RAMALLAH // Palestinian officials yesterday accused the Israeli army of being complicit in recent settler violence against Palestinian property and warned that unless Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank are brought under control, there could be a repeat of the 1994 Hebron massacre.
Palestinians have been on alert in recent weeks as settlers have stepped up their campaign against a temporary and partial settlement construction freeze ordered by the Israeli government last month. Settlers have vandalised Palestinian property as part of what the Israeli media is calling the "price tag" campaign, so called because it aims to make any moves against settlements as practically difficult and politically costly as possible.
On Friday, a mosque in the West Bank village of Yasouf was the subject of an arson attack that has been pinned on settlers from the nearby Tapuah settlement. Part of the mosque and its library, including Qurans and religious books, were incinerated, while graffiti in Hebrew, one reading "we will retaliate with fire" and signed "Effi", was daubed on the floor. "Settler violence is increasing in Yasouf," said Abdelrahman Musleh, the village mayor, yesterday. "There is constant harassment and last month fires were set to four cars here."
"We fear that there will be another Goldstein," he added, in reference to Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli army doctor and Hebron-area settler who in 1994 killed 29 worshippers at prayer in the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city. Yasouf lies in an area of the West Bank that is under full Israeli security control. Mr Musleh said soldiers entered the village in the middle of the night and demanded people's identity documents, forcing them into their houses only hours before the settlers arrived. "It's not the first time," Mr Musleh said. "The army clears things out for the settlers and acts as cover. The settlers are too cowardly to enter alone."
For its part, the Israeli army said it was treating the incident with the "utmost seriousness" and an initial investigation is believed to focus on settlers from the nearby Tapuah settlement. Last night, Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, denounced the incident and urged that "all means possible" be deployed by the Israeli authorities to find those guilty. Palestinians reacted sceptically, however.
"Settlers feel that they are protected by the Israeli government," said Major Gen Adnan Damiri, the spokesman for the Palestinian security services. He pointed to a recent incident in which a Hebron area settler shot and then repeatedly drove his car over a Palestinian who had entered a settlement petrol station with a knife. The man died of his injuries, while the settler was sentenced to house arrest.
According to Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organisation, in 69 incidents of settler vandalism against Palestinian property that the organisation has monitored since 2005, not a single investigation has led to indictment. Last week, Yesh Din's Dror Etkes said in an interview that he expected many more incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the coming weeks, "because settlers enjoy very widespread impunity from the Israeli authorities, who will do close to nothing to find the perpetrators of such violence". Mr Damiri, meanwhile, said he thought the burning of the mosque in Yasouf was meant to provoke a violent Palestinian reaction as part of an Israeli policy that uses "settlers as tools to escalate the situation in the West Bank".
The Israeli army had to disperse a protest on Friday, when villagers from Yasouf marched on the Tapuah settlement in anger at the arson attack. Six demonstrators subsequently needed treatment for tear gas inhalation. Mr Damiri also invoked Baruch Goldstein. "I am confident that the one who smashed the Palestinian in Hebron is a mini-Goldstein and recent violent [settler] aggression against Palestinians in Assira al Qiblyia and Burin indicates that settlers are aiming to commit another massacre. The army is only facilitating this."
Mr Damiri said Palestinian security forces had registered several protests with the Israeli army over settler violence, supplying the military with photographs and other evidence, but that no action had been taken by the Israeli authorities. Settlers are protesting a 10-month moratorium on settlement construction that excludes occupied East Jerusalem, 3,000 housing units already begun as well as building deemed "essential" for normal life in settlements, from synagogues to preschool nurseries.
These are concessions specifically aimed at placating settlers and which as a result have angered Palestinians who have said they will not return to negotiations unless a comprehensive freeze is implemented. okarmi@thenational.ae
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
Fixtures
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Quick%20facts
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
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Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
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Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
