JERUSALEM // Israel's decision to ease its blockade of Gaza has drawn criticism from Palestinians who say it does not go far enough and from Israelis who fear it will strengthen the territory's Hamas rulers.
Western governments, however, including the United States, have hailed the move as a step in the right direction.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose authority has been confined to the occupied West Bank since Hamas seized power in Gaza and ousted his forces in 2007, insisted Israel must completely lift the four-year-old blockade.
"President Abbas demands the complete lifting of the siege on Gaza," his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
"These steps alone are not sufficient, and all efforts must be exerted to ease the suffering of the people of Gaza," he added.
Gaza's Islamist rulers also dismissed Israel's decision and called for "the complete and genuine lifting of all forms of the blockade."
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said this must include "the opening of all the crossings and guaranteeing the movement of residents and the entry of all goods, especially industrial and building materials."
"We want all of Gaza's needs to be met, including electricity and fuel and the lifting of all banking restrictions, and this is what is not included in the Israeli decision, which means the siege is still in place," he said.
Israel announced yesterday that it would allow the import of strictly "civilian" goods, but will restrict "problematic dual-use" items -- thought to include construction materials, which can be used to build rockets and bunkers. Israel did not mention allowing exports out of Gaza.
The new policy follows mounting international pressure in the wake of a May 31 Israeli commando raid that killed nine Turkish activists aboard a flotilla of aid ships on a blockade-busting bid.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a parliamentary committee the decision was taken in coordination with the United States and other governments and with international Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair.
"It's the best decision Israel could take since it takes away Hamas's main propaganda tool," Mr Netanyahu said.
"It gives us a legitimate reason in the eyes of our friends in the world to reinforce the security blockade while lifting the civilian blockade," he added.
But Israeli deputy defence minister Matan Vilnai warned "the decision to allow the entry of more goods into the Gaza Strip will indirectly help Hamas strengthen its power."
"Everything that enters Gaza comes under the control of Hamas," he told public radio.
Environment minister Gilad Erdan, on the other hand, insisted the blockade had not achieved the desired effect.
"The blockade caused damage to us: it did not enable us to weaken the Hamas power or to speed up the release of Gilad Shalit," Mr Erdan, who is close to Netanyahu, told army radio.
"One should not cling to principles that bring no profit and for which one has to pay."
Meanwhile Britain hailed the plan as "an important step in the right direction," while the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called it "a significant improvement" and the White House said it "should improve life for the people of Gaza."
Sunday's announcement came ahead of a planned July 6 meeting in Washington between Mr Netanyahu and the US president Barack Obama, who has called the humanitarian situation in Gaza "unsustainable."
Until now, Israel has allowed humanitarian supplies and some commercial goods into Gaza, where the majority of the 1.5 million population relies on foreign food aid.
Other supplies, including weapons, are smuggled in through tunnels dug deep under Gaza's border with Egypt.
Israel imposed the blockade in June 2006 after its soldier, Gilad Shalit, was captured by Gaza militants and tightened it a year later when Hamas seized power in the coastal strip.
* AFP
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
THE SPECS
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THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
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Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
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Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
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
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
