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Rishi Sunak told the British Parliament on Monday that he was standing by Israel as it responded to Hamas attacks from Gaza, which represented an "existential strike" on the country's security.
The UK Prime Minister has been unequivocal in assuring the Israeli government of British support since No 10's first response to the attacks. Addressing MPs for the first time since Hamas launched the assault, Mr Sunak set out the three pillars of his policy to address the crisis.
"One reason why this attack is so shocking is that it is a fundamental challenge to any idea of co-existence, which is an essential precursor to peace and stability in the region," he said.
"Israel was founded not just as a homeland for the Jewish people, but as a guarantor of their security to ensure that what happened to the Jewish people in the Holocaust could never happen again. Through its strength and resilience, Israel gradually achieved some of that longing for security.
"This atrocity was an existential strike at the very idea of Israel."
The depth of Mr Sunak's reaction led officials to say that there are "no grey areas" in Britain's response, with the UK standing firmly behind Israel to prevent further threats to its security and whatever military operation may come next.
However, officials stressed London is not giving Israel a carte blanche. Mr Sunak said the government calls on Israel to ensure its operation "protects civilians from harm".
“This must be done in line with international humanitarian law, but also recognising that they face a vicious enemy that embeds itself behind civilians," he said.
“As a friend, we will continue to call on Israel to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians."
Mr Sunak also spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday to reiterate his support for a two-state solution to the conflict.
"The Prime Minister and President Abbas agreed that the international community must intensify efforts to break the cycle of violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories," No 10 said in a statement.
Mr Sunak said the government would increase British aid to Palestinians by £10 million ($12.2 million).
Mr Sunak announced a three-point strategy in which the government will support Israel while using diplomacy to prevent the war from spreading through the Middle East and to ward off a major humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
He told Parliament that British naval and other units redeployed to the Mediterranean would be used to prevent Iran shipping arms to its allied militias – not only Hamas, but Lebanon's Hezbollah too.
"Last week I deployed surveillance aircraft and assets to the Mediterranean," he said.
“They are already engaged with ensuring that arms shipments do not find their way to people like Hezbollah, and Iran does not see this as as opportunity to escalate the conflict.”
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps was due to call his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Monday, and Ministry of Defence officials said he would emphasise that any military operation must be conducted according to international law.
Mr Sunak was contemplating his next political moves following modest success at the Conservative Party conference, when worried aides approached him with word of the Hamas incursion.
The Hamas rocket attack on Israel early on October 7 was followed by a land assault that resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths, including children.
Mr Sunak made his position very clear. His support for Israel was “unequivocal”, and for Hamas there was “unequivocal condemnation”.
The Conservative Party is a long-term backer of Israel. “This is one of the big differences between Labour and the Conservatives in that we have actually been long-time friends of Israel,” said a Conservative official, who is Jewish.
“We understand the difference between Palestine and Hamas, and that Hamas is a terror group that wants to wipe Israel out and wipe all Jews out. We understand that Hamas is totally different from Palestinians.”
The pro-Israel stance of the party is something long-acknowledged, with the Conservative Friends of Israel group exercising strong influence.
There is an incredibly strong connection between CFI and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu,” one party veteran said.
“The group is also a massive electoral asset to the Tories via their fundraising activities, but many Conservatives mistake the CFI’s view for that of the view of Jewish people in the UK.”
This was on display when former prime minister Liz Truss announced that Britain would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision that Mr Sunak quietly reversed.
But not all members of the Conservative Party approve of its pro-Israel stance. Crispin Blunt, a frequent critic of Israel and co-director of the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, issued the group’s intention to prosecute the British government for “aiding and abetting war crimes in Gaza”.
While Mr Blunt is in a minority, the condemnation of Israel could soon prove difficult to ignore if an invasion of Gaza leads to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
The CFI is understood to heavily favour the Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between Israel and some Arab countries – including the UAE – and this could influence its future support for Mr Netanyahu’s actions if the group considers Israel's response to have gone too far, the veteran official said.
“This could water down [Mr Sunak's] response, but he’s not going to do it through casualties in Gaza, but more likely because he's looking to do a trade deal with GCC and understands the danger of Jordan’s instability.”
Mr Sunak will also draw on the US's unqualified backing of Israel’s actions, as well as the fact that Labour leader Keir Starmer has positioned his party firmly behind Israel.
Mr Starmer, who could become prime minister next year, may also see the crisis as an opportunity to prove that his party has moved further away from the allegations of anti-Semitism it was subjected to under the leadership of his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
THE SPECS
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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Other promotions
- Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
- Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
- Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications)
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The five pillars of Islam
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Results
3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).
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4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.
5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.
5.55pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Dolman, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
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
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Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
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Power 503bhp
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
