Israel has sought to circulate lies that Yasser Murtaja, the 30-year-old Palestinian photojournalist killed by its forces, was flying a drone.  Mahmud Hams / AFP
Israel has sought to circulate lies that Yasser Murtaja, the 30-year-old Palestinian photojournalist killed by its forces, was flying a drone. Mahmud Hams / AFP

Israel is creating a smokescreen to divert attention from its atrocities



You can tell a great deal about the character of Israel from the fact that its defence minister is Avigdor Lieberman, the man who followed his soldiers' mass murder spree in Gaza with shameless insults targeted at Palestinians. A former nightclub bouncer in his youth in Moldova, Mr Lieberman has always worn his anti-Arab bigotry proudly on his sleeve. In 2014, he called for the expulsion of Arab politicians from Israel (the grotesque irony of an emigré from the former Soviet Union demanding the eradication of the children of that soil was, needless to say, lost on him and his acolytes). A year later, he declared that those he perceives to be Israel's enemies "deserve to have their heads chopped off with an axe". The fact that his house is on an illegal Israeli settlement makes him perhaps the only defence minister in the world who doesn't live within his nation's legitimate borders.

This thuggish extremist is not an outlier. When it comes to Palestinians and Arabs, he is the face and voice of Israel. Over the past two weeks, thousands of Gazans have been struck by Israeli sniper fire and at least 31 young men – including Yasser Murtaja, a 30-year-old photojournalist wearing a vest clearly identifying him as a member of the press – have been assassinated. Against this unfolding human tragedy, so gratuitously inflicted by Israel, Mr Lieberman's claim that "there are no innocent people in the Gaza strip" is breathtaking, even by his standards. There is evidently no depth to which Israel will not sink. Gaza, the most densely populated strip of land on the planet, is effectively an open air prison. Yet Israel would have us believe that Gaza's defenceless inhabitants, who are blockaded by land, sea and air and have never experienced a continuous 24 hours of electricity, constitute some sort of existential threat to one of the most heavily armed militaries on earth.

Israel has always justified its brutality by painting the Palestinians as inherently sinister. But its propaganda and lies are coming unstuck in the age of social media. Mr Lieberman's claim that Murtaja, the journalist shot dead by Israeli forces, was operating a drone was exposed as a lie, thanks to hundreds of photos and videos posted online by activists. His comments, combined with the bombing of a Hamas "military target" by Israeli jets, are meant to divert attention away from the atrocities being committed against peaceful protesters on the Gaza border. We must recognise the appalling nature of these words and actions for what they are: a smokescreen. The world's focus and solidarity must be directed at the courageous men, women and children who are demonstrating for their rights and dignity against an unconscionable and unrelenting aggressor with blood on its hands.

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

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.

 

PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP

Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)

Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8

Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm

Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km

Price: Dh380,000

On sale: now 

Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Gordon Corera, Harper Collins

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Gully Boy

Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi​​​​​​​
Rating: 4/5 stars