Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
If there is a common theme to be found running through the series of shattering events that has irrevocably changed the Middle East since October 7 last year, it is that of dangerous fantasy leading to real-world tragedy.
When Hamas-led militants breached Israel’s border with Gaza on that fateful day and killed or kidnapped more than 1,400 Israelis – mostly civilians – many of them were hoping that such a shocking attack would inspire other militias in the region into action. The conceit that pitting a disparate collection of proxy groups against one of the Middle East’s most well-armed militaries and a hard-right Israeli government would result in Palestinian freedom is one marked by erroneous judgment.
Since that day, delusion has gripped all sides in this brutal and escalating conflict. Israel’s military response to October 7 was, its commanders said, to destroy Hamas. Instead, the collective punishment of Gaza’s population has claimed the lives of more than 41,800 people, according to Ministry of Health figures, although the true death toll could be much higher. Despite 12 months of bombardment and occupation – the latest of which was an air strike on a mosque on Sunday morning, killing at least 26 people and wounding dozens of others – Israeli forces have been unable to complete their stated objective.
For some in Israel’s political and military establishment, the war presented an opportunity to fulfil reckless ambitions of returning Jewish settlers to Gaza or changing the fragile status quo of religious sites in Jerusalem. The idea that occupying land can continue without consequence has taken hold.
Outside its borders, the past two weeks have revealed another questionable Israeli assumption: that assassinating enemy commanders in Beirut and Tehran, and invading another country will deliver security for its people. On the contrary, it has faced ballistic missiles from Iran, drone strikes from Yemen and international pressure to halt its campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon. Meanwhile, domestic divisions fester as the fate of more than 100 remaining Israeli hostages hangs in the balance.
Much has changed in the past 12 months. Leading figures in the so-called Axis of Resistance, such as Hamas's Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah, are dead. As Israeli troops advance, about a million Lebanese have had to flee their homes, as have more than 100,000 Syrian refugees based in Lebanon. Tens of thousands of Israeli civilians, too, remain displaced from their country’s north.
The incoherence of US policy in this region – advocating for peace while supporting Israel politically and militarily – has been repeatedly exposed.
One thing is certain: whatever happens next, the Middle East as it was on October 6 last year is gone. This presents an unnerving and uncertain future, but the gravity of the situation is such that this may – with the right political will – be the time for a much-needed reality check.
This means dispensing with the ultimate delusion – that victory can be achieved by removing either Israelis or Palestinians from the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
Fantasies of expelling populations, occupying and settling land for decades, or building security on a system of dispossession and discrimination are too dangerous to be allowed to continue. Delusion and miscalculation have led to many needless deaths, from Israelis and others on October 7 to Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank over the past 12 months and now Lebanese civilians all the way up to Beirut and beyond.
It is well past time for warring sides to search for solutions and peace. That means immediately ending the war in Gaza, winding down regional escalation and rejoining the path of diplomacy and long term co-existence. The alternative is to cling to radical beliefs about ultimate victory. If the past year has shown us anything, it is that there are no such victories to be had in this conflict – that is reality.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula One top 10 drivers' standings after Japan
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 306
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 234
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 192
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 148
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 111
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 82
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 65
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 48
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 34
F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
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Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
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Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
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How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Benedict Wells
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