Jewish settlers carry planks as they build a makeshift structure at the unauthorised outpost of Mitzpe Avihainear the West Bank city of Hebron
Jewish settlers carry planks as they build a makeshift structure at the unauthorised outpost of Mitzpe Avihainear the West Bank city of Hebron
Jewish settlers carry planks as they build a makeshift structure at the unauthorised outpost of Mitzpe Avihainear the West Bank city of Hebron
Jewish settlers carry planks as they build a makeshift structure at the unauthorised outpost of Mitzpe Avihainear the West Bank city of Hebron

Israeli report on settlements condemned


  • English
  • Arabic

TEL AVIV // A report by an Israeli government panel declaring that Israel's presence in the West Bank is not occupation drew condemnation yesterday from the United States, Palestinians and the Israeli left.

The 89-page document, which was commissioned by Benjamin Netanyahu, was headed by a former Supreme Court justice and it attracted attention after appearing to contradict the international community's long-held view that the West Bank was occupied territory and that all settlements there were illegal.

The committee argued that Israel is not a military occupier under international law and that all Israeli outposts should be legalised.

The findings are not legally binding and, according to experts, are unlikely to be formally adopted by the government due to fear of an international diplomatic backlash. Nevertheless, they could still be used by Israel to try legitimise illegal outposts in the Palestinian territory.

Yariv Oppenheimer, the director of the Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now, said: "This is music coming from the political level to the legal level. My fear is that it will lower the justice ministry's motivation to fight illegal Israeli building in the West Bank."

Most of the world views all settlements in the West Bank as violating international law. Israel, however, considers about 120 Jewish communities there as legal while deeming dozens of smaller outposts as unauthorised. According to Mr Oppenheimer, there are currently petitions pending on 15 West Bank outposts whose construction was not authorised by the Israeli government, including five built on private Palestinian land.

Palestinians denounced the report and said it was a blow to peace efforts. Ghassan Khatib, the spokesman for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, said the report "hurts international efforts to establish a solution based on two states".

The findings also seem to contradict the official position of the Israeli government and its Supreme Court. In legal documents and rulings the Israeli presence in the West Bank was described as "belligerent occupation" - an international legal term referring to a country's military control over a territory that is not its own.

The report, according to Israeli media, has been kept under wraps since being submitted to the premier on June 21 as Mr Netanyahu and his advisers debated how to publicly react to it. According to the reports, the panel had been convened under pressure from government ministers from Mr Netanyahu's Likud party who wanted to cater to the ideology of the Likud's extreme right-wing camp.

"This was Netanyahu's gesture towards the settlers and confirms that these are his views and those of most of his government," said Yossi Alpher, an Israeli political analyst.

On Monday, Mr Netanyahu appeared non-committal on the report's findings, saying in a statement that he would bring the document "to be debated by the ministerial committee for settlement affairs on the West Bank and we will decide about it in that forum".

The report has already drawn international ire, with the US - Israel's most powerful ally - condemning it late on Monday. Patrick Ventrell, a spokesman for the state department, told reporters: "We do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity and we oppose any effort to legalise settlement outposts."

The report has also attracted criticism from the Israeli centre and left. Talia Sasson, an attorney, said that Israel would find itself "in a dangerous position facing the rest of the world" if it considers stating that its West Bank presence did not violate international law.

The panel's members are well-known figures on the right. Edmund Levy, a retired Supreme Court justice, had been perceived as a supporter of Israeli settlement activity and had spoken out against Israel's withdrawal of settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Tchia Shapira, an ex-judge of a Tel Aviv district court, is a sister-in-law of prominent settler advocate Israel Harel, while Alan Baker, a former Israeli ambassador to Canada and himself a settler, had in the past advised a settlers' group working to legalise outposts.

The panel used claims by pro-settler groups and attorneys to justify Israel's sovereignty over the West Bank.

The committee reiterated a position long held by the right that the West Bank was not occupied because it was territory taken over from Jordan in 1967, and that Jordan's previous control of the region had not been internationally recognised.

As part of its legal basis, it also cited the 1917 Balfour Declaration, a letter from the then-British foreign secretary to a Jewish British leader that designated the British-controlled area of what is now Jordan and Israel as a "homeland for the Jewish people".

The panel said that the declaration - which had no legal validity - had determined the West Bank as part of the Jewish state and added that Jews had not settled there between 1948 and 1967, the year Israel took over the territory, "only because of the urgency of war".

The liberal daily Haaretz newspaper warned yesterday: "Today, if an Israeli diplomat were to bring such a document to a foreign ministry anywhere in the world, they would be thrown out in disgrace."

vbekker@thenational.ae

While you're here
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

THE DETAILS

Deadpool 2

Dir: David Leitch

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz

Four stars

ENGLAND SQUAD

Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

ICC T20 Rankings

1. India - 270 ranking points

 

2. England - 265 points

 

3. Pakistan - 261 points

 

4. South Africa - 253 points

 

5. Australia - 251 points 

 

6. New Zealand - 250 points

 

7. West Indies - 240 points

 

8. Bangladesh - 233 points

 

9. Sri Lanka - 230 points

 

10. Afghanistan - 226 points

 
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E268hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E380Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh208%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nag%20Ashwin%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrabhas%2C%20Saswata%20Chatterjee%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%2C%20Shobhana%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)

Tottenham 1
Kane (48)

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21

  1. Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
  2. Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
  3. Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
  4. Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
  5. Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
  6. Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
  7. Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
  8. Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
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)
Monday's results
  • UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
  • Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
  • Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
%3Cp%3EGoogle%20wasn't%20new%20to%20busting%20out%20April%20Fool's%20jokes%3A%20before%20the%20Gmail%20%22prank%22%2C%20it%20tricked%20users%20with%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Farchive.google%2Fmentalplex%2F%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3Emind-reading%20MentalPlex%20responses%3C%2Fa%3E%20and%20said%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Farchive.google%2Fpigeonrank%2F%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3E%20well-fed%20pigeons%20were%20running%20its%20search%20engine%20operations%3C%2Fa%3E%20.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%20subsequent%20years%2C%20they%20announced%20home%20internet%20services%20through%20your%20toilet%20with%20its%20%22%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Farchive.google%2Ftisp%2Finstall.html%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3Epatented%20GFlush%20system%3C%2Fa%3E%22%2C%20made%20us%20believe%20the%20Moon's%20surface%20was%20made%20of%20cheese%20and%20unveiled%20a%20dating%20service%20in%20which%20they%20called%20founders%20Sergey%20Brin%20and%20Larry%20Page%20%22%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Farchive.google%2Fromance%2Fpress.html%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3EStanford%20PhD%20wannabes%3C%2Fa%3E%20%22.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EBut%20Gmail%20was%20all%20too%20real%2C%20purportedly%20inspired%20by%20one%20%E2%80%93%20a%20single%20%E2%80%93%20Google%20user%20complaining%20about%20the%20%22poor%20quality%20of%20existing%20email%20services%22%20and%20born%20%22%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fgooglepress.blogspot.com%2F2004%2F04%2Fgoogle-gets-message-launches-gmail.html%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3Emillions%20of%20M%26amp%3BMs%20later%3C%2Fa%3E%22.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A