JERUSALEM // Barely 14-kilometres long, this ancient city's long-promised light-rail line, which finally opened for business this month, has drawn controversy disproportionate to its length.
Multiple delays had drawn out the system's expected completion date by half a decade, prompting legal disputes and threats by Jerusalem's mayor to scrap the US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn) project.
Palestinian officials call it a violation of international law. Reaching Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem, the railway and its 42 tram cars, fortified to withstand rocks and firebombs, are further evidence of Israel's hope to forever control every corner of this disputed city, the officials say.
That may explain why its opening on August 19 has been met with some surprise, relatively little fanfare and a lot of cynicism on both sides of the Israel-Palestinian divide.
"It's not fast. It's not comfortable, and inside it's crowded," David Shalif, a 19-year-old Israeli, said at the stop in the Gi'vat Ha-Mivtar neighborhood in north Jerusalem.
While his criticisms centre on practical matters, more religious Israelis, such as Jerusalem's burgeoning ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, have expressed concerns about men and women riding in the same cars,
Well before the light rail's opening, leading rabbis of the community, who use their own kosher bus system, had protested the system and issued calls for municipal officials to "cancel this evil".
When the idea was first proposed by Israeli authorities in the mid-1990s to relieve congestion and integrate the city's communities, hopes were high that Israel and the Palestinians would soon make peace.
Now, Palestinian leaders see it as another Israeli obstacle to their dream of having Jerusalem serve as the capital of their hoped-for future state.
The Palestine Liberation Organisation has taken legal action against the two French companies involved, Alstom and Veolia Transport, arguing that the project in occupied East Jerusalem violates the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the resettlement by an occupying power of its own civilians on territory captured during the war.
Ghassan Khatib, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, said the lawsuit was ongoing and designed to thwart the "Israeli attempt to further consolidate its illegal occupation and control of this part of the occupied Palestinian territories".
On the ground, the frustrations of East Jerusalem's 280,000 Palestinian residents have mounted for more practical reasons since construction began in 2006.
For one thing, relatively few of them have access to it. Of the train's 23 stops, the three located inside Palestinian neighbourhoods stand directly between Jewish West Jerusalem and the city's outlying settlements, such as Pisgat Ze'ev.
"What can we do about it? It's always been like that here," said Talal Nashashibi, 35, an employee at the National Hotel who was waiting at the Es-Sahal stop in the in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Shufat. He was referring to the city's longstanding neglect in terms of delivering public services, such as functioning roads and sidewalks, to Palestinian areas in East Jerusalem.
In the place of limited light-rail access when compared to abundant stops in predominantly Jewish areas, Shufat's 35,000 residents cite more traffic jams, increased accidents and damaged business. The community relies on one central thoroughfare that was whittled down, from four lanes to two, to make way for the train.
"Come here at 4:30, and you'll be sure to get a headache from all the beep-beep-beeps out there," said Murad Karameh, 26, who works at his family's sport apparel store in Shufat.
"Look at my cash register. See what it says. Zero," he said of the train's impact on his store.
Then there were the surprise archeological finds. Workers uncovered artefacts along the area's main artery, some dating to 70 AD, when Jews revolted against Roman rule.
Some Shufat residents harbour suspicions that Jewish authorities have used light-rail construction as an excuse to excavate for more Jewish-related relics, even as the area's derelict public services, such as crumbling curbs and broken street lights, remain in disrepair.
"They're always doing archeological digs here - every three months," said Karrameh Shinnawi, 39, an employee at an office supply store in the Al Quds Tower complex.
"People are avoiding it here because they know they'll run into a dig!"
Even so, not everyone seems so pessimistic. Khadr Hamed, a 66-year-old Palestinian retiree, thought the light-rail system would make his daily commutes to different parts of the city easier.
"I think it will be excellent for going to the city centre," he said.
Not long after he spoke, he boarded a bus.
hnaylor@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA
Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com
Sweet%20Tooth
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Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The%20specs
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