As Israel moves towards annexing more than 30 per cent of the occupied West Bank next week, Palestinians fear they are entering an era where hope for a two-state solution and independence may vanish for good.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced on May 19 that he would withdraw from all agreements with Israel in response to the plan.
And leaders of the Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-rule over the territory, said they would dissolve the body if Israel proceeded.
“The implementation of the annexation plans in the occupied Palestinian territories is an illegal step that will entail that Israel assume all responsibilities for the occupied land, according to the Fourth Geneva Convention as the occupying power," Mr Abbas said on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly pledged to annex West Bank settlement areas on July 1.
After swallowing occupied East Jerusalem, Israel aimed to take the Jordan Valley and the scattered settlements nearby.
The Israeli design was tied to the US Middle East peace plan released in January, which designated land in the occupied West Bank as part of Israel.
The annexation will end any hope for a Palestinian state and will leave Palestinians with nothing but isolated pockets of land and a form of apartheid, analysts said.
The Palestinians would be left with no choice but to consider their most serious response to Israel's policy: dissolving the authority.
“We have informed all countries, including the US and Israel, that if Israel moves forwards with annexation, Israel will have to bear its full responsibilities as the occupying power,” said senior Palestinian official, Hussein Al Sheikh.
“We are not agents for the Israeli occupation. We will never accept to play this role under any circumstances.
“The existence of the Palestinian Authority is one of the outcomes of the Oslo Agreement which is now dissolving.
"We will never agree the PA to be reduced to providing services. We don’t want to do this but Netanyahu is leaving us no choice.”
A financial crisis within the PA increased the likelihood that it would be dissolved.
The economic problems were caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has devastated an already weak Palestinian economy, and a standoff between the authority and Israel on tax revenue.
Last month, the PA rejected revenue Israel collected on its behalf, after Israel made the transfer of money a condition of security co-ordination with the Palestinian body.
This has left the PA with of one of its most severe financial crises since its inception. Tax revenue represents 63 per cent of its budget.
As a result, the it was unable to pay its 180,000 employees their salaries in May and the Ministry of Social Affairs could not pay out monthly benefits for the poor.
The PA was expected to introduce drastic austerity measures in the weeks ahead.
After threatening to dissolve the authority, PA officials reportedly told the Israeli military liaison office that in the event of annexation, Defence Minister Benny Gantz was responsible for the salaries of Palestinians employees.
Tareq Baconi, the International Crisis Group's analyst for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, told The National that the official Palestinian response to annexation was deterrence.
"Pre-emptively ending security co-ordination and revoking agreements with Israel are both an attempt to show Israel what the cost of annexation might be, and to attempt to influence the Israeli leadership not to proceed with these steps," Mr Baconi said.
In recent years, the calls from Palestinians for a single binational state as opposed to the conventional two-state solution have increased.
But the PA’s leaders said on many occasions that they wanted to stick to a two-state solution because it was "more realistic" and "the solution that’s consistent with international resolutions".
While Palestinian officials talked of dissolving the PA, Israel continued to prepare for annexation.
On June 18, the Israeli army placed concrete blocks on roads that lead from occupied West Bank villages to the Jordan Valley.
All Palestinian factions condemned the Israeli plans and agreed to a campaign of non-violent resistance across the West Bank.
Protesters will have to strike a balance between taking to the street and avoiding a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Palestinians have also appealed to the international community for support.
Last week, there were calls from politicians across Europe for punitive measures against Israel and a recognition of the state of Palestine.
Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s executive committee, called on the international community and "specifically all countries that have economic relations with the occupation" to cut business ties with Israel.
Mr Majdalani said countries should "withdraw all investments in response to its violation of international law, especially in the ongoing process of annexation of the Palestinian territories".
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Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
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Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
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Abu Dhabi card
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Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
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Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
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Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
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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
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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