TEL AVIV // In Israel's latest attempt to shift criticism away from its devastating attack in the Gaza Strip nearly 18 months ago, the country is renewing its criticism of the former South African judge who had accused it of war crimes.
In an attempt to discredit Richard Goldstone, Israeli diplomats and leading political figures have seized on a report in Israel's top newspaper accusing him of sentencing dozens of black Africans to death on behalf of South Africa's apartheid-era regime.
Backed by right-leaning, pro-Israel supporters who have circulated the report in numerous blogs and pointed to it during media interviews, top Israeli officials have charged Mr Goldstone of using the United Nations investigation that he headed into Israel's 22-day military operation in Gaza to cover up for his own botched human-rights record.
Referring to Mr Goldstone's response that he was obligated as a judge to enforce South African law then, Danny Ayalon, the Israeli deputy foreign minister, compared him to the Nazis. He said recently: "I don't want to exaggerate, but these are the same explanations that we heard in Nazi Germany after World War II."
Reuven Rivlin, the speaker of Israel's parliament and a leading member of the governing right-wing Likud Party, condemned Mr Goldstone as a "man of double standards" and added: "Such a person should not be allowed to lecture to a democratic state defending itself against terrorists."
In the US, Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor who in January blasted Mr Goldstone as an "evil man" for his UN report, has now likened him to Josef Mengele, the notorious Nazi doctor who had conducted experiments on prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp and sent hundreds of thousands to their deaths. According to Mr Dershowitz, "a lot of people say we just follow the law ? that was Mengele's defence and that was what everybody said in Nazi Germany".
Furthermore, Neal Sher, a prominent New York-based Jewish attorney and the former head of the powerful Jewish lobby group American Israel Public Affairs Committee, last week urged US officials to bar Mr Goldstone from entering the United States because of his judicial record in apartheid-era South Africa.
Mr Goldstone has defended his actions. He told the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz: "I took an appointment to the bench, as did a number of liberal judges, and we had to uphold the law of the country. It was a moral dilemma to do that, but the approach was that it was better to fight from the inside than not at all."
He added that he has always been against capital punishment, but had to adhere to South Africa's laws at the time and had sentenced two people to death for murders committed during armed robberies. He also said there were a number of death-penalty appeals that failed when he had served as part of a panel of three judges at the Supreme Court of Appeal from 1990 to 1994.
His response has been supported by Arthur Chaskalson, a former chief justice of South Africa, who has called accusations of Mr Goldstone's complicity with the apartheid regime "absolute nonsense".
In a statement he issued with George Bizos, a long-time ally and lawyer of Nelson Mandela, who had served as South Africa's first black president after a 27-year imprisonment for his fight against apartheid, he added: "He was one of a small group of judges who did their best to mitigate the harshness of apartheid."
The two also pointed to the fact that Mr Goldstone was appointed by Mr Mandela after the apartheid era ended in 1994 to the country's new constitutional court, in which he had served until his retirement in 2003.
Israel's critics have condemned the country's new campaign, claiming the country was itself a supporter of the apartheid regime. According to Sasha Polakow-Suransky, a senior editor at Foreign Affairs magazine, who has written a book on Israel's alliance with the apartheid-era government, Israel had served as South Africa's most reliable arms supplier from the mid-1970s until the early 1990s. By 1979, South Africa had become the Israeli defence industry's single largest customer, accounting for about one-third of military exports and dwarfing other clients like Argentina or Chile, Mr Polakow-Suransky wrote.
Human-rights groups have urged Israel to cease trying to divert attention away from the Gaza operation, which killed more than 1,300 Palestinians, and launch a credible investigation into the onslaught, as was recommended by Mr Goldstone's UN report last September.
Hagai el Ad, executive director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, wrote in Haaretz: "We can stick pins in the Goldstone voodoo doll as much as we want to, but when we wake up tomorrow morning, the very same reality will still be there. Morally speaking, it's high time for our wake-up call ? for truth-seeking instead of desperately, cynically, self-servingly trying to hide it - and hiding from it."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
John Cena v Triple H
Matches to be announced
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.