TEL AVIV // Israel's foreign ministry has launched a diplomatic attack against the Palestinian bid for international statehood recognition in September, according to confidential cables leaked to Israeli media.
All Israeli diplomats' holidays planned for September will be cancelled to free up them up to lobby the governments in their respective countries against the Palestinian move, a report in the liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz cited the documents as saying. Other tactics include mobilising local Jewish communities worldwide to take part in the lobbying efforts and ensuring Israel's side is well publicised in the local media.
The steps were outlined in secret memos that were dispatched to Israeli embassies in the past few days by the director-general of the foreign ministry, Rafael Barak, and several department heads.
The Israeli government has been increasingly concerned that a successful Palestinian bid for international recognition of their state would further isolate Israel in the international arena.
Israel has already been under international condemnation for a continuing settlement expansion that largely prompted a suspension of peace talks last September. The Palestinians said they were seeking the UN recognition because they had little hope of reaching a peace agreement following nearly two decades of on-and-off negotiations and amid their belief that the current right-wing Israeli government has no intention of clinching a pact.
While the UN General Assembly appeared likely to pass a resolution recognising a Palestinian state, such a measure would probably not be accepted by the UN Security Council, where the US - a staunch Israeli ally - is one of five permanent members within veto power.
Still, it remains far from clear whether the Palestinians would fully pursue their plan. Several top Palestinian officials are quietly advising Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to drop the goal amid US opposition, the Associated Press reported yesterday.
The report cited the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying that Mr Abbas would like to "climb down from the tree" and find a mutually acceptable formula for renewing peace talks. However, Mr Abbas would prefer to have the negotiations based on a framework suggested last month by Barack Obama, the US president, which has faced rejection from Israel.
Most prominently, Israel has opposed the condition that its future borders with the Palestinian state should be based on its own boundaries before the 1967 Middle East war, when it occupied territories including the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
While Mr Abbas is still committed to his plan, the AP report cited the officials as saying that the president has left himself little room to manoeuvre and may push through with the UN resolution to avoid losing credibility. Indeed, the Palestinians have not indicated what they would do should their statehood bid win the UN's recognition. "We are trapped with September," said one official to the news agency. "We don't know what to do after that."
Israel, however, does not appear to be taking any chances that the Palestinians would drop their plan.
Mr Barak, was quoted in one of the cables as saying: "The target that we have set was to reach a maximum number of countries that would oppose the UN's recognition of a Palestinian state."
Indicating that the Israeli government is far from certain that its lobbying activities would pay off, Mr Barak added: "The task before us is far from being easy, but I am sure that with joint efforts we will do our best to reach our goal."
Haaretz cited an unidentified official in the ministry as saying that the instructions include not excluding any country from the battle plan and aiming to communicate Israel's concerns with the highest possible government officials. The goal, according to the memos, was to persuade those countries to oppose the Palestinian measure or abstain from the vote at the UN.
The plan assesses that the European Union remains divided on the Palestinian bid, with countries such as Sweden, Ireland, Belgium and Portugal supporting it while Germany and Italy oppose the resolution. Israel's far-right foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, plan to soon separately visit countries that are still undecided, including Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Mr Barak added that a so-called "September forum" has been created in the ministry, receiving update reports from each embassy every week.
vbekker@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
SHAITTAN
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The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
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'Midnights'
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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
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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
The%20specs
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If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
The five pillars of Islam
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
TYPES%20OF%20ONLINE%20GIG%20WORK
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDesign%2C%20multimedia%20and%20creative%20work%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELogo%20design%2C%20website%20design%2C%20visualisations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20and%20professional%20management%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELegal%20or%20management%20consulting%2C%20architecture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20and%20professional%20support%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EResearch%20support%2C%20proofreading%2C%20bookkeeping%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESales%20and%20marketing%20support%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESearch%20engine%20optimisation%2C%20social%20media%20marketing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EData%20entry%2C%20administrative%2C%20and%20clerical%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EData%20entry%20tasks%2C%20virtual%20assistants%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIT%2C%20software%20development%20and%20tech%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EData%20analyst%2C%20back-end%20or%20front-end%20developers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWriting%20and%20translation%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EContent%20writing%2C%20ghost%20writing%2C%20translation%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOnline%20microtasks%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EImage%20tagging%2C%20surveys%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20World%20Bank%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
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 Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Pakistan T20 series squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shahzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammed Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Amir Yamin, Mohammed Amir (subject to fitness clearance), Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Umar Amin
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
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
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.
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support