As the US Congress prepares to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, families of hostages held by Hamas urged American politicians on Tuesday to pressure him on his handling of ceasefire negotiations.
“Any true friend of Israel today must pressure our Prime Minister to finish the deal now,” said Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen.
“There's a myth out there that there's a better deal somewhere … all of the Israeli security apparatus and intelligence services have clearly stated that all of the conditions are right today."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Aspen Security Forum last week that Israeli and Hamas negotiators were inching closer to a ceasefire deal that would include the release of hostages.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan later echoed those remarks, adding that “there are some technical details to be worked out about the phase one to phase two sequence” of the ceasefire agreement.
But hostage families used their time with congressional leaders to cast doubt on the belief that Mr Netanyahu was working as quickly as possible to clinch a deal.
“Last night we met with Prime Minister Netanyahu again, and I have to say the urgency did not seem to resonate with him,” Daniel Neutra, brother of hostage Omer Neutra, told members of Congress from both parties.
“He did not answer when we asked him why he's only sending negotiators to keep the process going on Thursday instead of days ago."
Members of the Republican Party have largely insisted on their support for Mr Netanyahu since the October 7 Hamas-led attack that led to the war in Gaza.
This year, Mr Netanyahu caused controversy on Capitol Hill when he met Republicans, and only Republicans, during an online lunch.
A growing number of Democrats have begun criticising his far-right government and its handling of the war that has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians.
Democratic Congressman Bill Keating drew applause from the audience and members of the panel when he said he would attend Mr Netanyahu's address, but that he mainly wants the Prime Minister to listen to his urgent message of sealing the ceasefire deal.
Jon Polin, father of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, urged the Republican-majority committee to treat the issue as “a triage situation”, with the priority being the release of the hostages over threats from Yemen's Houthis or Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“We have 120 hostages, at least half of whom are likely no longer alive, wailing and bleeding out on the emergency room floor," Mr Polin said.
"Now's not the time to go off to the cancer ward and deal with the sick people who need treatment when there are people dying right now on the floor of your hospital."
Many congressional representatives attended the conference to hear from the hostage families, not adding any questions or statements.
House foreign affairs committee chairman Mike McCaul winced as Mr Neutra described the enduring instinct to text his brother when he wants to talk, only to see “WhatsApp say last seen 10 months ago".
And Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Manning wiped tears from her eyes throughout the testimony of Aviva Siegel, who survived more than 50 days in Hamas captivity and whose husband, Keith, is still being held.
Mr McCaul said he would meet Mr Netanyahu on Wednesday and promised to raise their concerns, asking each family member what he should say to the Israeli leader.
The families said they hoped that members of the pro-Israel Congress would “be leaders, not politicians” during the visit.
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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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
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
more from Janine di Giovanni
Full list of Emmy 2020 nominations
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
OUTSTANDING VARIETY/TALK SERIES
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do In The Shadows
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
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)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
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Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
RESULTS
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