When US President Donald Trump proposed an American takeover of a depopulated Gaza Strip on Tuesday, some were tempted to dismiss his remarks as an example of Mr Trump’s distinctive, off-the-cuff style. They are wrong to do so, and there are several reasons to take these pronouncements seriously.
Mr Trump's plan to occupy Gaza – with the aid of US troops, if necessary – was delivered in considered remarks during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. It is Mr Netanyahu’s military – largely armed and supported by the US – that has left Gaza in ruins and cost the lives of more than 47,500 Palestinians.
The almost immediate reaction from Saudi Arabia also showed that such remarkable proposals cannot be ignored as a flight of fancy. The kingdom stressed its rejection of any attempt to displace Gazans and said it would not move towards establishing ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state.
This reaction from Riyadh was in line with Monday’s letter from the foreign ministers of five Arab countries – including the UAE – and a senior Palestinian representative. Addressed to Mr Trump’s Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, the signatories said reconstruction “should be through direct engagement with and participation of the people of Gaza. Palestinians will live in their land and rebuild it”.
Indeed, Egypt and Jordan’s repeated rejection of any plan that involves uprooting and forcibly relocating Palestinians to their territory should also underline how seriously Cairo and Amman are taking some of the ideas emanating from the White House.
Although Mr Netanyahu on Tuesday credited Mr Trump for “thinking outside the box with fresh ideas” in reality there is no need for such radical proposals because the answer to the conflict is already well known – a comprehensive peace process that ends Israel’s occupation and establishes a sovereign Palestine alongside an Israeli state inside its internationally recognised 1967 borders.
There are several possible reasons why Mr Trump may have chosen this moment to make such an intervention. He is still in the honeymoon period of his second term and arguably chalked up an early win as Canada and Mexico manoeuvred to avoid a costly trade war with the US.
However, as political realities set in, many legislators, including from Mr Trump’s Republican Party, will look askance at any suggestion that US troops be sent to another Middle Eastern conflict zone – especially given Mr Trump’s stated position that US soldiers should not be embroiled in other countries’ wars. Some members of Congress from both parties have already articulated their concerns about Mr Trump’s proposal.
The two-state solution remains the consensus position of the Arab world and wider international community, as stipulated in a number of UN Security Council resolutions
There is a chain of logic that explains why grandiose schemes such as turning a Gaza emptied of Palestinians into the “Riviera of the Middle East” are currently being thrown around at the highest level. Successive US administrations have prioritised Israel’s positions while largely ignoring the concerns and ideas of Palestinian representatives. This has led to the present situation where Palestinian aspirations and nationhood simply do not figure in US policymaking.
The dangerous absence of Palestinian voices must end. The two-state solution remains the consensus position of the Arab world and wider international community, as stipulated in a number of UN Security Council resolutions. To put it another way, the vast majority of the world believes Palestine is for the Palestinian people.
For 15 months, the Israeli government has tried to make Gaza unliveable for Palestinians but not only are they still there, despite their suffering, Palestinians have already been marching en masse to go home and rebuild their communities. Such people cannot be sidelined. It is time for political reality to replace threats of displacement.
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
Isle of Dogs
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson
Three stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Factfile on Garbine Muguruza:
Name: Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)
Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela
Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland
Height: 6ft (1.82m)
Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
Career prize money: $13,928,719
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.
Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.
The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Price: Dh980,000
On sale: now
More on Quran memorisation:
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
