Israel's new Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has vowed to adopt a hardline approach. AFP
Israel's new Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has vowed to adopt a hardline approach. AFP

Who is Israel Katz, Israel's new defence minister?



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In a surprise move, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, citing “trust issues”, and replaced him with close confidant Israel Katz.

Mr Katz, 69, is a Netanyahu loyalist who previously served as foreign minister and is known as a staunch supporter of the prime minister's policies. But the decision to appoint him has raised questions about Mr Katz’s experience in defence matters. Following his appointment, Mr Katz vowed to lead Israel’s defence strategy with a hardline approach.

“We will work together to lead the defence establishment to victory over our enemies and to achieve the goals of the war: the return of all hostages as the most important moral mission; the destruction of Hamas in Gaza; the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon; the containment of Iranian aggression; and the safe return of the residents of the north and south to their homes,” Mr Katz said in a statement.

Born in 1955 in Ashkelon, Mr Katz served as a paratrooper before leaving the military in 1977. Unlike Mr Gallant, a former general, Mr Katz lacks senior military command experience. A member of Mr Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, he was appointed foreign minister in 2019. He has previously served as minister of finance, transportation, energy and agriculture and has been a member of the Knesset since 1998.

Mr Katz has built a reputation for attacking political opponents and critics of Israel's policies and is expected to support Netanyahu’s agenda as the country navigates growing opposition – both domestic and international – amid intensified conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

His tenure as foreign minister was marked by sharp rebukes of world leaders and international organisations, particularly those he viewed as unsupportive of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. He made headlines internationally when he criticised UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for what he saw as his inadequate condemnation of Iranian missile attacks on Israel, and went as far as declaring Mr Guterres “persona non grata”.

He has also spearheaded a campaign against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), claiming it had ties to Hamas. His lobbying efforts recently led to Israel banning the organisation, a move that was met with wide-scale international condemnation. Additionally, Mr Katz had also advocated legal action against French President Emmanuel Macron when France prohibited Israeli companies from participating in a military trade show.

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The specs: 2018 Renault Megane

Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200

Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder

Transmission Continuously variable transmission

Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km

Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
The Facility’s Versatility

Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
 
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
 
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
 
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
 
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
 
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Updated: November 06, 2024, 11:03 AM