Gaza City // On a dirt road leading off Khalil Al Wazira Street is a house number framed by a faded poster of a bearded young man. Like so many buildings on so many similar streets in Gaza City, this is the home of a martyr.
But 21-year-old Mohammed Mansour was not killed by an Israeli airstrike or bullet; he was beaten, tortured and then shot by fellow Palestinians during the violent struggle between Hamas and Fatah that tore through Gaza in 2007 following disputed elections a year earlier.
The fighting, which ended with Hamas taking control of the Gaza Strip and Fatah the West Bank, led to a seven-year split between the two Palestinian factions that only ended in June with the formation of a unity government. Much was made of the coming together at last of such bitter enemies, but for the families of young men like Mohammed, moving on is not so easy.
The living room of the Mansour family home in Gaza City is dominated by tributes to Mohammed. Sat on the sofa with his own two children, his brother Ibrahim, 39, says he would prefer to take the posters down but his father refuses. Ibrahim worries about the effect they have on his children.
“My daughter was not born when Mohammed was killed but she still talks about her uncle and says he was a martyr killed by Fatah. My son says that when he grows up he will find Mohammed’s killer,” Ibrahim says.
Mohammed was on his way home from work with a friend on the night of May 13, 2007, when the pair ran into a checkpoint manned by Fatah fighters. His friend, later released, told the family that Mohammed had been suspected of being Hamas and had been arrested and tortured. He was found with 13 bullet wounds in his legs and chest and died five days later while being transferred to Israel for treatment.
Both Fatah and Hamas were responsible for killings during the 2007 war, a fact the politicians signing the unity deal acknowledged by pledging to set up special courts to deal with unsolved cases.
Nidal Sarafit, 62, lost his nephew, Mohammed, to the fighting, after he ran into a group of Hamas fighters on June 13, 2007. The gunmen opened fire, killing Mohammed and injuring his friends, who nonetheless lived to tell his family what happened.
When we meet Nidal he is resting on a hospital gurney outside the International Red Crescent offices in downtown Gaza during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians jailed by Israel who had gone on a hunger strike.
Nidal’s own son, a fighter for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, has been in an Israeli jail for 16 years. Along with other protesters with relatives in prison, he fasts from 8am to 8pm every day.
Despite the seven years that have passed since his nephew’s death, the wounds are no less raw. His brother and sister-in-law fled Gaza after their son’s death and still cannot bring themselves to return. Both they and Nidal welcome the setting up of courts and believe that blood money should be paid to the families of victims, but he is sceptical that the government will make good on its plan.
“The political reconciliation was easy, but the social reconciliation will take time. We want the killers to be charged with something. We cannot forgive for nothing,” he says.
On the outskirts of Gaza City in the eastern suburb of Jabaliya, Mahmoud and Abu Ahmed, 43 and 31, sit on a battered couch outside a five-storey concrete home, the walls and ceilings are pockmarked and holed by the shrapnel from an Israeli air strike that killed Mahmoud’s brother in 2009.
The pair were arrested, tortured and jailed last year after being accused of spying for the Palestinian Authority, and only released as a goodwill gesture by Hamas as part of the unity deal with Fatah. Mere weeks after their release, both men are clearly nervous at the idea of telling their story and both decline to give their real names for fear of recriminations.
A former Fatah security services officer, Mahmoud has lived in Gaza since the Hamas takeover in 2007 and lost many friends during the fighting, he says. Since then he has been interrogated regularly, and his home raided by Hamas police. “We just learned to live with it,” he says sadly.
But in April 2013 he was arrested and accused of spying for the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank. He was taken to Gaza Central Jail where he was interrogated for 60 days. He claims that he was tortured, forced to stand for days at a time and regularly beaten.
Mahmoud says he has opposed Hamas since his teens, even as a prisoner for three years in an Israeli jail. “They used to consider us unbelievers. It was totally divided between Hamas and Fatah – we had our tents, they had theirs.”
And despite his release, Mohammed is unwilling to forgive.
“I consider them as not being part of the Palestinian people, they represent political Islam. They are not part of us,” he says.
Back in the house off Khalil Al Wazira, Ibrahim is more willing to forgive, despite knowing that one of the men involved in his brother’s death – like other militants who survived the 2007 fighting – had left Palestine and now lives overseas .
He welcomes the unity deal and believes it would selfish for him to oppose it – although he says that the Palestinians involved in the murders should never be allowed to return home.
“It is in the interests of the people here. I cannot oppose the unity deal because Fatah killed my brother. We have to live with it,” he says.
“As for the killers, we have to leave it to God.”
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
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
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The%20Specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELamborghini%20LM002%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205.2-litre%20V12%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20450hp%20at%206%2C800rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E500Nm%20at%204%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFive-speed%20manual%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100kph%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%209%20seconds%20(approx)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20210kph%20(approx)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYears%20built%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201986-93%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20vehicles%20built%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20328%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EValue%20today%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24300%2C000%2B%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)
Genk 1
Samatta (40)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
