After the devastation of Gaza, international sympathy for the Palestinian cause has probably never been higher, and that is to be welcomed. There is a serious caveat, though: and that is that well-meaning solidarity for a people who have suffered discrimination, dispossession and death cannot be allowed to justify vicious hatred of Israel or of Jewish people around the world. This should not need to be spelt out. Genuine advocates for Palestine are implacable in their rejection of anti-Semitism and have no need to defend themselves against any such charge.
But there has been an alarming rise in anti-Semitic incidents by perpetrators who, however falsely, drape themselves in the Palestinian flag. In north London, a convoy of cars covered in just such flags drove through areas with many Jewish inhabitants, blasting out unprintable threats. According to the Community Service Trust, a UK charity, there has been a 500 per cent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the past few weeks. In America there has been a similar spike, with the words "Free Palestine" and "Die Jew" often horribly linked. After a series of unprovoked physical attacks on men wearing yarmulkes in the US and in Europe – one thought he was going to be killed – it is clear that it is not safe for people to wear clothing identified as Jewish in public. This is appalling.
It may be said that these crimes were committed by bad actors who were misusing the Palestinian cause. That may be true. But what about the tolerance of anti-Semitic words and imagery at demonstrations? At a mass gathering in London on Saturday, one placard bore a picture of Jesus carrying the cross, with the words “Do not let them do the same thing today again”. Why did no one nearby insist that such anti-Jewish propaganda, along with all the signs mentioning “Hitler” and “the Nazis”, be removed and destroyed?
Participants of a vigil against anti-Semitism gather in front of the Synagogue in Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany this week. EPA
Similarly, I heard no one interrupt the speaker who called on the crowd to “march on Marks and Spencer". What could be more quintessentially British than dear old M&S, which supplies me with home comforts such as sultana scones and hot cross buns even in my home in Kuala Lumpur? But no. To this speaker, because the firm’s founders were Jewish, it is “like the Israeli embassy on the high street” and should be boycotted and picketed. It takes a particularly circuitous logic to see how threatening the livelihoods of ordinary Britons would improve the lot of Palestinians one bit.
As a child in the Britain of the 1970s, it seemed to me that anti-Semitism belonged in the past, with a history so abhorrent that it could never be revived. Jewish people, I thought, had become just another minority like my fellow Catholics of Irish descent. Later, as a student, I became aware that it lived on, but more as a nasty little prejudice often among the upper and upper-middle classes, and rarely mentioned except in company assumed to share this vice.
Today, however, it is obvious that a virulent anti-Semitism is thriving all too well, and finding fertile ground in a section of the anti-imperialist left. There could be many explanations for this, but I have my own theory about why people who ostensibly vehemently oppose racism of every kind may be susceptible to this.
Part of the problem may be that it has been so long since there was an Israeli government that appeared properly committed to a two-state peace process, that the distinction between “Israel” and an Israeli government has been lost. Many of those angry with successive administrations now see the country as a whole as the issue. And they don’t just dislike it. They loathe it.
In this context, I don't believe it's useful to compare Israel to apartheid South Africa, even though two respectable organisations, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem and Human Rights Watch in the US, have now done so. (I exempt from this anyone who is Israeli, as they certainly have the right to call their country whatever they want.)
Participants rally as they gather on 'Day of the Naqba' at Heumarkt in Cologne, Germany. By painting Israel as an apartheid state, one fails to recognise that there are all sorts of shades of opinion in that country. EPA
A virulent anti-Semitism is finding fertile ground in a section of the anti-imperialist left
This is because South Africa was different. It was a pariah state by the end. The world wanted the white supremacist regime to be overturned, and it was. If Israel, on the other hand, were to treat its Palestinian citizens equally and negotiate the birth of an independent state on its 1967 borders, it could still – just conceivably – end up electing Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister. This would not be an outcome that would sufficiently satisfy hardline critics of Israel.
Moreover, it must be recognised that there are all sorts of shades of opinion in Israel, which painting it as nothing more than an apartheid state does not. There was a time, it should be remembered, in the 1960s and 70s when it was much admired as a country where social democracy had succeeded triumphantly.
Treating Israel like apartheid-era South Africa risks demonising it as uniquely evil. If you believe that, it is not a big step to ascribe the same sins to all who support or identify with the country in any way. And if you are not an anti-Semite by then – because many Jewish people unsurprisingly have a special place in their hearts for Israel, even as a romanticised ideal and not the compromised reality of the past few decades – you may have had a narrow escape.
This may be an overly charitable explanation for why some have drifted into an anti-Semitism they themselves cannot acknowledge. Perhaps I’m wrong. Maybe, instead, many have fallen prey to a grotesque but ancient bigotry that I have never been able to understand.
What is crucial, however, is to maintain the distinctions between the actions of an Israeli government; a populace that contains multitudes – as does the Jewish diaspora; and a state that has the right to exist just as surely as Palestinians deserve their own. So cheer the outpouring of support for Palestine. But be sickened – yes, be shocked to your core – that Jewish people around the world once again fear for their safety, and possibly their lives, for no reason but they are Jewish.
Sholto Byrnes is an East Asian affairs columnist for The National
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The biog
Name: Mohammed Imtiaz
From: Gujranwala, Pakistan
Arrived in the UAE: 1976
Favourite clothes to make: Suit
Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE) Where: Allianz Arena, Munich Live: BeIN Sports HD Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
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.”
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
Riders must be 14-years-old or over
Wear a protective helmet
Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
Do not drive outside designated lanes
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe Gordon Corera, Harper Collins
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
1.
United States
2.
China
3.
UAE
4.
Japan
5
Norway
6.
Canada
7.
Singapore
8.
Australia
9.
Saudi Arabia
10.
South Korea
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures: Monday, first 50-over match; Wednesday, second 50-over match; Thursday, third 50-over match
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
