Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has arrived in Israel before heading to Palestine this week for a three-day visit where he is due to commit to tackling threats to regional security, including from Iran, as well as addressing the issue of settler violence against Palestinians.
In Jerusalem on Monday, he met Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. Mr Cohen thanked the British official for his country's "commitment to stopping Iran's nuclear programme", the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
"Israel-UK relations are currently at their peak," Mr Cohen said.
"We see eye to eye on many issues ... Three years after the signing of the Abraham Accords, we are working with our friends in the world to expand the circle of peace and normalisation.
"Britain is the largest trading partner in Europe. I have asked my friend Foreign Minister Cleverly to work to promote the free trade agreement between the countries which will increase trade between the countries for the benefit of the prosperity of both nations."
In a speech at an international security conference, James Cleverly will condemn Iran for enabling terrorism in Israel through its support for Hamas and extremism and will reaffirm Britain’s support for a two-state solution, the Foreign Office said.
In the occupied West Bank, Mr Cleverly will visit Jalazone refugee camp and see the impact of international support for the UN body providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.
Mr Cleverly is scheduled to give a speech at an international security conference on Tuesday focusing on the security challenges facing Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories and the region, and the importance of advancing the two-state solution.
He will stress the UK’s support for a viable two-state solution as the only way to bring about security, stability and prosperity for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider region.
“The UK and Israel work closely together to keep our people safe. I’ll be using my first visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories as Foreign Secretary to renew our close security partnership, in the face of unacceptable threats from the Iranian regime,” Mr Cleverly said, speaking before the trip.
“A two-state solution between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is the only way to bring about security, stability and prosperity for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider region. I’ll be making clear that all parties must take steps to advance this cause.”
He said he would also commit to working with Israel to counter Iran’s destabilising activity and visit Israel’s state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defence system, where Mr Cleverly will receive a briefing on the range of threats that the country faces.
During the visit, he is due to meet senior figures, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, to encourage dialogue and co-operation to end the cycle of violence.
He will also pay his respects to the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust by visiting Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, and laying a wreath at the eternal flame.
Mr Cleverly will devote particular attention to the issue of increasing settler violence, a problem that the Israeli government is accused of doing little to solve.
In March, the UK along with many of Israel’s allies condemned comments by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called for the occupied West Bank town of Huwara to be “burnt to the ground” after two Israeli settlers were killed.
Settlers then launched a revenge attack, burning Palestinian property and assaulting residents in what many in the Israeli media called a “pogrom”.
Mr Cleverly will announce an increase of $1.5 million in UK funding to help victims of settler violence.
Allies of Israel, including the UK, have also expressed concern over the government’s pursuit of hugely divisive legal reforms, which opponents said would end democracy in Israel.
On Tuesday, Israel’s High Court will rule on the legality of the first round of the reform package that the government passed in June.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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.
RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner Canvassed, Par Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
Winner Dubai Future, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Mouheeb, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
8.15pm Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
9.50pm Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Man Of Promise, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The five pillars of Islam
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Tuesday results:
- Singapore bt Malaysia by 29 runs
- UAE bt Oman by 13 runs
- Hong Kong bt Nepal by 3 wickets
Final:
Thursday, UAE v Hong Kong
