Given the bigotry, discrimination and sheer brutality to which Palestinians have been subjected for decades by Israel, it is unsurprising that Tel Aviv treats its Arab neighbours with disdain. But as Jordanian analysts, officials and parliamentarians have argued, Israel has for too long taken its ties with the kingdom for granted. That might be about to change.
With an article of the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace deal that allowed Israel to lease Baqoura and Ghamr – fertile border lands owned by Jordan – set to renew automatically on Thursday, protesters took to the streets of Amman to urge King Abdullah to reclaim the territories. Meanwhile, 87 lawmakers signed a petition. All expressed their fury at decades of violent occupation. On Sunday, the king announced his decision to terminate the article.
This is a rare and significant admonition; Israel must understand that it cannot mistreat and murder Palestinians with impunity.
As a result, scenes of jubilation in Jordan greeted the decision, while Israeli analysts dismissed it as a populist manoeuvre. In many ways, this quarrel echoes the intractability of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Jewish entities owned Baqoura and Ghamr from the 1920s, although the lands became Jordanian following the 1948 war.
They serve as a humble reminder that people of different religions lived side by side in the Levant before war foisted borders upon them.
Today Israel is one of the region’s key destabilisers, running roughshod over Palestinians and international neighbours. But relations with Jordan have been particularly strained since July 2017 when two unarmed Jordanians were shot dead by an Israeli security officer at the Israeli embassy in Amman. Israel’s attempts to impose restrictions on the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, which is under Jordanian custodianship, have further soured relations. Clearly the 1994 deal brought no peace dividend for the Jordanians and it is time Israel faced the consequences of its actions.
And yet, Israeli agriculture minister Uri Ariel has already responded with intimidation, threatening on Monday to cut off water to Jordan.
Aside from the symbolic importance of reclaiming sovereign lands and confronting Israeli brutality, Jordan sits at a precarious juncture, politically and economically. With high national debt and mass unemployment, protesters filled the streets of Amman earlier this year. Meanwhile, Jordan is struggling to cope with more than 700,000 Syrian refugees.
The lands of Baqoura and Ghamr, where the Jordan and Yarmouk rivers converge, are the region’s breadbasket, blessed with fertile agricultural land. Back in Jordanian hands, they will provide crops and ample water supplies for a nation in need.
For too long Israel has bullied its neighbours and those same neighbours have turned a blind eye to Israel’s brutalisation of Palestinians. This should serve as a wake-up call in Tel Aviv that state-sponsored discrimination and murder will not go unpunished.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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THE%20SPECS
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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.
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Oppenheimer
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
US%20federal%20gun%20reform%20since%20Sandy%20Hook
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
RESULTS
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UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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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
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
