Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
September 02, 2024
Having received the news on Saturday night that six Israeli hostages’ bodies were recovered from Gaza, Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, apologised “for failing to bring them home safely”. For nearly a year, Israel has been gripped by the fates of those who were taken captive by Hamas during a murderous assault against mostly civilian targets in Israel on October 7. Ninety-seven are thought to remain in Gaza.
The Hostage Families Forum has accused Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of “abandoning” their loved ones by prioritising an unwinnable war in Gaza over the diplomacy needed to reach a ceasefire and see more hostages released. Mr Netanyahu says his government’s invasion of Gaza, nearing the end of its eleventh month, aims to free the hostages through a combination of rescue operations and military pressure on Hamas.
Of the 251 Israelis and foreign citizens kidnapped on October 7, 117 have been returned alive. Only eight of them were rescued by the Israeli military; 105 were released through a diplomatically brokered prisoner exchange and four were released by Hamas on humanitarian grounds. Mr Netanyahu’s “military pressure” strategy has not forced the release of a single hostage, though it has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and devastated the lives of close to two million Gazans.
Netanyahu’s 'military pressure' has not forced the release of a single hostage, though it has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians
Sunday marked the start of a three-day pause in Israeli military operations in Gaza, during which Israel has agreed to allow the UN to run a polio vaccination drive after initially rejecting it. The effort, funded in part by the UAE, will see 640,000 children under the age of 10 vaccinated against the virus, which emerged in Gaza this year for the first time in a quarter of a century.
The vaccination campaign is a positive development in a very dire situation, and would not have been necessary had Israel abided by its obligations under international humanitarian law during the war. It should also be used to bring renewed focus on the need for a ceasefire deal, but Israel has already undermined that opportunity by extending the conflict to the West Bank. Last week, the military launched an offensive in several West Bank towns, killing at least 20 Palestinians, including civilians, and raising fears of a second front being opened. The tension has been compounded by news in recent months of abuse of Palestinian detainees held in Israeli military prisons.
The increasingly fraught atmosphere in Israel extends to the government. A security cabinet meeting on Thursday night discussing the latest developments in ceasefire talks brokered by Qatar, the US and Egypt reportedly turned into a shouting match between Mr Netanyahu and his Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant. The point of contention was Mr Netanyahu’s plans for Israeli soldiers to continue occupying the Philadelphi Corridor, the boundary between Gaza and Egypt, despite Hamas and Egypt’s objections. Continued Israeli occupation in the corridor would not only violate previous agreements on how the Egypt-Gaza border is managed but also diminish the prospect of any long-term peace; a final settlement between Palestinians and Israelis requires less Palestinian territory under Israeli occupation – not more.
Mr Gallant suggested that offering some compromise on the issue would make a hostage deal more likely. Mr Netanyahu allegedly said holding Philadelphi was more important than that.
Perhaps the most striking element of the cabinet meeting was Mr Gallant’s warning that, one way or another, Mr Netanyahu would eventually be forced to give in to Hamas’s demands. Such a dire prediction from the country’s own Defence Minister speaks volumes about the prospect of Israel achieving any of its aims. In the meantime, the likelihood of more tragedies, like the deaths of Israeli hostages and many more innocent Palestinian civilians, only grows.
Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1) Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
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.
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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.
Tamkeen's offering
Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
Option 2: 50% across three years
Option 3: 30% across five years
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE) Where: Anfield, Liverpool Live: BeIN Sports HD Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Europe's top EV producers
Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
Iceland (33%)
Netherlands (20%)
Sweden (19%)
Austria (14%)
Germany (14%)
Denmark (13%)
Switzerland (13%)
United Kingdom (12%)
Luxembourg (10%)
Source: VCOe
If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
