There has been talk recently about arming the West Bank Palestinians to aid their resistance against the Israeli occupation, wrote Oraib Al Rantawi in an opinion article in the Jordanian daily Addustoor.
Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei, have joined the call and a few Palestinians, including Hamas leader Mahmoud Al Zahar, have pledged to achieve this goal.
Resistance in any form, including armed struggle, is a legitimate right for any people languishing under the yoke of occupation, the writer said. This right is enshrined in both divine and human law as a last option for an occupied people to reclaim what is rightfully theirs.
Calls for extending the armed resistance to the West Bank were renewed when peace negotiations hit a brick wall. The US mediator has failed to reach a compromise agreement after 20 years of talks and procrastination. The heroic struggle of the Gaza Strip against Israel’s repeated assaults over the past six years has also encouraged people in several quarters to mull that option, the writer said.
A close look at the Palestinian scene reveals that such calls have come essentially within the context of an internal Palestinian divide rather than in the face of fighting back the Israeli occupation. The “peaceful popular resistance” narrative crops up in the atmosphere of national reconciliation, while the voices in favour of arming the West Bank gain momentum during moments of political bickering between Fatah and Hamas, the writer noted.
There is consensus among Palestinians that the US-brokered peace talks have reached a deadlock. Hence the recent meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, where they agreed a draft resolution setting a deadline for Palestinian statehood and for a date to be submitted to the United Nations Security Council.
Such a step is important and must be supported, the writer said. Even assuming that such a resolution would succeed in overriding a probable American veto, it will not be sufficient to force Israel to end its long-running occupation.
More important moves are needed, including completing Palestine’s membership of world organisations and agencies, launching a wide, non-violent popular resistance along the demarcation lines in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and ending the harmful internal division.
This strategy could help the global pro-Palestine efforts that started in Sweden and have echoed in the parliaments of the UK, Spain, Ireland and France. This “international awakening”, which is likely to grow and take hold, heralds the delegitimisation of the Israeli occupation and provides an opportunity to put Israel in a situation similar to that of the South African Apartheid regime before its collapse.
The Arab Spring revolutions have shown that non-violent resistance by millions of people can have immense power in changing realities.
The West-Bank-based daily Al Quds noted in an editorial that the Arab League has finally declared that it has begun talks with many countries ahead of submitting a draft resolution to the UN setting a time frame to end the Israeli occupation.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has said that Palestinians have no option but to internationalise their cause and join global organisations and treaties.
Despite the importance of the political and diplomatic struggle, Israel has been scornful of resolutions from the Arab League and even the UN. It has, the newspaper said, been buoyed by the support of its greatest ally, the US, and the fuzzy stances taken by some European countries.
The paper concluded that there are several crucial questions to be answered: Do Arabs have plans other than presenting a draft resolution to the Security Council? Does the Arab League have other options in case the US and certain European countries block their efforts in the UN? Are they ready to use real tools for political pressure on Israel and the US, such as economic pressure or freezing the peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan? Can the US and Europe be told that their economic interests in the Arab region are contingent on their willingness to pressure Israel to end its occupation?
Translated by Abdelhafid Ezzouitni
aezzouitni@thenational.ae
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
The years Ramadan fell in May
Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
The specs
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Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
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TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Electoral College Victory
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.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.