Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will on Wednesday address members of Congress at the US Capitol amid historic tension with Washington over the Gaza war.
Mr Netanyahu's visit puts on display two conflicting realities in the country.
On the one hand, the US-Israel relationship is “subject to more scrutiny than ever before”, said former US Middle East envoy Dennis Ross.
And on the other, “most Americans don't care about the Middle East”, says Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.
“We have our own drama,” Mr Katulis said, referring to the turmoil surrounding this year's presidential elections.
Mr Ross, a former ambassador who played a leading role in peace process negotiations during the administrations of George HW Bush and Bill Clinton, said Mr Netanyahu has the job of “creating a sense of legitimacy” for Americans about Israel's war in Gaza.
The scale of destruction in Gaza has damaged historically pro-Israel Washington's support for its ally.
The visit comes as the death toll from Israel's military operations in the enclave passes 39,000, according to local authorities, and as the UN agency for Palestinian refugees says that nine out of 10 people are displaced.
The war started with the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, which claimed 1,200 lives.
Mr Ross told The National that Mr Netanyahu will aim to “address an American audience at a time when he sees increasingly that Israel's story isn't being told effectively”.
“Instead, the suffering of Palestinians seems to be the only image that people have,” he said.
But Mr Katulis said Mr Netanyahu's visit is mainly geared towards rehabilitating his domestic image at home amid mounting outrage over the war and continuing hostage crisis.
“It may reek of desperation,” Mr Katulis told The National.
Mr Netanyahu “did not protect his country on October 7, has not yet found the pathway to the thing he wants most, which is normalisation with Saudi Arabia, and he won't get there because he and his coalition partners and most of the Knesset now reject state of Palestine”, he said.
Hadar Susskind, a dual US-Israeli citizen and head of progressive group Americans for Peace Now, agreed that Mr Netanyahu's visit is “100 per cent” focused on bolstering his position in Israel.
Mr Susskind said Mr Netanyahu's political persona is built on the notion that he is “Mr Security” and that “he is the one who knows how to manage the Americans”.
Given the awkward timing of Mr Netanyahu's visit – domestic chaos surrounding the US presidential election in November has largely drowned it out – Mr Katulis said: “The irony is the trip might end up being a nothing-burger, meaning that it doesn't produce anything.
"And it just serves to remind people back home, but also in the United States, that Netanyahu is a weak, wounded leader at home."
Pro-Israel organisations such as the US Israel Education Association (USIEA), on the other hand, say the visit to Capitol Hill can lead to real results.
The irony is the trip might end up being a nothing-burger
Brian Katulis,
senior fellow at the Middle East Institute
EJ Kimball, the USIEA's director of policy and strategic operations, says Mr Netanyahu's engagement with Congress will foster discussions on “strategies to eliminate Hamas and free the hostages, the necessity to redesignate the Houthis as a terrorist organisation and efforts to rebuild Gaza postwar”.
Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed this week that she will not preside over the address, leading to a rush in the Senate chamber over who will lead Congress in its reception of Mr Netanyahu.
The decision has further fanned the partisan flames on Capitol Hill over Israel.
Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik accused the Democratic Party of “turning their back on our most precious ally”.
And more members of Congress on Tuesday confirmed that they would not attend the address.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen told reporters he did not wish to be a “prop” for Mr Netanyahu, while progressive Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said she would give her tickets to families of Israeli hostages.
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, meanwhile, issued a memo declaring that acts of protest from US politicians would result in their arrest, after saying he will increase security in the chamber for Mr Netanyahu's visit.
Anti-Netanyahu protests have been taking place in Washington throughout the week and turnout at the Capitol on Thursday is expected to be large.
Capitol police on Tuesday had already arrested dozens of Jewish-American protesters demonstrating in the halls of congressional buildings in anticipation of Mr Netanyahu's visit.
APN is co-sponsoring two different protests, and Mr Susskind plans on speaking at both to make it clear that “Americans, Jews and otherwise should say that he's not welcome here”.
“There's no good reason for Israel for Netanyahu to be here right now … They've got 120 people still held hostage,” he said.
“He's got work to do. He only has personal political reasons for being here … I would say he should go home and do his job.”
Mr Netanyahu will also be meeting top US officials during his visit.
President Joe Biden, who recently ended his race to retain the White House, will meet Mr Netanyahu after his address on Thursday for talks centred on Gaza ceasefire negotiations.
Mr Ross said that Mr Biden stepping down from the presidential race “frees him” to more directly focus on foreign policy and achieving a ceasefire deal.
“He'll be more focused on the issue of legacy,” he said.
Members of the House foreign affairs committee also confirmed they would be meeting Mr Netanyahu, after Israeli hostage families on Tuesday went to Congress and warned that politicians must put more pressure on him to clinch the ceasefire deal.
Daniel Neutra, brother of hostage Omer Neutra, told the committee that after a meeting this week with Mr Netanyahu: “I have to say, the urgency did not seem to resonate with him”.
“Any true friend of Israel today must pressure our Prime Minister to finish the deal now,” added Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen.
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, announced that he will host Mr Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Friday.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Stage 5 results
1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53
2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -
3 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott -
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04
5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07
General Classification:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04
2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48
5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES
September 30
South Africa v Australia
Argentina v New Zealand
October 7
South Africa v New Zealand
Argentina v Australia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
