Long-time foreign policy giant Senator Ben Cardin, once dubbed Washington's “Diplomat-in-Chief”, announced last week that he will not be seeking re-election.
One of the Democratic Party's most ardent advocates of the US-Israel relationship, he departs as the tide slowly turns regarding Congress's and the American public's attitudes towards Israel.
With roots in his home city of Baltimore's thriving Jewish community, the 79-year-old's career spanned 36 years and touched on a wide variety of issues both foreign and domestic. But his leadership on the US-Israel relationship is one many have highlighted as a standout.
“His efforts will continue to shape US foreign policy long after his retirement. He will be greatly missed in the halls of Congress,” Senate foreign relations committee chairman Bob Menendez told The National.
Hadar Susskind, president and chief executive of Jewish-American group Americans for Peace Now, told The National that Mr Cardin's legacy is “to a tee” the “traditional US definition of what it means to be pro-Israel”.
That traditional view is one that sees “no daylight” between the US and Israel and their special relationship, and considers Israel as the closest ally in the Middle East, Mr Susskind said.
That position has historically been a solidly bipartisan one in Washington, and it at times compelled Mr Cardin to cross party lines.
However, recent events have shown that even the close US-Israeli ties aren't necessarily guaranteed.
Mr Cardin criticised the effort by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government to radically overhaul the judiciary. The proposal triggered days of street protests across Israel.
“Out of love for the people of Israel and our shared values, I am fearful for the future of democracy in Israel as the right-wing Netanyahu government threatens to undermine the essential checks and balances that make democracies work,” Mr Cardin wrote in February.
The overhaul, now on pause, seeks to weaken the Supreme Court and increase the government's role in selecting its judges.
This chaotic moment for Israeli democracy has “clearly been uncomfortable” for Mr Cardin, argues Mr Susskind, and for Americans like him who have been “deeply uncomfortable” criticising Israel over the years.
Attitudes towards Israel and Palestine are undergoing a sea change in the US, where a reckoning in Washington is under way over democratic threats in Israel and more Americans come to terms with its rights abuses against Palestinians.
In 2001, Gallup polling showed that only 16 per cent of Americans sympathised more with Palestinians, while 51 per cent sympathised more with Israelis.
Polling this year shows sympathy towards Palestinians has almost doubled to a new high of 31 per cent.
There was a larger surge among Democrats, who polled at 49 per cent more sympathetic towards the Palestinian people.
And Mr Cardin's retirement comes at moment of change for Congress, as more and more representatives and senators are speaking out for Palestinians.
“Those people who share [Mr Cardin's] views on that special relationship, and 'no daylight' and all that, that opinion is not increasing,” Mr Susskind said.
“The Senate is changing, and I think it was going to change whether [Mr Cardin] was in it or not. But certainly this generational change becomes part of that story.”
Ben Cardin's work on MENA issues
Senate foreign relations committee ranking member Jim Risch told The National that Mr Cardin “has worked to fight corruption and promote human rights … and is a tireless proponent for peace in the Middle East. His leadership will be missed”.
Among one of his most noted moments, Mr Cardin became a rare Democratic senator to break party lines and vote against former president Barack Obama's landmark Iran nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — in 2015.
Once former president Donald Trump took office and pulled Washington out of the deal, Mr Cardin ultimately spoke out against withdrawal.
He wrote in 2018 that “President Trump has breathed air into Tehran’s inevitable argument to the international community: We kept our end of the deal, but America is not good for its word and cannot be trusted.”
Sean Bartlett served as Mr Cardin's communications director and spokesman during that hectic moment in foreign policy. He said that Mr Cardin ultimately became “one of the most adamant and clear voices that the JCPOA was working”, he told The National.
“I was proud that despite his ultimate opposition to the JCPOA, he found a way to set any personal or political feelings aside, understand the policy was working, and become an ardent defender of what was in the best interest of the US,” Mr Bartlett added.
In 2017, Mr Cardin co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, which would have cracked down on the Boycott, Divest, Sanction Palestinian rights movement, aimed at boycotting illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The bill never passed, amid Democratic concern about its threat to free speech rights.
The veteran senator had been associated with the stalwartly pro-Israel American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, but stirred some discussion when in 2018 he spoke at the group's more progressive Jewish-American rival, J Street.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
RESULTS
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
RESULTS
1.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winners: Hyde Park, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
2.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
2.45pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Shadwell Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 (TB) Dh575,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Blown by Wind, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh72,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh64,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Obeyaan, Adrie de Vries, Mujeeb Rehman
4.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
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57%20Seconds
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
