Palestinian leaders have seldom faced good choices. Resistance of an Israeli occupation that stifles aspiration and economic progress is complicated by deep internal divisions. Today the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the leadership of the Palestinian Authority are faced with a daunting prospect: an American plan for "peace" that rests primarily on Israeli interests. Defunding UNRWA, moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and declaring full support for Israel have all preceded this so-called plan. Mr Abbas has practically cut off ties with the US administration which, in turn, shuttered the PLO office in Washington DC. A path forward is difficult to discern.
What is clear is that the Americans are forging ahead. US President Donald Trump announced last week that the plan should be ready within two to four months. His team is working to that deadline. He has also declared his desire to have the deal signed within his first term – that is before autumn of 2020. He isn’t the first American president to have set his sights on striking such a deal, or his own internal deadlines for it. Barack Obama famously placed his first call as president to Mr Abbas and pledged a deal in his first term. George W Bush hosted a historic international meeting in Annapolis. Both events came to nothing. There is no guarantee that this time will be any different – although the Americans are taking unilateral steps to push the agenda.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said last week that it was “too difficult” for the Palestinians and Israelis to negotiate the entire deal and that his country had called on multiple US administrations to present the parameters of a deal for the Palestinians and Israelis to then come to an agreement. With American leverage over the Israelis, this could be an opportunity to move closer to a deal.
Mr Trump frequently receives deserved criticism about his positions on Palestine, but at least he is frank. He publicly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "we are 100 per cent with Israel". It is hard to imagine what incentive the Israelis now have to negotiate when the broker of the deal has already announced its full support in advance and cut off ties with the Palestinian Authority. Mr Trump also announced his belief in the two-state solution last week – for the first time. While some are touting Mr Trump's statement as an opportunity, in reality he is stating what international consensus is, as determined by UN resolutions.
Watching Mr Abbas deliver his country’s statement to the UN General Assembly, his frustration was apparent. Starting his speech with the words “Jerusalem is not for sale”, he struck at the heart of the Palestinian question and its global significance. The US moving its embassy to Jerusalem inflamed Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims and Christians. As King Abdullah of Jordan eloquently put it, Jerusalem matters to billions of people.
The rest of Mr Abbas’s speech reiterated his rejection of the American moves and his commitment to resist the occupation. However, it did not provide a path forward, except in calling for the Quartet – that is the UN, the European Union, Russia and the US – to resume its role in working towards peace. This call is unlikely to yield results as the Americans have no intention of conceding ground to the Quartet's other members.
Today, Mr Abbas has five options. First, he could continue in the path of ignoring the Americans and their plan – a strategy that further undermines the Palestinian position.
Second, he could decide to re-engage with the US and try to influence its planning process, but, with a complete breakdown in trust and relations, that is unlikely to bring much change in current American thinking.
Third, Mr Abbas could decide that another Palestinian leader should negotiate with the Americans and appoint a successor. The issue of internal leadership and succession in the PLO is an important one, but this option would not solve current challenges and could lead to internal disarray. Legacy weighs heavily on Mr Abbas – and on the PLO. Resigning now would, in his eyes, be an abandonment of the “reasonable” position he has promoted.
Fourth, he could dissolve the Palestinian Authority altogether. Many have said that it should be liquidated and that the day-to-day difficulties of ruling over an occupied land should be left to Israel. He can only play that card once, though. If Mr Abbas was to take this drastic step, he would push the Palestinian issue to the periphery without a clear alternative.
The fifth option, and perhaps the most viable one, is to build a strong coalition of nations and organisations that can rally for the Palestinians. Part of this is what the Palestinian Authority is currently doing, redoubling diplomatic efforts to be recognised as a state by European countries. This week, Palestine became chair of the G77 plus China grouping at the UN. While the grouping is limited in the scope of what it does, the significance lies in the fact of Palestine being recognised as a state chairing an international grouping.
However, these efforts must be accelerated with a clear Palestinian commitment to and consensus on the Arab Peace plan of 2002. Working systematically with the Egyptians, Gulf Arab countries and Europeans to solidify the Palestinian position in the coming turbulent months – and having a coherent response to any American plan is critical.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The%20specs
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JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Friday's schedule in Madrid
Men's quarter-finals
Novak Djokivic (1) v Marin Cilic (9) from 2pm UAE time
Roger Federer (4) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 7pm
Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Alexander Zverev (3) from 9.30pm
Stan Wawrinka v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11.30pm
Women's semi-finals
Belinda Bencic v Simona Halep (3) from 4.30pm
Sloane Stephens (8) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 10pm
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
