In a recent interview with the New York Times, US ambassador to Israel David Friedman opened the door to Israeli annexation of Palestinian territory. "Under certain circumstances," Mr Friedman said, "I think Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank." Senior Palestinian diplomat Saeb Erekat has responded in a tweet describing Mr Friedman as an "Extreme Ambassador of the Settlers", and stated that annexation can only lead to "endless conflict". Mr Friedman's words are, indeed, deeply troubling. Annexation goes against international law, and would trample claims to Palestinian statehood. Mr Friedman's statement follows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pledge to annex large parts of the West Bank in April, during the last days of his campaign for re-election.
Such a development would effectively bury any chance of a two-state solution, which the US has previously always claimed to support. Mr Friedman has made it clear to the world that, in addition to largely overlooking the mushrooming of illegal settlements in the West Bank for the past decade, the US is now willing to consider the idea of annexation. Thanks to Mr Netanyahu’s encouragement and the inaction of the international community, the number of illegal settlements has increased drastically. In 10 years, the total settler population has almost doubled, from 440,000 individuals in 2004 to more than 800,000 in 2014. This, in turn, has allowed Israeli forces to increase their presence in these areas, on the pretext of protecting Israeli citizens. This programme of expansion has given Israeli hardliners a perfect excuse to demand the wholesale annexation of these territories.
Now, with powerful US officials having longstanding interests in the growth of illegal settlements, the outlook is bleak for Palestinians. Take Mr Friedman for example. He has long enjoyed close ties to Israel, owns a penthouse in Jerusalem and has helped to raise funds for projects in the illegal settlement of Beit El, in the occupied West Bank. As for Mr Trump’s son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, he has been made responsible for devising and delivering the US administration's Middle East peace plan, despite having previously worked for a family company that funded illegal settlements. Surely such conflicts of interest make it clear that such men are incapable of facilitating an equitable peace that recognises the rights of the Palestinian people.
With Israel heading towards another round of elections after Mr Netanyahu's failure to form a government and Mr Kushner still to unveil his long-awaited plan, it is far from guaranteed that annexation will take place. However, the open discussion of the possibility by Israel and the qualified support of high-ranking US officials, creates an environment in which the prospect of Palestinian statehood dwindles by the day.
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The%20specs
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
'Lost in Space'
Creators: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Irwin Allen
Stars: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins
Rating: 4/5
Premier League results
Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Arsenal 1
Bournemouth 0 Manchester City 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Huddersfield Town 0
Burnley 1 Crystal Palace 3
Manchester United 3 Southampton 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Cardiff City 0
West Ham United 2 Newcastle United 0
Sunday
Watford 2 Leicester City 1
Fulham 1 Chelsea 2
Everton 0 Liverpool 0
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A foster couple or family must:
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- 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
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- 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
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
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- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
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On sale: Now
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
