TEL AVIV // Israel said yesterday that it is "determined" to prevent a planned protest flotilla from challenging its siege of the Gaza Strip, as the convoy's organisers claimed the country was pressuring European allies to halt the ships' departures.
The Israeli security cabinet convened yesterday for a second straight day to debate how to approach the flotilla amid concern that Israel could face a torrent of international condemnation should the protesters' mission result in a violent clash with the Israeli navy.
A statement from the office of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the cabinet had instructed the foreign ministry to step up its diplomatic bid to halt the ships from sailing. At the same time, it also ordered its navy to aim for "minimal friction" with the passengers. The ministers also decided in the closed-door meeting that while the vessels would not be allowed to reach Gaza's shores, they would be permitted to transfer their aid cargo to the enclave after checks in Israel's Ashdod port or Egypt's El Arish port.
The Israeli preparations come more than a year after a similar Gaza-bound, six-boat mission ended with the killing of nine Turkish activists by Israeli naval commandos who boarded their ship. Israel has mounted a diplomatic offensive to convince allies such as Greece to stop the vessels from sailing from their ports and its military has carried out drills simulating a the takeover of boats.
Activists insisted yesterday they would go ahead with their demonstration and that as many as a dozen ships could depart from European ports in the coming days.
Some 350 activists from countries including the US, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Greece are set to participate in the so-called "Freedom Flotilla II". Media reports have said about seven of the ships are already docked in Greece and will be joined by several others in the coming days.
Ann Wright, an American activist, told reporters in Athens yesterday that Israel was mounting a "tremendous diplomatic offensive" to stop the flotilla, including pressuring Greece to forbid the ships from leaving, the Associated Press reported. Organisers urged the Greek government not to "become complicit in Israel's illegal actions by succumbing to this pressure."
The protest mission is facing legal hurdles, too.
Organisers of the so-called US Boat to Gaza, also known as The Audacity of Hope - named after the title of a book written by Barack Obama before he became the US president - said Greek authorities have detained their boat after an Israeli group filed a complaint against it.
The boat's leaders said yesterday that they had raised US$400,000 (Dh147,000) from individuals in the US to fund the costs of the Delaware-registered vessel's repairs, fuel and crew.
But it remains unclear whether the ship will sail. The Israel Legal Centre, a non-governmental organisation based in the central Israeli city of Ramat Gan, said yesterday that it had contacted Greece to demand that The Audacity of Hope and other boats be detained.
"We explained that these boats are violating international law as well as Greek law, which does not allow any hostile actions against states friendly to Greece," said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the group's director, in an interview.
She added that Greek authorities are so far preventing The Audacity of Hope from sailing after finding licensing problems and determining that the boat's engine was not powerful enough to carry the number of passengers slated to board the vessel, which media reports have said would number about 35.
Leslie Cagan, the New York-based coordinator of The Audacity of Hope, yesterday called those claims "frivolous" and added that the boat's capabilities had been "signed off" by an independent surveyor as well as tested at sea.
The Israel Legal Centre has also tackled other venues in a bid to hinder the protest.
According to Ms Leitner, her group warned maritime insurers against insuring the boats because such an act may "be liable to aiding and abetting a terror organisation." She referred to Hamas, the Islamic organisation that rules Gaza and which is viewed by Israel as a terrorist group.
She added that legal action was also being taken against the London-based Inmarsat, one of the biggest providers of satellite services to the maritime industry, after the company rejected its demand to halt the supply of communication equipment to the boats.
Such diplomatic and legal efforts are being compounded by attempts by some Israeli officials to limit media coverage of the protest.
On Sunday, the Israeli government press office threatened that foreign journalists who board the Gaza-bound ships may be banned for up to 10 years from entering the country.
Amid condemnation at home and abroad, Mr Netanyahu's office yesterday backtracked from the threat.
Nevertheless, reporters such as Joseph Dana, an American-Israeli journalist who is in Greece to board one of the boats to write about the protest for the US-based The Nation magazine, appeared intent on continuing their coverage.
Mr Dana, asked in a telephone interview of Israel's possible military actions to stop the flotilla, said that he was "quite fearful of the Israeli reaction."
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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)
On sale: Now
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 specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
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Her most famous song
Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?
Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
THE%20HOLDOVERS
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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
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
