JERUSALEM // Israel delivered a calculated snub to the visiting British foreign secretary yesterday by postponing its annual strategic dialogue with its longtime ally.
The move came as William Hague began his first official visit to the region in an effort to revive faltering Middle East peace negotiations.
The postponement of the annual dialogue was announced by Israel's foreign ministry, which is headed by the controversial hard-liner Avigdor Lieberman, and came as Mr Hague, the UK's top diplomat, held talks with Palestinian officials in Ramallah.
It is not known whether the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, approved the announcement, believed to be retaliation for the threatened arrest of top Israeli officials visiting Britain.
The diplomatic insult is also being viewed as a sign that ties between the two countries are still deeply troubled after suspected Mossad agents using 12 forged British passports were among the gang who assassinated a senior Hamas official in a Dubai hotel room in March.
London responded to Dubai police's disclosure of the plot and the illicit use of British passports by expelling an Israeli diplomat. David Miliband, then the foreign secretary, said at the time there were "compelling reasons" to suspect Israeli involvement.
British officials said yesterday they were baffled by Israel's decision to suspend the strategic dialogue. They had publicly announced the British government's decision to amend the universal jurisdiction law, under which British courts can issue arrest warrants for visiting foreign officials accused of war crimes.
Pro-Palestinian activists have used the law to seek the arrest of Israelis such as the opposition leader Tzipi Livni, a chief architect of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip in late 2008 while serving as foreign minister.
Dan Meridor, a deputy prime minister and minister of intelligence and atomic energy in the current Israeli government, cancelled a trip to London this week because he feared arrest over Israel's raid on a Gaza aid flotilla in May that killed nine Turkish activists.
Gordon Brown, then the British prime minister, promised in January to change the law after an arrest warrant for Mrs Livni forced her to cancel a visit.
A Foreign Office spokesman in London confirmed yesterday that action to limit the law was imminent, saying in a statement that "we share Israeli concerns about the current universal-jurisdiction arrangements, which inhibit Israelis visiting the UK without fear of mischievous arrest warrants".
London's pledge to change the law was not enough to deter the Israeli foreign ministry, however. "The strategic dialogue has indeed been postponed," Yigal Palmor, a ministry spokesman, said.
"The visit by foreign minister Hague is an important phase in the ongoing exchange between the countries, and the question of Israeli officials being unable to travel to Britain will be on the top of the agenda as far as we are concerned," he said
A senior British diplomatic source said yesterday that given the British government's pledge "to amend the application of universal jurisdiction and the fact that William Hague is visiting the country, the timing is most odd".
"It does make one wonder," the diplomat added, "if this might not have more to do with the fragile state of coalition politics in Israel than it does with coalition politics in the UK."
Mr Hague, who arrived in Israel on Tuesday evening, is scheduled to visit Mr Netanyahu, the defence minister Ehud Barak and Ms Livni during his two-day tour of the region. He is expected to press them to reintroduce a freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank to kick-start negotiations with the Palestinians.
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, suspended Palestinian participation in the recently restarted talks after a partial freeze on such construction expired in September. The Arab League has given the United States until early November to resolve the stalemate.
"We understand the depth of Israeli security concerns. But the strength and depth of our friendship means we can and must talk frankly about the need for the settlement freeze to be renewed to allow talks to resume," a spokesman for the British foreign office said. "Finding a viable solution to the conflict is in everyone's long-term interest."
Mr Hague is also scheduled to meet Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, to finalise Britain's first-ever treaty with the Palestinian Authority. He will also visit representatives from villages in the West Bank where non-violent protests and demonstrations against Israel's occupation occur on a regular basis.
Meanwhile, in another indication of the PA's attempt to build an independent Palestinian state, Mr Fayyad announced on Tuesday that his government had funded renovation of schools in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.
* David Sapsted reported from London
hnaylor@thenational.ae
dsapsted@thenational.ae
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
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
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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
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
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 White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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Available: Now
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
