Israel’s election front runners Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Benny Gantz made their final pitches to voters on Monday ahead of a vote that could bring the end to the former’s stint as one of the country’s longest-serving leaders.
The race is expected to be close, with Mr Gantz just ahead in the polls for seats in Israel’s 120-seat parliament, but Mr Netanyahu has pulled out all the stops to extend his 13 years in power and become Israel’s longest-serving premier.
He warned voters that there was a coordinated campaign to remove him from office and that he was at risk of losing his seat. Mr Gantz said that Mr Netanyahu’s time was up and that Israel needed change.
Israeli elections never produce an outright majority winner and always result in the formation of a coalition. Even if Mr Gantz garners more seats than Israel’s leader, Mr Netanyahu's support from smaller right-wing and ultranationalist parties will likely see him be able to cajole a coalition of 60 or more seats before Mr Gantz.
"Who else can do this? Who can do this? Come on. Honestly," Mr Netanyahu said, making the case as he has throughout the campaign that he is Israel's essential statesman.
"Who can stand in front of the world? Who can stand in front of the American Congress? Who can move public opinion in that direction?"
He also made a last-ditch appeal to right and far-right voters, pledging to annex areas of the occupied West Bank and bringing Israel’s illegal settlement outposts under Israeli sovereignty. That move would deny the Palestinians any future state that could be contiguous in nature and therefore kill any hopes of the two-state solution.
Mr Gantz has called Mr Netanyahu's pledge an "irresponsible" bid for right-wing votes.
He said he favours a "globally backed peace agreement" that sees Israel hold on to the large settlement blocs in the West Bank and maintain security control over the territory.
Mr Gantz has also highlighted his security credentials while saying he will heal divisions he accuses Mr Netanyahu of exacerbating.
"There's a need for change and an opportunity for change," Mr Gantz told Israel's army radio on Monday.
"Israel needs to choose a direction of unification, connection and hope – or of extremity."
The two were also engaging in typical pre-election campaigning, including Mr Gantz riding a motorcycle to his rally on Sunday and Netanyahu visiting Jerusalem's main market on Monday.
Mr Netanyahu will be on track to surpass founding father David Ben-Gurion as Israel's longest-serving prime minister should he win on Tuesday.
But even if he does, he faces the prospect of becoming the first sitting prime minister to be indicted.
The attorney general has announced he intends to indict Mr Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust pending an upcoming hearing. The prime minister called an early election to stave off the prospect of facing a hearing without a fresh mandate.
The premier's opponents have seized on the allegations to argue that Mr Netanyahu, 69, has lost his way and must go.
But Mr Netanyahu has been defiant, calling the investigations a "witch hunt" and denouncing journalists reporting on them – similar to the tactics used by his ally Mr Trump.
While the threat of indictment hangs over Mr Netanyahu, he has also built a reputation as guarantor of Israel's security and economic growth.
He has repeatedly spoken of Mr Trump's recognition of the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights as two of his major accomplishments.
Mr Gantz has sought to overcome that in part by allying with two other former military chiefs of staff and ex-finance minister Yair Lapid.
If Mr Netanyahu’s Likud wins the most seats then President Reuven Rivlin will almost surely ask him to form a government. If Mr Gantz’s Blue and White alliance defeats the Likud by a significant number of seats then Mr Rivlin may then ask Mr Gantz to form a government. Mr Gantz would probably attempt to do so with a combination of parties on the left and right.
While Mr Gantz publicly rules it out, there is the possibility that Likud and Blue and White negotiate to form a unity government.
That scenario could be in place if some of the smaller right-wing parties Mr Netanyahu would rely on to form a coalition fail to receive the 3.25 per cent of the vote required to enter parliament and Mr Gantz is unable to form a government on his own.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
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