We’ve reached a sort of tipping point in the way political leaders in the West are reacting to Israel’s assault on Palestinians in Gaza. It’s maddening for two reasons: that it took this long to get an official response from western capitals; and that, once the magnitude of the tragedy became clear, the responses have been so decidedly ineffectual.
The nightmare in Gaza has been unfolding for 22 months. During this entire time, Israel’s use of violence and its punishment of innocent Palestinians has been unrelenting. Early on, Israel’s intent became clear as they demolished hospitals, universities and entire neighbourhoods, using 2,000-pound bombs; forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes; and ordered electricity and water cut off and blocked the entry of food and medical supplies.
All this was known in 2023, and yet no tangible action was taken. Back then, when a ceasefire was called for, then-US secretary of state Antony Blinken told me that a ceasefire would be deplorable, and the US would not support such a move. In mid-2024, when the UN Security Council twice voted on a ceasefire resolution, only the US opposed it. A third attempt at a ceasefire resolution introduced by the US passed, but it was never acted upon, because despite former US president Joe Biden disingenuously saying Israel had agreed to this resolution, he knew they had not. The entire effort was nothing more than a public relations stunt.
The world has long known that the war on Gaza’s people had to end and yet other than voting on dead-end UN resolutions, they did nothing
The bottom line is that the world has long known that the war on Gaza’s people had to end and yet other than voting on dead-end UN resolutions, they did nothing. Worse still, they continued to sell weapons to Israel. So, what has changed?
The pictures of devastation and eyewitness testimonies, a staple for those who have been following the news on social media, are now featured in mainstream media. As a result, it has become more difficult for the manufacturers of Israeli hasbara to convince the public that the devastation is exaggerated and the stories of human suffering are fabricated.
In most European countries, the percentage of those who support Israel’s actions in Gaza has fallen to less than one third. Despite the effort of Israeli propagandists, the reason behind this sharp decline in support for Israel isn’t the large number of Muslim immigrants in Western Europe, nor is it anti-Semitism.
What has changed is that the European and American publics now know and are horrified by what Israel is doing in Gaza. They are rejecting the excuses offered by their leaders, who had hoped they would not need to respond with anything more than an occasional UN vote of disapproval, expressions of concern, or toothless condemnations of isolated Israeli acts.
As the pressure has grown – with pictures of starving Palestinian children and aerial photos of mass devastation now dominating media coverage of the war on Gaza – western leaders are struggling to find ways to react. Most disturbing is that their motivation appears to be more a need to be seen as acting than finding ways to actually bring about change.
For example, the British threat to recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire is hollow at best. The German threat to review cultural and trade ties amounts to the same. And the continuing lame calls for “renewed negotiations leading to a two-state solution” (when it is well known that Israel has no interest in nor feels any pressure to submit to such an outcome). These gestures are more performative than effective. Even if the entire UN (except, of course, the US) were to recognise a Palestinian State, little would change on the ground, except possibly enraging the Israelis to take more drastic measures in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
At this point, what is required – to end what many deem to be a genocide, save lives and restore respect for international law and some level of sanity to the region – is for western nations to take concrete steps to punish Israel and demand changes in policy. These must include an end to the assault on Gaza, a ceasefire and withdrawal of Israel forces, and allowing the entry of international peacekeepers and aid, and the start of reconstruction efforts.
While the above steps are in line with the Arab peace plan, a group of 30 nations meeting in Colombia have gone a step further by endorsing a comprehensive package of proposals designed to end the “the era of impunity … and enforce international law”, with 13 of the participants agreeing to measures that would prohibit the transfer of arms and other forms of support to Israel that enable Israel’s assault on Gaza and violations of law in the West Bank. Calling themselves The Hague Group, they pledge concrete actions “to ensure justice for victims of crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
They will bring their compact to the UN in September urging other nations to join them. Instead of hollow declarations of recognition or calls for renewed negotiations for a two-state solution, this is the reaction needed to end Israel’s crimes.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 
