On a walk into Jerusalem’s Old City, the very walls around Jaffa Gate indicate the storied history of the holiest places on Earth.
Subtle differences in colour are visible from the bottom to the top, each one a sign of an expansion over thousands of years as these walls guarded, in some form or other, the area’s Abrahamic identity.
The Old City's holiest Christian site, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists visit every year, is a 10-minute walk from Jaffa Gate.
It might seem that things are stable here — visitors are back after the Covid-19 pandemic and the ceremonies around Easter are continuing as ever.
But Christians in the Old City are worried, and there is mounting frustration that no one is listening.
Walking through Jaffa Gate, most visitors would be unaware that the three largest buildings on the left are embroiled in one of the most bitter disputes between Israelis and Palestinians: Israeli settlement activity.
One stalwart resident who most deeply fears the threat to Christians in the area is a Muslim, Abu Walid Dajani. The Imperial Hotel, which he manages, has been the target of a takeover attempt by a high-profile Jewish settler group, as have the nearby Petra Hotel and Little Petra Hotel.
Mr Dajani's grand office at the hotel is stuffed with binders of legal documents dating back decades, related to court cases about ownership of the establishment.
“Come in,” he beckons. “I will show you what’s really going on. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I don’t care. I’m an old man.”
The piles of paper are a physical representation of the weight Mr Dajani has borne for so long. A longtime friend reveals later that the hotel manager has not slept properly in years.
The Little Petra Hotel, just a few metres down the road, has already suffered the fate that Mr Dajani fears might soon befall the Imperial.
The guest house is easy to miss — flanked by a currency exchange and marked only by a worn-out sign above the entrance.
Like the Imperial and the Petra hotels, the property was owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.
But it is no longer receiving guests; a solid metal door blocks the entrance.
In March last year, settlers entered and occupied the hotel, prompting the Israeli advocacy group Peace Now to call for "immediate government intervention”.
Peace Now said the occupation was facilitated by Jerusalem police acting on "a dubious legal basis", a reference to alleged doctoring of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate's records by a corrupt employee to back up the settler group's claims.
Hundreds of pilgrims from the local Christian community and abroad will walk past the hotel en route to the Holy Fire ceremony on Saturday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the permitted attendance has also become a deeply political issue.
For years, Israeli forces have enforced what many Christians say is an arbitrary cap on numbers.
There is a case for some controls. Ten thousand worshippers bearing torches in a centuries-old building could be dangerous. But Christians say they should be the ones making that decision, not Israeli authorities.
One senior church official related an anecdote to The National to illustrate the imbalance in power.
“One year, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its own accord started positioning foreign diplomats in the church, giving them the best view of the procession. They do not have the authority. This is our celebration and we do not distinguish between dignitaries and worshippers. They should mingle among the crowds and not have special privileges.”
With visitor numbers still recovering, fewer faithful will be making the walk this Saturday than throughout much of Holy Sepulchre’s history. Even fewer, apart from the Palestinians who have lived in the Old City for many centuries, will be aware of quite how bitter that walk has become.
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
MO
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
BABYLON
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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
Company%20Profile
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