Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that Arab nations regard his country as an “indispensable ally” in the struggle against the threat of Iranian aggression is an over-simplification. Despite the old proverb, the enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend, and certainly not while it continues with its decades-long policy of demeaning and oppressing Palestinian Arabs. To be an ally is to share much more than a single common threat. It is to stand on common ground defined by mutually respected principles and moral perspectives. It requires a willingness to acknowledge each other’s needs and ambitions and a readiness to co-operate and compromise in their pursuit.
This is not Israel’s relationship with the Arab world. Only Egypt and Jordan even have diplomatic ties with Israel. No Arab state that has any level of solidarity with the Palestinian people can truly be said to be an ally of an increasingly hardline, right-wing Israel. It is true that under its current leadership Iran poses a threat to the entire Middle East, as witnessed in its military meddling in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan and its political interference in Iraq. But Netanyahu’s claim that the mutual recognition of that threat has caused “a revolution in relations with the Arab world” is wishful thinking.
It is revealing that Netanyahu’s statement was made during his visit to Brazil. He was one of few world leaders who accepted an invitation to attend the inauguration of President Jair Bolsonaro, offering his implied blessing for the far-right policies of the apologist for Brazil’s former military dictatorships. Netanyahu’s comment offers more of an insight into Iran’s divisive influence in the region than it does into any perceived improvement in relations between Israel and the Arab world. It may also reveal something of the increasing pressure under which Israel and its beleaguered prime minister is operating.
The economic and strategic landscape of the Middle East is changing. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, especially, are increasingly players to be reckoned with in regional and global politics, willing and able to project political influence and military force where necessary. The economic might of the UAE was cited in November in the largely fanciful Israeli plan, enthusiastically fronted by Netanyahu himself, “Tracks for Regional Peace” – a trans-Arabian railway system linking the Gulf states to Europe and beyond via Israeli ports on the Mediterranean. Perhaps the reality thinly concealed by Netanyahu’s “charm” offensive is that, faced with the threat of Iran, and the rising strength and influence of the Arab world, both he and Israel need all the friends in the region they can get. But as long as Israel continues to oppress the Palestinian people, treating them as unwelcome squatters in their own homeland, true friends are unlikely to be found in the Arab world.
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
COMPANY PROFILE
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
More from Janine di Giovanni
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
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
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- 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
Election pledges on migration
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
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
