One analogy used to describe the peace process is two people negotiating over a pizza while one of them is eating it. After eight months of talks, the Palestinians' main gain has been the release of a few dozen long-term prisoners, at the cost of Israel approving thousands of new homes for settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
It’s no surprise that Israel wants the talks to continue. Remaining at the negotiating table allows it to project the image of seeking peace when the real agenda is to continue eating the pizza, in the form of land intended to become the Palestinian state and its capital. The question is: what do the Palestinians realistically stand to gain, especially when they approach the negotiations in such a weak position?
However the Palestinians have powerful options they have so far refrained from using. These include joining the International Criminal Court (ICC) and endorsing the informal BDS (boycott, divestment and sanction) campaign. Proof of the power of these options can be seen in the vehemence with which both Israel and the United States have sought to dissuade the Palestinians from making use of them.
If the Palestinians join the ICC, Israel's actions would come under the scrutiny of The Hague rather than being investigated internally. An Amnesty International report released in February identified the unlawful killing of 45 Palestinians, including six children, by the Israeli Defence Force in the West Bank in 2011-13. The report said none posed a threat to soldiers and several incidents were prima facie war crimes, but only one IDF soldier has been successfully prosecuted, receiving a partially suspended 12-month jail term and a reduction in rank.
Israel is equally concerned about the BDS campaign gaining ground and threatening its export-orientated economy, to the point of passing a law in the Knesset making support for it illegal. Similar sanctions in South Africa have been credited with a major role in compelling the state to abandon apartheid.
The Palestinian Authority applied this week to join the Geneva Convention, which will apply to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, in response to Israel reneging on its promise to release the final batch of 26 prisoners. It ought to proceed with ICC and BDS too, so Israel is held to proper account for its actions.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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