In the wake of the Abraham Accord, a "positive initiative” from the US and Israel towards a comprehensive settlement with the Palestinians would encourage all countries in the Middle East to seriously consider the benefits of peace and normalisation, the nephew of former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat said.
The UAE and Bahrain normalised ties with Israel with the signing of the Abraham Accord at a ceremony hosted by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, becoming the first Arab countries to do so since Egypt in 1978 and Jordan in 1994.
"From my point of view, I think we are very much welcoming this move. Hopefully, we will see others join. But of course saying this, we shouldn't ignore the fact that we would like, again to see a real comprehensive settlement for the main goals, which is the Palestinian [Israeli] conflict," Mohamed Anwar Sadat said in an interview with The National.
The UAE's decision to normalise ties was announced last month after a call between Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Mr Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As part of the deal, Israel agreed to halt the planned annexation of Palestinian territories in return for establishing relations with the UAE.
Presenting fresh proposals for a two-state solution, or even a single state with equal rights for Palestinians, would create momentum for peace and prosperity across the Middle East, Mr Sadat, 65, told The National from Cairo where he lives and is leading his political party in the Egyptian parliamentary elections.
“This is the only way whereby we will, let’s say, pull down the fences between all the people of our region,” he said.
“I would love to see all of us in this part of the world, living side by side in peace whereby we could make use of all the capabilities which Israel has [such as] technology, a lot of things which we all need [like] agriculture, irrigation, a lot of things we can really co-ordinate [over].”
Egypt’s peace deal with Israel, signed by Anwar Sadat at Camp David in 1978, has led to a "cold peace" only between governments but not “people to people” peace, he said.
“So we are actually losing chances, opportunities. And we never learned from history. So this is the time I think we would love to see whether the Americans or the Israelis try to come up with something solid, whereby we all in the other countries say to the Palestinians: this is what is available, this is the best we can have. Let's sit and come to a final comprehensive settlement and we live all in peace.”
Anwar Sadat made history by travelling to Jerusalem and speaking to the Israeli parliament in 1977 and signing the Camp David Accords in 1978. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that year, but in 1981 he was assassinated by an Egyptian Islamist extremist for making peace with Israel.
His nephew fears that the same forces will foment instability if no comprehensive peace is reached now. Iran and extremist groups “are not happy” about the accords, but could be neutralised if the US and Israel move quickly to bring the Palestinians to the table, Mr Sadat said.
“We would like to see Israel also to come up with something … tell us how we can reach a solution … where at least we could somehow corner the Palestinians, we could make pressure on the Palestinians to tell them take it.”
Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would create the conditions for a “warm peace” between neighbours which is even more critical during the current pandemic.
“We need each other nowadays, you know. You'll have seen what happened with this Covid-19 and how much the whole world was really in need of coming together, helping, trying to find a way to have a vaccine trying to support each other. We need this. And we know that Israel is part of this world, and we need to find ways and means, but they also have to understand that they should give up a little bit, they should show some flexibility.”
Asked if the US brokering of the agreements signed this week would boost its political clout in the Middle East, Mr Sadat was sceptical. He said the geopolitical field involving new powers such as Russia and China would continue to hold, given the relations they have built in the region.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
