The iron key to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre is tinged ochre with rust. Nearly every morning before dawn for more than 800 years, it has been used by a member of the Nusseibeh family, who are Muslim, to unlock the church’s doors for the Christian clergy who preside over its services.
Exactly how or when the arrangement began has receded from public memory. But to the custodians and the clergy, how it all started does not matter as much as what their daily ritual represents, which is the respect and spirit of co-operation with which their communities regard each other in their shared city.
A reminder of that message is sorely needed now in Jerusalem, as the city – and others in Palestine and Israel – continue to see an eruption of violence between Jews and Arabs, stemming from the threat of eviction of Palestinian residents from one of its neighbourhoods, Sheikh Jarrah, this month. Jewish settlers have used a 1970 law that gives priority to Jews' property claims over those of Palestinians in a case that Israel's top court suspended after the latest violence began.
Right-wing extremism has been on the rise in Israel since the 1970s, and in 1980, the Knesset passed a bill declaring “Jerusalem, complete and united” to be Israel’s capital. With this declaration of sovereignty came another to extend Israeli legal jurisdiction over East Jerusalem, which the international community still considers to be illegally occupied land. Under international law, any evictions within occupied land are also illegal. East Jerusalem is envisioned to be the capital of any future Palestinian state.
Unrest has rocked Israeli cities this week. AP
Evictions not only undermine legal norms, but also the heritage and dignity of Jerusalem’s Palestinians. Many of them, who live mainly in East Jerusalem, have ancient roots in the city – the Nusseibehs trace theirs back to 637. Others are refugees, having been displaced from other parts of Palestine during Israel’s creation in 1948. These families, in particular, have faced constant pressure to leave since Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem in 1967.
As the speaker of Jordan’s Parliament told a meeting of the Arab League this week, what has transpired in Sheikh Jarrah is not a simple “real-estate dispute”. The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that evictions such as those in process in Sheikh Jarrah “create a coercive environment” that may lead to a “forcible transfer” of the broader Palestinian population from its land. As long as the spectre of such a tragedy remains, it will provide wind in the sails of violent militant movements in Palestine, including those of Hamas, which has launched hundreds of rockets into Israeli territory from Gaza this week. Some of them inadvertently killed Arabs.
US President Joe Biden, whose country has long billed itself the arbiter of a prospective Palestinian-Israeli peace, has not yet been able to influence events. Rather, his administration has been criticised for its apparent equivocation as the violence worsens. In a briefing on Thursday, Mr Biden took care to avoid any strong statements, opting instead of safer, universal truths. One of them was the assertion that Jerusalem, “a city of such importance to people of faith from around the world, must be a place of peace”.
But the only way for that to happen is for Israel to take strong measures to ease tensions within its population. After that, it must sue for a long-term political solution that assures the rights of the Palestinians who live in Jerusalem, and lets go of any claims of exclusive ownership over this holy city.
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
