Like the ripples spreading from a pebble tossed into a pool, Israel’s Knesset vote, 64-0, to “rebalance” powers of judiciary and legislature has added fresh turbulence to the already choppy waters of this troubled country’s international relations.
For now, the waves of domestic protest in the build-up to the vote, now even more stormy since its passing, obscure the outfall with allies. In the long run, however, they may yet come to dwarf the impact of this historic decision on the country.
From its creation 75 years ago, Israel has endured rocky and at times violent relations in a region where some of its neighbours still challenge its very existence. That strength to resist and prosper has its roots in both its unity and its powerful allies.
Now those staples of stability are being put to the test.
Israel’s strongest friend, the US, has been urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his extreme right-wing religious coalition government to exercise caution, warning the vote, and others that are expected to follow, could undermine Israel’s powerful democracy by reducing the influence of the judiciary.
Mr Netanyahu and his government argue the reverse is true, and that as elected officials, unlike the judiciary, they represent the will of the people and therefore actually embody core democratic values.
The result however, if all the planned changes go through, will give Israel’s most hardline, right-wing government in its history the power to run roughshod over existing judicial checks and balances at a time when the government’s relations with Palestinians are at their lowest ebb in recent memory, and tensions over aggressive Israeli security operations and proposed settlements on occupied territory are at their highest in a generation.
The US State Department’s reaction was swift, echoing views from the White House: “It was unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority,” adding “we believe changes of this magnitude ought to be made with really the broadest consensus possible and that did not happen here.”
The reality is, Mr Netanyahu, who had a pacemaker inserted in his chest 48 hours before the vote, has been on rocky ground with the White House since he got back into office late December last year and cobbled together his extreme-right coalition.
Last week it was Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, not Mr Netanyahu, who got an invite to the White House to meet President Joe Biden. The intention was to ease some of the growing tensions and potentially persuade this vital ally on the potential consequences of ignoring US concerns.
Mr Biden did get to show his pro-Israel credentials. But Mr Herzog, whose role is mostly ceremonial, doesn’t have the powers Mr Netanyahu does and if he was given a message of caution he wasn’t, it appears, able to make it stick when he got home.
If Israel’s allies are unclear about how to handle the situation, Israel’s enemies are applauding the tumult
On the eve of Mr Herzog’s visit, Mr Biden did extend a slightly ambiguous invite to Mr Netanyahu for later in the year. Whatever form it takes, it is unlikely to be smooth sailing when it does happen. Mr Biden has described this Netanyahu government as “one of the most extremist” in 50 years.
Mr Netanyahu and his conservative religious and settler coalition appears to be straining the democratic values Mr Biden came into office championing, and that until recently Israel seemed to share.
Aaron David Miller, a seasoned US diplomat who has served several different Democrat and Republican administrations, says Mr Biden is in a bind: “What you have here is a president who is waking up to the fact that that he's no longer dealing with the old Benjamin Netanyahu, the risk averse, cautious [one] who takes one step forward and two steps back. He's dealing now with a desperate Benjamin Netanyahu, risk-ready, determined for any number of reasons to keep this government, this extreme right-wing government.”
The personal stakes for Mr Netanyahu are huge. Out of office he faces a number of legal challenges that, although he dismisses, could land him in jail if proven. Current polling in Israel predicts if elections were held today Mr Netanyahu could not form a government.
Mr Miller predicts Mr Biden’s current pressure is unlikely to bend the trajectory of Mr Netanyahu’s collision: “He must maintain this coalition filled with radical fundamentalist extremist ministers, even at the risk of undermining destroying Israeli institutions, undermining the cohesion of the country and injecting a fair amount of tension into us Israeli relations.”
Others among Israel’s staunch allies, like the UK, have also responded by urging the Israeli government to “build consensus and avoid division”, and to preserve the independence of its judiciary.
The US, like the UK, has been struggling to work out how best to handle Mr Netanyahu.
In March, the UK and Israel signed a “landmark agreement deepening tech, trade and security ties”, saying the countries were “committed to a modern, innovative, forward-looking relationship”. Yet four months later in July, the UK, alongside Australia and Canada, was publicly criticising Mr Netanyahu’s policies, saying Israel’s expansion in the West Bank was an “obstacle to peace”.
It is hard to see how the waves this Netanyahu government has set in motion can ultimately push his goal of expanding the Abraham Accords signed three years ago with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco safely ashore, let alone Mr Netanyahu’s aspiration of what he calls “expanding the circle of peace” to include Saudi Arabia.
His government has already faced criticism from the UAE for its handling of tensions with Palestinians, an area in which several of his hardline ministers goad Mr Netanyahu to get even tougher.
For now, Israel’s allies are likely to look on with increasing alarm. According to Mr Miller, the potential domestic political cost of an ugly spat with Israel’s Prime Minister just as Mr Biden is about to enter an election cycle is a risk he is unlikely to take: “He has no desire and seems to me to impose any costs or consequences, not just on the issue of Israeli internal politics, but on what the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank, which is pursuing a set of annexation in policies in everything but name so yeah, I think it's going to be very difficult for Mr Biden to continue to walk that line. But I believe he will.”
If Israel’s allies are unclear about how to handle the situation, Israel’s enemies are applauding the tumult. Neighbouring Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah claimed, not for the first time, that Israel is self-destructing, and on a “path of collapse and fragmentation”.
Unlike a single pebble in thrown in a pond, the ripples Mr Netanyahu’s government is creating are accumulative: pebble, followed by stone, followed by rock. They are not going to ebb quickly to insignificance.
At worst, they could erode Israel’s democratic foundations and drown out the supportive voices of even its staunchest allies.
At a minimum, they will bring additional and unwanted turbulence to the increasingly fragile world order where China exploits America’s diplomatic missteps and Russia brazenly invades its neighbour, throwing out its own destabilising tsunami of harsh economic peril.
RESULT
Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
ICC Intercontinental Cup
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed
Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2
UAE v Afghanistan, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Ireland v Scotland, Dubai International Stadium
Namibia v Netherlands, ICC Academy, Dubai
The%20Secret%20Kingdom%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Matt%20Drummond%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlyla%20Browne%2C%20Alice%20Parkinson%2C%20Sam%20Everingham%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH DETAILS
Manchester United 3
Greenwood (21), Martial (33), Rashford (49)
Partizan Belgrade 0
Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
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
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGuillermo%20del%20Toro%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tim%20Blake%20Nelson%2C%20Sebastian%20Roche%2C%20Elpidia%20Carrillo%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
