Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
David Cameron called for the establishment of a diplomatic campaign by “all the friends of a Palestinian state” as he embarked on a regional tour as part of a drive to make a two-state solution irreversible.
In a speech to Arab ambassadors in London, Lord Cameron said the UK and its allies would look at recognising a Palestinian state at the UN.
”We with allies will look at the issue of recognising a Palestinian state including at the United Nations," he said at the reception. “This could be one of the things that helps to make this process irreversible."
Pointing to the importance of the US in the process, Lord Cameron, 57, said the UK could use its close relationship to seek progress there too.
“We should use that relationship to make sure they are coming rapidly to the party, helping to set up this contact group with all of the friends of the Palestinian state so that we help to bring it about,” he said.
“We should be starting to set out what a Palestinian state would look like – what it would comprise, how it would work.”
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian representative in the UK, was briefly greeted by the former British prime minister after the speech and on Tuesday he hailed the remarks as a Cameron Declaration that finally recognised Palestine's rights.
“A UK recognition is both a Palestinian right and a British moral, political, legal and historical responsibility,” he said.
Lord Cameron hit out at the failure of the Middle East Peace Process to deliver stability to the region over three decades.
“If the last 30 years tell us anything, it's a story of failure,” he said.
“Ultimately, it's a story of failure for Israel. Yes, they had a growing economy. Yes, they had rising living standards. Yes, they invested in defence and security and walls.
“But they couldn't provide what a state most wants, what every family wants, which is security.”
A meeting between Lord Cameron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a two-state solution to bring about peace for both Israeli and Palestinians drew no signs of progress.
The Israeli leader not only said a diplomatic initiative would “endanger the state of Israel” but he has criticised an “attempt to coerce us”.
In his speech Lord Cameron said a longer-term solution was only possible if all the hostages take by Hamas on October 7 were released, the leadership of the militant group leaves Gaza and terror attacks on Israel are no longer possible.
At the same time, the onus would be on Palestinians to generate better leadership so that Gaza is run by its own, supported by regional and international assistance.
We will not stop in explaining the things they need to do to make sure there aren't more people starving in Gaza
Lord Cameron,
British Foreign Secretary
Lord Cameron was in Israel, Qatar and Turkey last week as he sought a pause in the fighting for humanitarian aid access.
He called for an end to the “ludicrous” Israeli policy that is impeding that access, including opening and returning UK-provided aid, and a failure to provide access to the cargo seven days a week.
“We will not stop putting the pressure on,” he said. “We will not stop in explaining the things they need to do to make sure there aren't more people starving in Gaza, there isn't more disease in Gaza. Ultimately, this is a problem that Israel has to take responsibility for and we keep making that point too.”
This week, Lord Cameron is making his fourth visit to the Middle East since being appointed Foreign Secretary in November as he presses for a de-escalation of tension, as well as the humanitarian relief that is more desperately needed with each passing day.
“We cannot ignore the risk that the conflict in Gaza spreads, spilling over borders into other countries in the region,” he said on embarking on the visit.
“We will do everything we can to make sure that does not happen – escalation and instability is in nobody’s interests.”
Starting the visit in Oman, he is also expected to call for help to end the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, in addition to efforts to bring about wider regional stability.
An attack by Iran-backed militia in Jordan at the weekend that killed three US troops and left dozens wounded has stoked new fears of a western confrontation with Tehran.
The UK and the US have carried out a series of strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen after the Iran-backed rebel group began attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea, a vital global trade route.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Midnights'
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Honeymoonish
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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
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
Avatar%20(2009)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
More coverage from the Future Forum
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.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 4
Leverkusen: Alario (9'), Wirtz (89')
Bayern: Coman (27'), Goretzka (42'), Gnabry (45'), Lewandowski (66')
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Autumn international scores
Saturday, November 24
Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia
