CAIRO // The Egyptian government has begun construction on a subterranean steel wall along the country's border with the Gaza Strip, according to reports from the border.
The BBC reported yesterday that the wall, which was designed by the US military, will reach about 18 metres into the ground in order to block as many as 1,000 tunnels that now allow goods and people to flow from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, which has been blockaded by Israel since 2007.
The Egyptian government has denied building the wall, Al Shorouk daily reported yesterday. According to the BBC, however, Egypt's steel wall with the Gaza Strip will extend for about 10 to 11 kilometres along the border and is apparently resistant to melting and impossible to cut.
Nevertheless, Gaza's tunnellers are a hearty bunch. For two years, they have withstood gas attacks, aerial bombings and frequent cave-ins to bring ordinary items such as food and medicine past Israel's blockade.
"Frankly speaking, even if they make a wall underground 50 metres deep, it will not stop the passing of goods and people between Gaza and Egypt," said one Palestinian farmer, who spoke by telephone on Wednesday from his home in Rafah, near the border between Egypt and the Palestinian territory.
The farmer, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, said many of his relatives work in the tunnels.
"Do you know why? Because the owners of the tunnels get too much money from these tunnels. If they make the wall 20 or 30 metres deep, the tunnels will be 50 metres," he said.
In a separate development this week, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, approved plans to build a barrier between Egypt and Israel to deter migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa from entering Israel.
The two developments are unrelated - they come from decision-makers in separate Middle Eastern capitals acting on different political agendas. Yet both moves reveal the extent of Israel's preference for the hard logic of wall-building to the vagaries of peace-making.
"Israel can get guarantees for its borders and its security through negotiations and peace treaties," said Emad Gad, an expert on Israeli affairs.
"But Israel now is concentrating on building walls, and it will be an indication that Israel will not be a normal state in the region," said Mr Gad, who is with the semi-official Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo.
But as both states begin their own construction projects, the question now is whether walls actually work when it comes to deterring migrants and smugglers.
In the experience of Mexico and the United States, extensive barriers have only pushed migrants to take more extreme risks in crossing America's south-western deserts, said Anat Ben-Dor, an attorney at the Refugee Rights Legal Education Clinic at Tel Aviv University.
Just as the US's fence led to an increase in fatalities near its border, Israel and Egypt should both expect even more acts of derring-do from the tunnellers and immigrants whom they had hoped to keep out, which may lead to more frequent deaths.
"Academics and scholars indicate all the time that you cannot really stop the arrival of immigrants and migration and definitely not asylum seekers. What you can do is divert the route," said Ms Ben-Dor, who said Palestinian tunnellers are motivated by a sense of desperation similar to that of refugees.
But for its part, Israel has had relatively good luck with its walls. This summer, Mr Netanyahu credited the 400-km security barrier, which separates the Jewish state from the occupied West Bank, for a drastic reduction in suicide attacks on Israeli civilians. But international organisations, including the UN, have called on Israel to dismantle the wall, much of which lies inside occupied Palestinian territory.
Now, Israel may want to adapt the success of its West Bank barrier to new needs. In recent years, the Jewish state has increased efforts to prevent job-seekers and political refugees from penetrating its borders.
Under pressure from Israel, Egyptian border control agents have already killed 17 sub-Saharan African migrants who were caught trying to enter the Jewish state so far this year. Border guards reportedly fire warning shots to deter them and then if the refugees do not stop trying to cross, they are shot dead.
Since 2008, Egypt has also made it a matter of policy to immediately arrest and deport Eritrean asylum seekers. As far as Mr Netanyahu is concerned, Egypt's draconian measures may not be enough. In statements this week, the Israeli prime minister said building a border wall with Egypt is an "unavoidable and strategic" step to maintaining Israel's "demographic balance", reported Ma'ariv, an Israeli newspaper.
Immigrants had already "changed the faces" of the southern cities of Arad and Eilat, he said.
Israeli officials are still deciding between the defence ministry's proposal for a five billion shekel (Dh435m) wall - which might look similar to the West Bank barrier - and the finance ministry's suggestion of a 450 million shekel fence.
The plans are a sign, said Ms Ben-Dor, that zealous wall-building has become a fixture of Israeli policy-making.
"Israel is adopting this as some sort of an easy solution," Ms Ben-Dor said. "I could think of other ways than just running and building a fence. But we've become a nation of fence-builders, that's for sure. It's very sad."
mbradley@thenational.ae
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The 15 players selected
Muzzamil Afridi, Rahman Gul, Rizwan Haider (Dezo Devils); Shahbaz Ahmed, Suneth Sampath (Glory Gladiators); Waqas Gohar, Jamshaid Butt, Shadab Ahamed (Ganga Fighters); Ali Abid, Ayaz Butt, Ghulam Farid, JD Mahesh Kumara (Hiranni Heros); Inam Faried, Mausif Khan, Ashok Kumar (Texas Titans
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 is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
More on Palestine-Israeli relations
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Dunki
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rajkumar%20Hirani%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Taapsee%20Pannu%2C%20Vikram%20Kochhar%20and%20Anil%20Grover%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Command%20Z
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Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
