Dawn broke over Gaza yesterday not to the sound of rockets or shelling, the refrain of the previous eight days, but to a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The tally from the week of violence: more than 150 Palestinians and five Israelis killed, and hundreds wounded. Those are the numbers. Now come the questions.
For Palestinians and Israelis alike, the most pressing issue is whether this truce will hold and for how long. Brokered by Egypt and the United States, the diplomatic respite was already being tested hours after the ceasefire came into effect. Hamas rockets were fired into Israel overnight, while in the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 55 people Israel termed "terror operatives".
What comes next? In a sense, all sides are losers in the bloodshed, but this most recent violence may indeed be a game changer for Middle East politics and the continuing Palestinian crisis. As Daoud Kattub argues in these pages today, there is some desperately needed momentum towards Palestinian unity.
Middle East politics have look dramatically different since the last time Israel laid siege to Gaza in 2008. During the Mubarak era, Israel could count on a pliant Cairo to oppose Hamas, which was founded as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. And yet this time, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government saw no choice but to shelve - for now - plans for a ground assault, "to give a chance to Egypt's proposal for a ceasefire". As always, Mr Netanyahu's words must be taken with a grain of salt, and there is much speculation about how the violence will affect Israeli elections in two months.
Mr Netanyahu will claim success for targeting Hamas's weapons caches, and for the assassination of Hamas strategist Ahmed Jaabari. But this offensive against civilians in Gaza, launched on the pretext of self-defence, was a disaster for Israel in the long-term view. Regardless of who wins in the January vote, Israel's leaders have merely incurred more international ill will that will further isolate them in the region.
Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi is being called the real victor of the conflict, having reasserted Cairo's regional diplomatic role. But Egypt must negotiate this new-found influence carefully. The durability of the ceasefire will be the first test for Mr Morsi, but in the long term the Islamist leader will still have to balance support for Hamas with Egypt's interests, which include the peace treaty with Israel. Perhaps one silver lining is that the deal brokered by Mr Morsi indicates that the Rafah crossing will be permanently opened - another crack in the punitive blockade strangling the Gaza Strip.
Most crucially, it will be Palestinians who determine the aftermath. Later this month, President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to present to the United Nations a request for statehood recognition - that state must include both the West Bank and Gaza. Mr Abbas's phone call to congratulate Hamas leaders yesterday was a glimmer of a hope, but the two factions have been divided for too long by disagreements that look very petty when weighed against the Palestinian struggle. That must change.
For a statehood bid to be anything more than symbolic - and to muster the political will to displace Israel's illegal West Bank settlements - leaders on both sides must put aside personal differences. Hamas has arguably emerged stronger from this conflict, but a Palestinian state will not be won on the battlefield.
Even if the violence has abated, the underlying grievance for Gazans, and for all Palestinians,remains. Gaza is plagued by food and water shortages, crippling unemployment, travel restrictions, poor health care and lost futures - all the result of Israel's crippling blockade. None of that will change until Palestinians realise their political aspirations. Otherwise this cycle of violence will continue.
Results
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
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.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
SPECS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Story of 2017-18 so far and schedule to come
Roll of Honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia rugby season?
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Dubai Exiles
Fixtures
Friday
West Asia Cup final
5pm, Bahrain (6pm UAE time), Bahrain v Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy final
3pm, The Sevens, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Sports City Eagles
Friday, April 13
UAE Premiership final
5pm, Al Ain, Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099