More than 50 members of the US Congress sent a letter to Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Wednesday asking him to “urgently” replenish Israel's Iron Dome air defence system.
The call came as Israel’s defence chief Benny Gantz travels to Washington to make the same request.
The one-page letter was signed by a bipartisan group of representatives including prominent Democrats including Hakeem Jeffries, Elissa Slotkin, Tom Malinowski, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Ted Lieu and Andy Kim.
“We write to express our strong support for the Biden administration’s ironclad commitment to Israel’s safety and security,” the letter said.
"We must ensure that the Iron Dome remains able to protect Israel without running the risk that its stockpile of interceptors becomes depleted.
"Israel must always have the resources it needs to defend itself from incoming rockets when it is targeted again.”
The letter mentions Israel’s double security challenge, with Gaza to the south and Lebanon to the north.
“Although lives were tragically lost, the Iron Dome was extremely effective overall," the letter said.
"It intercepted approximately 90 per cent of the incoming rockets, saving countless civilians in Israel, as well as those in Gaza."
The Israeli army said Hamas fired more than 4,500 rockets in 11 days of fighting last month.
The representatives ask Mr Austin in the letter to work with Congress and “expeditiously” fulfil any request Israel makes to restock the missile defence system.
In Jerusalem on Wednesday, Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham said he expected Washington to quickly authorise as much as $1 billion for Israel to replenish Iron Dome.
“There will be a $1bn request coming to the Pentagon this week from the [Israeli] defence minister to replenish the Iron Dome and a few other things, to upgrade the system,” Mr Graham said.
The letter comes hours before Mr Gantz is scheduled to arrive in Washington on a visit to discuss security issues.
The Israeli Defence Minister will meet Mr Austin and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
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Natan Sachs, senior fellow and director of the Centre for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, said Mr Gantz’s visit was of more significance to the US due to the possible formation of a new coalition government in Israel.
"Mr Gantz is a potential agent of continuity in the new Israeli government – once it's formed", Mr Sachs told The National.
He said Mr Gantz was “a known quantity” and someone with whom successive US administrations have worked since 2011, when he was chief of general staff for the Israeli army.
Mr Gantz is expected to continue as Defence Minister in the new government.
Although he is likely to address many issues with US leaders during his visit, a major focus will be refilling the Iron Dome stockpile.
“Hamas was successful in firing long-range missiles and, in some cases, getting through the Iron Dome,” Mr Sachs said.
“But Israel remains much more concerned about the threat from its northern border and where Hezbollah has more sophisticated missiles."
Progressive members of the Democratic Party, such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have called on the administration to suspend assistance to Israel.
Mr Jeffries, Ms Slotkin and other signatories on the letter are advocating steadfast support.
Mr Sachs said the party divide on Israel was not a zero-sum game.
“Both trends are true. Yes, there is a shift when it comes to Israel among some Democrats, but nonetheless, the Democratic Party is by and large a major supporter of Israel,” he said.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Results
Stage 5:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Jumbo-Visma 04:19:08
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:03
3. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF Education-Nippo 00:00:05
5. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:06
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 17:09:26
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers 00:00:45
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:01:12
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma 00:01:54
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo 00:01:56
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
