK did everything right in co-ordinating its movements. That is why we are calling for an independent outside investigation into the killing of our colleagues.”
Aid organisations say famine is already occurring in Gaza, especially among the territory's most vulnerable populations, amid Israeli restrictions on the entry of food.
“Until the highly publicised slaughter of its employees forced it to do otherwise, WCK has been toeing the Biden admin line regarding Gaza,” Mr Telhami wrote.
The organisation had set up a field kitchen in Rafah, created a network of community kitchens across Gaza, and sent in hundreds of lories of aid, according to the organisation's website.
Mr Andres, 54, is a Spanish-American celebrity chef who founded the food relief NGO in response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Since then, his organisation has fed migrants arriving at the US southern border, medical workers during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as Ukrainians displaced by Russia's invasion.
Several days into the Israel-Gaza war, Mr Andres put out a video on social media in which he condemned Hamas for killing innocent civilians in Israel on October 7 and said he was also heartbroken because “people are dying” in Gaza.
“Chef Jose Andres, people aren’t ‘dying’ in Gaza,” Palestinian-American chef Michael Rafidi responded in a comment.
“People are being murdered, and those people are Palestinians.”
A few days later, Mr Andres wrote on social media that Spanish Minister for Social Rights Lone Belarra should be fired after she condemned Israel for not allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin was “defending Israeli citizens”.
In the weeks after the war, the aid group served meals in Israel for people who had fled Hamas rocket fire and were evacuated as the war in Gaza began.
Mr Telhami said he as well as several dozen other staffers at the World Central Kitchen had denounced the move, arguing Israel, the world's 25th wealthiest nation, did not need the assistance.
“By continuing to serve meals in Israel in tandem with our work in Gaza, WCK is playing into false, dangerous perceptions of equivalency between the situations in Gaza and Israel,” according to a letter addressed to the NGO's executives in December, signed by 42 members of staff.
Mr Telhami said that World Central Kitchen continued to serve meals in Israel until January.
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.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
The Abu Dhabi Awards explained:
What are the awards? They honour anyone who has made a contribution to life in Abu Dhabi.
Are they open to only Emiratis? The awards are open to anyone, regardless of age or nationality, living anywhere in the world.
When do nominations close? The process concludes on December 31.
How do I nominate someone? Through the website.
When is the ceremony? The awards event will take place early next year.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:
England: 290 & 346
Sri Lanka: 336 & 243
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
1st Test July 26-30 in Galle
2nd Test August 3-7 in Colombo
3rd Test August 12-16 in Pallekele
