Followers of policy and political developments in Palestine-Israel must be struck by the degree to which the tactics employed by the powers that be are disconnected from desired ends. They will also be puzzled by how the obsession of some leaders and movements with their mistaken path distracts them while they dangerously march themselves and their followers off a cliff.
With specific attention to the tactics and behaviours of Hamas and Israel, three stories from different religious traditions come to mind. While not part of their sacred texts, the practical lessons of these tales are worthy of consideration.
First, there is a wonderful old Buddhist tale that goes something like this. One day, a group of disciples approached Buddha asking him to show them the way to the Moon. Buddha silently pointed to the Moon. Years later, the students were still studying the Buddha’s finger.
The simple lesson is to not become so obsessed with, or distracted by, what is supposed to help you find your way to a goal that you lose sight of the goal itself. It’s a matter of connecting and not confusing means and ends.
For example, in the beginning, Hamas declared its objective to be ending the Israeli occupation, while Israel stated its objective as bringing peace and security to its people. Decades and many lives later, Hamas’s tactics and Israel’s wars have become ends in themselves, with the ultimate goals now forgotten – and no attention paid to whether the behaviours of Hamas or Israel are accomplishing anything other than moving once-sought-after goals farther away from realisation.
Somewhat along the same line, there’s an old Hasidic tale. A rabbi, who had finished his teaching in one town and was on his way to the next, realised that he wasn’t sure which way to go. As he left the town, he saw a small boy and asked him how to get to his next destination. The boy replied: “There’s a short way and that is to go through the woods. The town is on the other side. Or there’s the long way and that’s to go around the woods. But … ”
Because it was getting late in the day, instead of waiting for the boy to finish, the rabbi became impatient, cut him off, and darted into the woods. Night fell and the rabbi became hopelessly lost. Emerging from the woods in the morning, he found himself in the same place he had been the night before and the same boy playing in the same spot. He shouted at the boy, saying: “Your directions were useless.”
The boy replied: “You didn’t let me finish. I was about to tell you that going into the woods was the short way, but because the woods are dense and it was getting dark, I was afraid you could get lost and so it would be the long way. But going around the woods, while the longer route, was ultimately the short way.”
Just knowing where you want to go or what you want to accomplish isn’t always enough
Just knowing where you want to go or what you want to accomplish isn’t always enough. The tactics you use or the path you take matters. Just as being focused on the pointing finger will never get you to the Moon, not paying attention to the practicality of the steps that you must take to get from here to your goal also matters.
There must be a connection between your goal and your path – there’s no shortcut. When you end up substituting body counts, buildings destroyed, and anger and fear created for the original goals of ending the occupation or peace and security for your people, you’re lost in the woods and end up right where you started, needing to begin again.
Finally, there’s this story from the Hindu tradition. One day, four blind men came upon an elephant. They asked: “What is this?” One, holding the elephant’s tail, announced: “I think it’s a rope.” Another, putting his arms around the elephant’s leg, said: “No, I think it’s a tree.” Still another, feeling the elephant’s massive side, announced: “No, it’s definitely a very large, smooth rock.” The fourth blind man, rubbing his hand along the elephant’s tusk, announced: “It’s none of those things. It feels more like a long, curved weapon.”
The answer of course is that the elephant isn’t any single one of these. In a manner of speaking, it is all of them. In this regard, this tale is a variation on the old adage that warns of the danger of “missing the forest for the trees”.
When looking at a complex reality, it’s important not to become so obsessed with one aspect of the situation to the exclusion of the totality.
Israel is especially guilty of this. From the foundation of their enterprise in Palestine, they had a myopic view of reality. They viewed the Nakba and the creation of a state as victories, but they ignored the enmity they had created in the process. They see only what they want to see. Having demolished Gaza, they are now turning their attention to forced evictions and increased land seizures in the West Bank.
But all along, they miss the reality that the elephant isn’t just a tail or a leg. And so, while they ring up little victories, the anger they create only grows, with lethal consequences. In each age, the means they have employed have resulted in thousands of deaths – of their own people as well as their Palestinian victims. And the accumulation of this lethal myopia has created more Palestinian and Arab anger. It has also resulted in greater insecurity and an ugly distortion in their political culture. The lesson: focusing only on the tail or leg can get you trampled on or impaled.
The lessons from these three tales are clear: tactics are not ends in themselves, but must lead to the desired goal. When they don’t, to avoid disaster, change is required.
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh209,000
On sale: now
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
Company%20Profile
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
57%20Seconds
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UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
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
AIDA%20RETURNS
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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MATCH INFO
Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
