RAMALLAH // Like most West Bank Christians, Jumana Dabis, 23, applied early for her permit to enter Jerusalem for the Easter holidays.
During such holidays, Israel makes an exception to its normally stringent closure regime and issues permits, valid for 30 to 45 days, to Palestinian Christians in a way it does not do for Muslims during Islamic holidays.
But with Easter falling around the same time as the Jewish Passover holiday, Israel's permit policy becomes even more incongruous and Byzantine than usual.
Ms Dabis, a public relations officer with the Ramallah municipality, was denied a permit.
No reason was given.
It is perhaps one of the many small ironies of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that as Israeli Jews celebrate Passover - marking the Jewish people's delivery from slavery in Egypt - a full closure comes into force in the occupied West Bank, preventing even those few Palestinians who normally have permits to enter Jerusalem or Israel from doing so for a period of 10 days.
Even though Palestinians of the occupied territories have slowly got used to having their movement severely circumscribed, the Jewish holidays always add an extra dimension. Only those with emergency cases can seek medical treatment in Jerusalem's more advanced facilities.
Only those working with international organisations can continue their daily routines. And businesses, even more than usual, feel the consequences.
Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement are one of the main obstacles to Palestinian economic growth.
An economy that grew steadily from 1995 to 2000 has been in consistent decline since as a result of the tight closures Israel imposed after 2000, and every international organisation from the United Nations to the World Bank has identified an easing of such restrictions as essential for economic development.
Yet obstacles to movement in the West Bank today still number over 600, by a UN count, and movement to and from the West Bank is as difficult as it has ever been.
"When the whole economy is in disarray, more closure just adds more pressure," said Basem Khoury, head of the Palestinian Federation of Industries. "Israel is imposing a religious holiday on four million Palestinians who are not of the same religion."
Mr Khoury said most Palestinian businesses are affected by the extra closure, which, he calculated, adversely impacted their overall competitiveness as measured by output versus working days by about five per cent.
"Under the Paris Protocol, Israel insisted on keeping the Palestinian economy linked to the Israeli economy. But then it is not fair that Israel imposes its religious holidays on us as well," he said.
At heart, Mr Khoury said, the issue was political. Restrictions on movement, he said, had less to do with security, as Israel insists, and more to do with securing Israeli settlements in occupied territory.
"Unless we can move on the issue of settlements, it becomes impossible to do anything about the closure regime. And if we can't do anything about that, it is impossible to help the economy. This is a political decision." Political too would seem the decision favouring permits for Christians over Muslims for their respective holidays.
Ms Dabis is a case in point. Having failed to get a permit through the Palestinian Authority office in Ramallah that usually co-ordinates such matters with the Israeli military, she went in person to apply for a permit at the Israeli army's district co-ordinating office at Beit El just outside Ramallah.
After spending a day waiting in line she was eventually issued a 45-day permit that allows her unrestricted access to Jerusalem and Israel, though not Eilat in the south. Again no explanation was offered for this decision.
"Many times they just randomly deny permits," Ms Dabis said. "They never give reasons. If you ask, they say for security reasons, but they never elaborate and they never put anything in writing."
Ms Dabis said she was aware of the fact that she eventually received a permit because of her religion.
"It's very bad. I know Israel does this to try to create animosity between Muslims and Christians. Muslims are never issued permits unless for medical emergencies."
A discriminating system of permits is a tried-and-tested control mechanism, one that has been used by colonial regimes across the world.
"The coloniser's gains are clear," wrote Ran Hacohen, an Israel academic in a recent essay. "Divide-and-rule; destroying national coherence in favour of separate, conflicting local interests; making the colonised too busy with survival to oppose their oppression; and so on."
Ms Dabis said she thought it was not working, that Palestinians were aware and therefore vigilant at attempts to create rifts among them.
To Mr Khoury, however, the permit system has had a more debilitating effect.
"People have become used to it. What's another day or another week, with all these closures."
okarmi@thenational.ae
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
Scorebox
Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries Gormley, Penalty
Cons Flaherty
Pens Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons Caldwell 2
Pens Caldwell, Cross
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
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
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
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