The performances by four of the five remaining presidential candidates at Aipac’s policy conference made this a perfectly strange and unsettling week in Washington.
The entire affair was more of a spectacle than a conference. The setting was a sports arena with 18,000 spectators. The candidates appeared on a stage in centre court and were shown on huge overhead screens. One by one they were trotted out to perform. And perform they did, delivering remarkably similar addresses that were mainly variations on a set of familiar themes. They all: professed their love for Israel and “Bibi” (Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu); want to arm Israel to the teeth; don’t trust Palestinians, whom they accused of incitement; hate the United Nations; will oppose any effort to sanction Israel – by the UN, EU or even US student groups; and promise to be better for Israel than president Barack Obama. As the candidates shamelessly pandered before their delirious audience, the political pronouncements they made and policy prescriptions they offered were dangerous and disconnected from reality.
In speech after speech, Israel was offered unconditional support using the now commonplace terms “unshakable”, “unwavering”, or “unbreakable”. No one spoke of the hardships endured by Palestinians under occupation – in fact, the word “occupation” was never uttered. When the Palestinians were mentioned at all it was to condemn them for incitement and murder. John Kasich charged Palestinians with fostering a “culture of death”, while Ted Cruz resurrected the old canard accusing Arabs of wanting to “drive Israel into the sea”.
Mr Kasich condemned efforts to “isolate, pressure and delegitimise the state of Israel” and he, Hillary Clinton and Mr Cruz pledged to fight the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, charging that the movement promoted hate speech, harassment and intimidation on college campuses. Mr Cruz went so far as to suggest that it may be “illegal behaviour”.
All of the Republicans pledged to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, “the eternal capital of the Jewish people” (that was Donald Trump’s expression). Upping the ante, Mr Cruz said he would begin the effort on his “very first day in office”. Mrs Clinton skipped the embassy move, but said that “one of the very first things” she would do as president would be to invite Mr Netanyahu to the White House to “take the US-Israel alliance to the next level”.
The unreality of this entire pander-fest was best captured by Mr Trump’s performance. During the course of this year’s campaign he had, on many occasions, incurred the wrath of the pro-Israel community by: suggesting that they wouldn’t support him “because I don’t want your money”, saying that he would be a “neutral negotiator” between Israel and the Palestinians, and hesitating on the issue of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.
At the Aipac show, Mr Trump read a prepared speech that began “I didn’t come here to pander about Israel.” It was his first lie of the night. As he continued, he contradicted every one of his earlier positions, denouncing the Palestinians, Mr Obama and Iran. He closed by saying: “I love Israel. I love Israel”. He weirdly added that his daughter was about to deliver “a beautiful Jewish baby”. As the crowds cheered Trump over and again, the entire affair appeared absolutely bizarre because here was Trump contradicting everything he had previously said and no one seemed to notice or care. All that mattered was that he was pandering, and they loved it.
Mrs Clinton was the only candidate to mention a Palestinian state – but she offered no proposal other than the vague promise that she “would look for opportunities to create conditions for progress”. While shying away from any criticism of Israel, she did say: “Everyone has to do their part by avoiding damaging actions, including with respect to settlement.”
At the end of the conference, Aipac’s “delegates” left for home reassured: that Israel’s hardline government could do no wrong, that Israel would continue to be supported and defended against any and all pressures to change its policy toward the Palestinians, and that every politician could be forced to bend before their pressure and made to say exactly what they wanted to hear (even if the politician didn’t mean it). Sad, but also delusional and dangerous.
What the Aipac crowd missed was the opportunity to hear from the one presidential candidate who would have given them a bit of a reality check. Bernie Sanders, the only Jewish candidate for nomination, could not make it to the conference and asked if he could deliver his speech via satellite. Although Aipac had done this for two Republican candidates in the last election, they refused Mr Sanders’s request.
Mr Sanders delivered his remarks to an audience in Utah. It was a balanced statement that began with the pledge: “If elected president, I will work tirelessly to advance the cause of peace as a partner and as a friend of Israel. But to be successful, we have also got to be a friend not only to Israel but to the Palestinian people.” He went on to say that “Palestinians can’t be ignored. You can’t have good policy ... if you ignore one side”.
Mr Sanders called for ending the “occupation of Palestinian territory”, and criticised Israel’s exploitation of Palestinian water resources, expropriation of Palestinian land, settlements and use of disproportionate violence. He decried the blockade of Gaza, its high unemployment rate, and the lack of progress in reconstruction.
Mr Sanders didn’t let the Palestinians off the hook. He denounced Hamas’s use of rockets and diversion of funds for military purposes. And he alsocalled for Palestinians to reject violence and terror and to recognise Israel’s right to exist.
His speech was sober and smart. It should have been heard by the Aipac crowd.
Dr James Zogby is the president of the Arab American Institute
On Twitter: @aaiusa
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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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
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
