Ruby Chen has spent 587 days waiting for his son Itay, 19, to come home. An Israeli-German-American soldier serving in the Israeli military, Itay was taken hostage by Hamas-led militants during the October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel.
His father now divides his time between grief and diplomacy, appealing to leaders, from Washington to Doha, for help in bringing his son home.
“My family are Holocaust survivors,” Mr Chen told the The National, as he prepared to speak before the UN Security Council on the issue of hostages held in Gaza. “They understand the magnitude of having a Jewish state to protect us. Itay could have gone to college, could have been in New York, but he chose to serve.”
He said he met many times with the US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who he described as “a man with a large heart”.
“He understands the issues of the hostages as he himself lost his son in different circumstances, but he understands what it means to be a parent and losing a child,” Mr Chen said. “He has promised to us that: ‘I will not disappoint you, and I will not end this mission until you will be reunited with Itay as well as the other US families.'”
Mr Chen emphasised the importance of sustained international efforts to bring the remaining hostages home.
“We need the help of the US's international partners such as the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi, to broker a deal which will decouple the bigger political issue that has been going on for decades," he explained.
"There are still 58 hostages, including four Americans, as well as the humanitarian crisis of the people of Gaza who have been used as human shields by a terrorist organisation for far too long."
His comments come after hostage Edan Alexander was released by Hamas, reportedly as a goodwill gesture towards US President Donald Trump, who is visiting the Gulf this week.
Mr Chen also urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to heed public opinion on the war.
“Four polls show the Israeli public supports a ceasefire to get the last hostage home. Not hostages, but the last hostage,” he stressed.
On March 24, Mr Chen and his wife were notified by the Israeli military that Itay probably did not survive the October 7 attacks.
“For over 19 months, Hamas have not been willing to acknowledge that he is in their possession … what is his physical status? I think this is the lowest form of terrorist psychological warfare imaginable,” Mr Chen told the Security Council at a special meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, which addresses the obligation of returning hostage remains.
“We are collateral damage,” Mr Chen added. “We are not the sons or daughters of prime ministers. But we deserve comfort. We deserve closure.”
For now, Mr Chen and his family remain stuck, as he describes it, “in an alternative universe", fighting for one thing: “To be reunited” with Itay.
When asked what he would say if given the chance to speak directly to Hamas, he said: “I would say to them that they have done bad things. We need to see a better future for everybody.”
He added: “This war has gone on far too long. We need to find a compromise … a way to be together. We are all children of the same God. We are descendants of Abraham, all of us.”
Mr Chen said any aspiration by Hamas to take part in the international community must begin with the release of the hostages captives.
“If they indeed wish to be part of the future, then they need to release at least the hostages and negotiate in good faith for a better future for the Palestinian people.”
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Real estate tokenisation project
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.
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