Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, at the news conference in Tel Aviv on Monday. Bloomberg
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, at the news conference in Tel Aviv on Monday. Bloomberg
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, at the news conference in Tel Aviv on Monday. Bloomberg
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, at the news conference in Tel Aviv on Monday. Bloomberg

Benjamin Netanyahu reinstates Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant


Soraya Ebrahimi
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday to restore security "on all fronts" after surging violence that included rocket fire from Lebanon and Syria, and two more deaths.

Mr Netanyahu also reinstated Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, whose firing he announced last month.

Heavy clashes, shootings, rocket strikes and a car-ramming attack have marred a period when the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coincides with the Jewish Passover and Christian Easter.

The latest casualties were a Palestinian teenager and a British-Israeli mother, who succumbed on Monday to injuries from a West Bank gun attack that killed her two daughters.

The day after Israeli police on Wednesday stormed the prayer hall of Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque — Islam's third-holiest site — more than 30 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel.

Israel said the attack was most likely launched by the Palestinian armed movement Hamas.

Israel then bombarded the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, aiming for "terror infrastructures" that it said belonged to Hamas.

"We will not allow the terrorist Hamas to establish itself in Lebanon", by acting on "all fronts", Mr Netanyahu told a news conference on Monday.

Palestinian-Israeli violence had already intensified since his new government took power in December, a coalition with extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.

The latest surge came after he late last month announced a "pause" for dialogue on judicial reform legislation, which split the nation and caused divisions in his government.

Air strikes intensify as Israel retaliates on targets in Lebanon and Gaza - in pictures

  • A man inspects damage at his house left by a rocket following Israeli air strikes in Al Qulaylah, on the outskirts of the city of Tyre, south of the Lebanese capital Beirut. AFP
    A man inspects damage at his house left by a rocket following Israeli air strikes in Al Qulaylah, on the outskirts of the city of Tyre, south of the Lebanese capital Beirut. AFP
  • Palestinians inspect the damage after Israeli air strikes in Gaza City. EPA
    Palestinians inspect the damage after Israeli air strikes in Gaza City. EPA
  • Trails of smoke is seen as rockets are fired from Gaza. Reuters
    Trails of smoke is seen as rockets are fired from Gaza. Reuters
  • A Palestinian checks a car damaged by Israeli air strikes in Gaza city. Reuters
    A Palestinian checks a car damaged by Israeli air strikes in Gaza city. Reuters
  • A bridge destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Maaliya village in south Lebanon. AP
    A bridge destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Maaliya village in south Lebanon. AP
  • Flames and smoke rise after Israel bombarded south Lebanon and Gaza in the early hours of Friday. EPA
    Flames and smoke rise after Israel bombarded south Lebanon and Gaza in the early hours of Friday. EPA
  • Explosions seen in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters
    Explosions seen in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters
  • Lebanese residents examine the damage at a house after air strikes in Qalili village in south Lebanon. AP
    Lebanese residents examine the damage at a house after air strikes in Qalili village in south Lebanon. AP
  • Streaks of light seen from Ashkelon in Israel as rockets fired from the Gaza Strip are intercepted. Reuters
    Streaks of light seen from Ashkelon in Israel as rockets fired from the Gaza Strip are intercepted. Reuters
  • A Lebanese army unit finds a missile launcher near the towns of Zibqin and Qlaileh. Photo: Lebanese Army
    A Lebanese army unit finds a missile launcher near the towns of Zibqin and Qlaileh. Photo: Lebanese Army
  • Smoke rises after rockets fired from Lebanon strike Bezet in northern Israel. AP
    Smoke rises after rockets fired from Lebanon strike Bezet in northern Israel. AP
  • A damaged building in the northern Israeli town of Shlomi. AFP
    A damaged building in the northern Israeli town of Shlomi. AFP
  • The remains of an intercepted rocket fired from Lebanon into the city of Shlomi in northern Israel. AP
    The remains of an intercepted rocket fired from Lebanon into the city of Shlomi in northern Israel. AP
  • Ruins of a missile intercepted by Israeli military. AP
    Ruins of a missile intercepted by Israeli military. AP

Among the political casualties was Mr Gallant, who the Prime Minister dismissed on March 26.

Mr Gallant earlier called for a halt to the legislative process on judicial reforms because of national security concerns — threats by reserve military personnel not to report for duty.

Mr Netanyahu is battling very low levels of popularity. A recent survey showed him likely to lose if an election were held now.

He said on Monday that he and Mr Gallant had "difficult disputes" but he had decided to put them in the past.

"Gallant remains in his post and we will continue to work together for the safety of the citizens of Israel," Mr Netanyahu said.

Earlier on Monday government ministers joined a protest march by Jewish settlers, held under tight security in the north of the occupied West Bank.

In the latest shooting in the territory, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian youth, Mohammed Balhan, 15, and wounded two other people, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, during what the army described as a raid to arrest a "terror suspect".

Israel confirmed its troops were operating in the Aqabat Jaber camp, the site of previous deadly Israeli raids this year, near Jericho, where soldiers were seeking "to apprehend a terror suspect".

The army said troops responded with live fire after "suspects opened fire toward [soldiers], hurled explosive devices and Molotov cocktails".

They said a suspect was taken in by security forces.

Clashes erupted when the army entered the camp and surrounded several houses, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

A Palestinian security official told AFP that five people were arrested during the raid.

Hamas said it mourned the "young martyr" and praised those "standing up to this arrogant enemy".

The operation came as a Jerusalem hospital confirmed that a British-Israeli woman, Lucy Dee, died after being seriously injured in a shooting attack on Friday in the West Bank, which killed her two daughters, aged 16 and 20.

Their car came under fire in the Jordan Valley, near Jericho. The family were residents of Efrat, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted that there could be "no justification" for the "senseless violence".

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers live in Israeli-approved settlements there, which are considered illegal under international law.

Hundreds of Israelis marched on Monday in the north of the West Bank, pushing for state approval of an Israeli settler outpost.

Several government ministers, including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, appeared at the march to Eviatar, whose residents agreed to leave in 2021 while officials examined their case.

Mr Ben-Gvir told the crowd that "the response to terror is to build" settlements.

Violence has flared since Israeli police stormed the prayer hall of Al Aqsa Mosque in a pre-dawn operation aimed at dislodging "law-breaking youths and masked agitators" they said had barricaded themselves inside.

Late Friday an Italian tourist was killed and seven wounded in a car-ramming attack in Tel Aviv.

The Israeli army also said it launched strikes on targets in Syria on Sunday after rockets fired from there landed in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The conflict has this year claimed the lives of at least 94 Palestinians, 19 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian, according to an AFP count.

These figures include, on the Palestinian side, combatants and civilians, including minors, and on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, including minors, and three members of the Arab minority.

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The Abu Dhabi Awards explained:

What are the awards? They honour anyone who has made a contribution to life in Abu Dhabi.

Are they open to only Emiratis? The awards are open to anyone, regardless of age or nationality, living anywhere in the world.

When do nominations close? The process concludes on December 31.

How do I nominate someone? Through the website.

When is the ceremony? The awards event will take place early next year.

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

Company profile

Name: Dukkantek 

Started: January 2021 

Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani 

Based: UAE 

Number of employees: 140 

Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service) 

Investment: $5.2 million 

Funding stage: Seed round 

Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office  

The five pillars of Islam

500 People from Gaza enter France

115 Special programme for artists

25   Evacuation of injured and sick

SPECS
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Updated: April 11, 2023, 4:35 AM