In recent days there has been a greater sense of what the peace plan being prepared by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, may contain. More importantly, it is also becoming clearer what it may not contain: recognition that Palestinians have the right to a fully sovereign state.
The line heard from Trump administration officials is that their plan will offer something new, because all previous efforts by Washington to mediate a Palestinian-Israeli settlement have failed. For example, this was the gist of comments by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before the Senate Appropriations Committee on April 9.
Revealingly, Mr Pompeo refused to answer questions about what Washington would do if Israel unilaterally annexed the West Bank, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised before his country’s recent elections. In other words, today the administration is refusing to reaffirm past US policies – namely that the West Bank is occupied territory whose status has to be defined by both Israelis and Palestinians, and that Palestinian statehood must be the outcome of any negotiations.
Mr Kushner seeks to challenge the foundations of Arab-Israeli negotiations since 1991, to the detriment of the Palestinians and the Arabs in general. His plan reportedly envisions giving Palestinians autonomy and allowing them to benefit from billions of dollars in economic aid. As Mr Kushner told Sky News Arabia, his scheme would allow Palestinians and Israelis “to do commerce and to have opportunity and improve their lives”.
This is a reheated variation on the autonomy plan presented by former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin in 1979. Palestinians were to have autonomy in parts of the West Bank, but Israel was to retain military control over much of the territory, including the border area with Jordan. The Begin plan sought to extend Israeli law to Jewish settlements in the West Bank, proposing what Mr Netanyahu has vowed to do today.
That this should be the example from which US negotiators borrowed, after years in which Israeli and US officials had recognised the Palestinians’ right to have a state of their own, says a lot about Mr Kushner’s frame of reference. US officials seriously believe that the Palestinians can be bought off with promises of economic assistance and an ability to “do commerce”. Mr Kushner’s adoption of the Israeli position not only shows wilful blindness towards the Palestinians’ minimal demands, it makes it more likely that Palestinians will come to the conclusion that armed conflict is their only way to proceed.
This is where Mr Trump and Mr Kushner, and their facilitators in Washington and Israel, have behaved so recklessly. They have used the pretence of novelty to put forth a plan that will empower one side and alienate the other. It will be very difficult for US officials, now or later, to move away from the Kushner guidelines, effectively solidifying an approach that will bring more mutual hostility and destruction down the road.
Is that Mr Kushner’s thinking? Who knows, but even a novice like him can count. At some stage the number of Palestinians and Jews between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean will tilt strongly in the Palestinians’ favour. What does Israel do then? The common mantra is that if Israel expels the Palestinians it will lose its democratic identity. But Mr Netanyahu has allied himself with extremists and would likely not hesitate to take such action if it ensured the survival of a Jewish majority in Israel and the West Bank.
A conspiracy theorist may wonder if that is not intentional. In the event of a new war between Palestinians and Israelis, there is a distinct possibility that this could lead to demographic changes that benefit Israel. That is not to say that Israel will openly expel Palestinians from the West Bank, but it can easily create a security situation in which violence forces Palestinians out of areas to which they will not be allowed to return. If some consider this fanciful, history strongly suggests they shouldn’t. Certainly, the Jordanians are worried about the possibility of a permanent Palestinian exodus into their country.
Moreover, facing a revolt initiated by the Palestinians, Israel would be in a good position to portray its actions as being in self-defence. There are no guarantees whatsoever that any coalition of countries would be able to compel the Israelis to return Palestinians to areas they had left. In fact, everything suggests that were a war to come, the Israelis would see a golden opportunity to turn this to their demographic advantage.
The Israeli historian Benny Morris expressed the implicit logic behind this in a much-publicised interview with Ha'aretz in 2004. Asked about whether David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first leader, had been a "transferist" in seeking the mass expulsion of Palestinians in 1948, he replied: "Of course. Ben-Gurion was a transferist. He understood that there could be no Jewish state with a large and hostile Arab minority in its midst... It would not be able to exist." Does Mr Kushner agree, and is his plan designed to create conditions making such an outcome more likely? One can't help but wonder.
Michael Young is editor of Diwan, the blog of the Carnegie Middle East programme, in Beirut
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
Results
Catchweight 60kg: Mohammed Al Katheeri (UAE) beat Mostafa El Hamy (EGY) TKO round 3
Light Heavyweight: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) no contest Kevin Oumar (COM) Unintentional knee by Oumer
Catchweight 73kg: Yazid Chouchane (ALG) beat Ahmad Al Boussairy (KUW) Unanimous decision
Featherweight: Faris Khaleel Asha (JOR) beat Yousef Al Housani (UAE) TKO in round 2 through foot injury
Welterweight: Omar Hussein (JOR) beat Yassin Najid (MAR); Split decision
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Sallah Eddine Dekhissi (MAR); Round-1 TKO
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali Musalim (UAE) beat Medhat Hussein (EGY); Triangle choke submission
Welterweight: Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) beat Sofiane Oudina (ALG); Triangle choke Round-1
Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Saleem Al Bakri (JOR); Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Nawras Abzakh (JOR); TKO round-2
Catchweight 63kg: Rany Saadeh (PAL) beat Abdel Ali Hariri (MAR); Unanimous decision
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
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Fight Night
FIGHT NIGHT
Four title fights:
Amir Khan v Billy Dib - WBC International title
Hughie Fury v Samuel Peter - Heavyweight co-main event
Dave Penalosa v Lerato Dlamini - WBC Silver title
Prince Patel v Michell Banquiz - IBO World title
Six undercard bouts:
Michael Hennessy Jr v Abdul Julaidan Fatah
Amandeep Singh v Shakhobidin Zoirov
Zuhayr Al Qahtani v Farhad Hazratzada
Lolito Sonsona v Isack Junior
Rodrigo Caraballo v Sajid Abid
Ali Kiydin v Hemi Ahio
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
