Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu played what appeared to be his final trump card last week before Tuesday’s election: that he would annex parts of the West Bank and bring them under Israeli sovereignty if he wins.
It was a bid to win more right-wing votes as the race between him and opposition leader Benny Gantz becomes the closest he has ever faced. That he told three different media outlets he could bring Israeli sovereignty to the occupied territories is indicative of how he wanted this bombshell to reach far and wide on the last lap of the campaign.
“You are asking whether we are moving on to the next stage – the answer is yes, we will move to the next stage. I am going to extend sovereignty and I don’t distinguish between settlement blocs and the isolated settlements,” he said.
But what does it actually mean if he follows through with any annexation?
Who wants what?
More than 600,000 settlers already live in the occupied territories of East Jerusalem and West Bank in a network of more than 100 settlements dotted across both.
The ultra-religious Jews, who believe the West Bank to be their biblical home, are already protected by the Israeli military, serviced by the Israeli government and even have their own highways. They are surrounded by 2.9 million occupied Palestinians but seek to prevent them from creating their own nation state on Israel's borders.
Palestinians seek those territories to be included in any future Palestinian state and any annexation of settlements that could have been withdrawn in any future peace deal will become Israeli territory and therefore non-negotiable for the Israeli government.
The ramifications of annexation
Annexation of the settlements would therefore leave the Palestinians with only disconnected islands of land, punctuated by large illegal blocs that would be deemed Israeli territory, and no hope of a contiguous sovereign state. They have long claimed that this has been Israel’s intention all along.
The international community considers the settlement enterprise to be illegal under international law, as Israel has confiscated Palestinian land and transferred its population into occupied territories. Any move to annex the settlements would be opposed at the highest international levels. Turkey has already said it would not allow Israel to change the status of the West Bank.
Israel commentators are asking why Mr Netanyahu has not annexed the West Bank settlements in the previous 10 years he has spent in power, but he was not mired in corruption troubles before ahead of a crucial election on which his legacy hinges. He has nixed three bills in the two years about annexing parts of occupied East Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley and the West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim.
What areas would be annexed?
It is also unclear what settlements or areas, if any, he would annex. He has said he will not differentiate between big settlement blocs and isolated outposts situated deep into the West Bank.
But if he was to annex Area C of the West Bank, as demarcated as under Israeli civil control in the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords, he would effectively be taking over 60 per cent of the territory.
What about Trump?
If he took the decision, he would also surely have the support of US President Donald Trump, who has recognised the entirety of Jerusalem, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Golan Heights as Israeli territory since coming to power in January 2016.
US backing for West Bank annexation would embolden Mr Netanyahu to take the jump and, in an ominous statement for the Palestinians, he told Israel’s Channel 13 on Friday to “wait until the next term” to see what happens.
The status of the West Bank, the settlements, and Palestinian claims to the land, were to be agreed upon in any final negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. But Mr Netanyahu has vowed to never transfer an inch of West Bank land to Palestinian sovereignty.
So, with Mr Trump in power and Mr Netanyahu on course for another election victory, it is becoming clearer than ever that the Palestinians will likely never witness those talks.
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
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
The 24-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).
Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
