Farouq Qaddoumi, a founder of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation who later opposed the Oslo Accords, died in Amman on Thursday after a long illness, a friend said. He was in his 90s.
The head of the PLO's political department at the time, Mr Qaddoumi was sidelined when the group's chairman Yasser Arafat negotiated the landmark deal that established peace with Israel but did not result in Palestinian statehood.
Mr Qaddoumi, who was known by his nom de guerre, Abu Al Lutuf, then became a forlorn figure in Palestinian politics as other members of the old guard consolidated their position. Among them was President Mahmoud Abbas, who succeeded Mr Arafat in 2004.
"I mourn a brother and a friend and a companion in the struggle," Mr Abbas said in statement. "Palestine has lost one of its loyal men."
Unlike Mr Abbas and most other PLO leaders, Mr Qaddoumi refused to meet any Israeli official.
Born in 1931 into a land-owning family in the now occupied West Bank, Mr Qaddoumi studied politics at the American University in Cairo, where he met Mr Arafat and other Palestinian figures who founded the Fatah faction, precursor to the PLO.
He worked in professional jobs in Libya and Kuwait and eventually settled in exile in Beirut, before the 1982 invasion of Lebanon resulted in the expulsion of the PLO's leadership to Tunis.
Like most of the PLO's founders, Mr Qaddoumi was secular, having joined the Baath party in the 1940s. The Baath took power in Iraq and in Syria in the 1960s and Mr Qaddoumi often visited Damascus. He was careful not to be openly critical of Jordan, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. This enabled him to maintain a home in the kingdom.
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
