Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
President Donald Trump returned from his Gulf tour celebrating business ventures and big-dollar trade deals, but it appears he was unable to make major progress on ending the war in Gaza.
On Monday, Mr Trump took to social media to share screenshots of news articles and commentary about last week's trip, heralding his time in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE as a “bright new day” for the region.
He announced the lifting of US sanctions on Syria and secured $2 trillion worth of commercial deals and investment pledges for the US in aviation, artificial intelligence, technology, defence and energy.
But experts say he missed an opportunity to end the 19-month-old war in Gaza that has claimed the lives of more than 53,000 Palestinians, and left the coastal enclave in ruins.
Aziz Alghashian, an expert at the Arab Gulf States Institute, said it was indication that the prospects of Saudi-Israel normalisation have been pushed back.
“I think the fact that perhaps there wasn't enough talk on Gaza meant that there wouldn't be enough talk on aspects of normalisation,” Mr Alghashian told an AGSI online seminar on Monday. “That's why it was somewhat compartmentalised.”
In a speech on his first day in the region, Mr Trump said it was his “fervent hope” that Saudi Arabia would establish diplomatic ties with Israel, but said the kingdom will do it on its “own time”.
The UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan established ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords during the first Trump administration. The Republican President said he wants more countries to join in his second term.
During a business event in Doha, Mr Trump persisted with comments that the US would “take” Gaza and that its Palestinian inhabitants would be moved elsewhere.
“I'd be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone, let some good things happen, put people in homes where they can be safe,” he said. “And Hamas is going to have to be dealt with.”
NBC reported that the Trump administration is working on a plan to permanently relocate up to one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya. The State Department said the report is untrue.
The war began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people.
After a ceasefire collapsed in March, Israel resumed near-daily air strikes on the strip, after cutting off the entry of all food, medicine and aid, drawing accusations of war crimes.
On Monday, Israel announced it had allowed just five aid lorries into Gaza.
Mr Trump acknowledged on Friday that Palestinians in Gaza are “starving” but defended Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he was in a “tough situation”.
Still, Mr Trump, who has advanced an “America First” approach towards foreign policy, has not shied away from antagonising allies. Unlike his first foreign trip as president eight years ago, Mr Trump did not stop in Israel and a planned trip by Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth to the country was cancelled without explanation.
“There wasn't much said about Gaza, but there was quite an obvious standpoint from the US: we're not going to Israel,” said Mohammed Baharoon director general of B’huth, a UAE-based research centre.
“This is a new stand that we haven't seen before,” Mr Baharoon said during the seminar. “It's the beginning of a shift where the Israeli government also have to notice that it has to do things differently because the world is changing.”
Observers say the Hamas attack has radicalised Israeli society and the sitting government, diminishing the prospects of a Saudi-Israeli deal. Israel's continued strikes on Gaza and its siege on the territory have also isolated its leaders.
Meanwhile, Riyadh has long tied joining the Abraham Accords with progress towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
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The drill
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.”
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Results
UAE beat Nigeria by five wickets
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Friday fixtures
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
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Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
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Rating: 3.5/5
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
