When US President Donald Trump staked his name on a 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza and chart a path towards a new Middle East, pledging to personally oversee its implementation, he didn’t do so on a whim. The drafting of the plan and its subsequent revisions were shaped by inputs from leaders of the Arab and Islamic world.
Embedded in it is a widespread recognition of the harm done to the Palestinian people by both the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023 and Israel’s violent response that continues to this day. Also implicit is an outright rejection of the logic of armed struggle to liberate Palestinians.
To be sure, beyond the broader vision to foster the conditions for peace in the region, the countries involved in the crafting of the plan have had their own motivations to do so.
Egypt’s interest, for example, was partly rooted in its opposition to the displacement of Gaza’s population into its borders for fear that this could lead to Muslim Brotherhood elements moving in as well. Indeed, the current Israeli government’s forced displacement policy has been motivated by its aim to not only take over Palestinian lands but also to push Muslim Brotherhood elements into neighbouring Egypt and Jordan.
Mr Trump’s plan seeks to halt and effectively replace this project with one involving voluntary migration for Palestinians.
The US President’s New York meeting with several Arab and Islamic leaders last month was significant because he finally appeared convinced that Israel’s schemes to destabilise its neighbourhood are not in the US’s interests. Equally important was the commitment made by key Arab and Islamic countries at the meeting to withdraw any form of support for Hamas.
These leaders anchored their position in the collective pursuit of international recognition for a Palestinian state, and in the pledge made by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that any such state would be demilitarised.
There is a consensus among the plan’s drafters that the only way to save Palestinian lives from Israel’s full-blown assault is to encourage Hamas to surrender. At the time of writing, it was unclear whether Hamas would accept Mr Trump’s plan.
For its part, Iran also appears to have been forced to abandon its Gazan proxies, including Hamas, no matter how loudly it claims that it still leads the so-called Axis of Resistance. Today this coalition of militias lies in tatters, and should be deemed an axis of failure.
Of course, it could also be argued that countries which pursued the negotiation track with Israel have also failed, as evidenced by decades of unsuccessful attempts – such as the Middle East Peace Process as well as the Madrid and Oslo agreements – to reach a peaceful resolution to the Palestine-Israel conflict.
The reality today is that Israel’s neighbours are unable to confront it militarily
Israel has consistently rejected Arab peace offers, claiming there is no credible partner for peace, while extremists within the Israeli system have intended all along to implement their Judea and Samaria projects in the occupied territories. It is also a fact that successive US administrations have pampered Israel over the decades, letting it repeatedly break international laws, grab Arab lands and forcibly displace their inhabitants.
The reality today is that Israel’s neighbours are unable to confront it militarily.
Today’s Syria is no longer the Syria that self-servingly claimed to adopt the Palestinian cause and hosted armed Palestinian factions. Today’s Syria is seeking security arrangements with Israel and is ready to sign a deal, thus potentially becoming Israel’s third neighbour alongside Egypt and Jordan to sign a peace treaty.
Lebanon’s political balance remains tilted in Iran’s favour, but it may eventually free itself from Tehran’s grip under the pressures of reality, to become the last neighbour to board the peace train with Israel.
All of this is because armed resistance is no longer a viable option, whether it is directed from the Lebanese-Israeli border or from the Syrian-Israeli border. In other words, the Axis of Resistance is over.
Some will argue that the Palestinian cause is also over. Well, history has no doubt inflicted profound injustice on the Palestinian people, turning their cause into a calamity and their lands into playing fields for other countries. Palestinians are victims of the world and of their own leadership that, for decades, has been divided between armed resistance, diplomacy and vested interests.
One can certainly make the case today that the logic of armed resistance has been consigned to history.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
Squad for first two ODIs
Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
Second Test
In Dubai
Pakistan 418-5 (declared)
New Zealand 90 and 131-2 (follow on)
Day 3: New Zealand trail by 197 runs with 8 wickets remaining
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Afcon 2019
SEMI-FINALS
Senegal v Tunisia, 8pm
Algeria v Nigeria, 11pm
Matches are live on BeIN Sports
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Brief scores:
Barcelona 3
Pique 38', Messi 51 (pen), Suarez 82'
Rayo Vallecano 1
De Tomas Gomez 24'
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
