Arab summits are an annual reminder of the divisions between and within Arab states that only seem to deepen and multiply. This year’s summit held by the Dead Sea in Jordan was determined to present a united front. What better way to do that than the Palestinian cause, which is just about the only lightning rod for pan-Arab sympathy and solidarity?
However, this unconvincing diversionary tactic only served to shine a spotlight on Arab disunity and impotence in the face of multiple internal and external challenges, crises and open conflicts. It was not hard to see this for what it was: an easy way out of very publicly revealing Arab paralysis regarding divisive topics. As such, Palestine this year served a similar purpose to the focus of last year’s summit: the “war on terror”.
Both issues seem straightforward on the surface – after all, the vast majority of Arabs support the Palestinian cause and oppose the likes of ISIL and Al Qaeda. However, the veneer of consensus quickly falls apart in the face of questionable sincerities, short-sighted strategies, competing agendas and ulterior motives.
One could argue against such cynicism if the summit offered anything new or substantive with regard to Palestine. Amid media reports citing analysts’ expectations that Arab states would endorse a new strategy, hopes were further raised when Arab League secretary-general Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the Palestinians were expected to introduce a new diplomatic proposal. But this was to hope against hope.
As we have come to expect, the Arab League did not disappoint in disappointing. Arab leaders lined up to condemn Israel’s injustices and abuses of the Palestinians, including its occupation, its settlement enterprise and its siege of Gaza. They called for a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The only way this would not have sounded like a broken record was if you had been stranded on the Moon for the last quarter of a century. Despite a feeling that it was necessary to deal firmly with Israel, a verbal scolding was as good a stick as the Arab world could muster.
The carrot was to resurrect – for a third time – the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which called for normalisation of ties with all 22 Arab League member states in return for Israel’s full withdrawal from the occupied territories (basically, adhering to international law and United Nations resolutions).
This represents amnesia on the part of those Arab leaders who had warned Israel over the years that the offer would not be on the table forever. It seems they need reminding of Israel’s reaction to the proposal.
When it was first announced in 2002, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon called it a “non-starter”. When the Arab world re-endorsed it in 2007, Israel’s current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected it, and its foreign ministry described it as “a recipe for stagnation … Israel has no interest in stagnation. In 2009, then-foreign minister and deputy prime minister Avigdor Lieberman described it as “a dangerous proposal, a recipe for the destruction of Israel”.
Israel has been rejecting the proposal for the past 15 years. It currently has the most extremist government in its history – and that is saying something – replete with members who reject a Palestinian state outright. Its most important ally, the United States, is governed by someone who has proudly proclaimed “there’s nobody more pro-Israeli than I am”, who has questioned the two-state solution, who wants to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and whose administration says it does not consider settlements as an obstacle to peace.
Despite all this, Arab leaders simply re-offered what Israel has consistently scoffed at, as if by some miracle its reaction would be any different this time. It is an embarrassing state of affairs. Israel learnt long ago that it need not pay any heed to its jilted Arab neighbours, because they will keep knocking on its door no matter what it does.
Israel's answer to this renewed olive branch came in the form of approving a new settlement in the West Bank – the first in 20 years – and new guidelines on settlement construction that, according to The Guardian, "indicated it will pursue a unilateral policy of largely unconstrained settlement expansion".
The summit did not produce any proposals to help occupied and besieged Palestinians in their struggle for freedom, dignity and fundamental human rights. It did not suggest anything to galvanise solidarity movements worldwide, or to promote the Palestinian narrative in the West.
It did not even mention, let alone offer to support, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. This despite BDS making great strides since its establishment 12 years ago, being recognised by Israel and its allies as a “strategic threat” (more so than the old boycott attempted by the Arab League), and being the target of a concerted campaign by pro-Israel lobbies. But what can one expect when, shamefully, even the Palestinian Authority (PA) will not endorse BDS?
For years there has been grassroots progress worldwide, resulting in important shifts in public opinion in the West, including countries whose governments are traditional allies of Israel. These grass-roots efforts include an increasingly vocal and active Jewish movement in the US, which led protests at last week’s annual conference of the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), the most powerful pro-Israel lobby in the US.
All this has occurred despite the Arab League, not because of it. Its latest summit, while focusing on Palestine, has only served to cement the organisation’s irrelevance to the cause; no wonder some leaders, including Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas himself, were caught snoozing. To add insult to injury, this was done within eyesight of Palestine.
One can argue that even with the best of intentions, the Arab world is politically, economically and militarily powerless to help the Palestinians, and that it is hampered by the woeful dysfunction of the Palestinians’ own leadership. But that unduly minimises Arab governments’ contributions to the region’s abysmal state of affairs.
It also raises the question: why bother making Palestine the focus of a summit that does not plan to produce any tangible support?
Because that was not the point – it was a public-relations stunt to give the Arab League a facade of relevance, not just with regard to Palestine but to the region in general. After all, if it was to only highlight issues over which it has influence, it would lose its pretence of purpose altogether.
Sharif Nashashibi is a journalist and political analyst
more from Janine di Giovanni
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Indika
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2011%20Bit%20Studios%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Odd%20Meter%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%205%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20series%20X%2FS%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Stage 2 results
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 04:18:18
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:02
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:04
4 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates
5 Rick Zabel (GER) Israel Start-Up Nation
General Classification
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 07:47:19
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:12
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:16
4 Nikolai Cherkasov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:17
5 Alexey Lutsensko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 00:00:19
Most%20polluted%20cities%20in%20the%20Middle%20East
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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Abu Dhabi Card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m
National selection: AF Mohanak
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 1,400m
National selection: Jayide Al Boraq
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 100,000 1,400m
National selection: Rocket Power
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh 180,000 1,600m
National selection: Ihtesham
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,600m
National selection: Noof KB
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 2.200m
National selection: EL Faust
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Youth YouTuber Programme
The programme will be presented over two weeks and will cover the following topics:
- Learning, scripting, storytelling and basic shots
- Master on-camera presence and advanced script writing
- Beating the algorithm and reaching your core audience
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
Company%20profile
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
ASHES SCHEDULE
First Test
November 23-27 (The Gabba, Brisbane)
Second Test
December 2-6 (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide)
Third Test
December 14-18 (Waca Ground, Perth)
Fourth Test
December 26-30 (Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne)
Fifth Test
January 4-8, 2018 (Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney)
The%20specs
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Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Tentative schedule of 2017/18 Ashes series
1st Test November 23-27, The Gabba, Brisbane
2nd Test December 2-6, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
3rd Test Dcember 14-18, Waca, Perth
4th Test December 26-30, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
5th Test January 4-8, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
