Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with two members of the Israeli left-wing Democratic Camp alliance in Ramallah Tuesday, sparking controversy after a media outlet reportedly misquoted his comments about the Israeli Prime Minister.
The event momentarily put Mr Abbas, 84, who is often absent from the news, in the centre of Israel’s electoral brawl ahead of elections in September.
Israeli Knesset Member Issawi Friej and Noa Rothman - the granddaughter of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated in 1995 - met with Mr Abbas in the presidential compound to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is rare for Israelis to visit Ramallah, as they are generally barred from doing so.
Mr Friej and Ms Rothman are members of the newly-formed Democratic Camp alliance between the left-wing Meretz Party, Stav Shafir, a social activist and former member of the Labour Party, and Ehud Barak, a previous Prime Minister now re-entering electoral politics. It hopes to play a part in unseating Mr Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges.
During the meeting, Mr Abbas said he had requested meetings several times with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but his Israeli counterpart had refused.
Mr Abbas also expressed hope that the next Israeli government, to be elected in September, will be more open to meeting.
Following the event, Ms Rothman tweeted criticism of Mr Netanyahu, saying he was stalling the peace process.
“It is Netanyahu, who through his lack of action and ignoring of the Palestinian problem, who is proving again and again that he himself is not a partner for creating peace for the coming generations,” she tweeted.
Tuesday evening, Mr Netanyahu tweeted out a story from the Jerusalem Post, a local English newspaper, with the headline, “Abbas expresses hope Netanyahu will be defeated in election,” declaring the piece gave voters another reason to vote for his Likud party.
Ms Rothman’s spokesperson said that Mr Abbas did not say this. Mr Abbas did not endorse a party or candidate, local journalists briefed on the meeting reported.
Nonetheless, Mr Netanyahu wrote on Twitter, “Abu Mazen [Mr Abbas] in a meeting with Meretz this evening:" I hope that Netanyahu will lose in the elections". If someone needed another reason to vote for Likud...”.
Mr Netanyahu won elections in April but failed to form a government, sending the country back to the ballot box..
“Fake,” tweeted back Israeli journalist Barak Ravid. “He didn’t say that.”
United States Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt also tweeted out the Jerusalem Post story, accompanied by the message: “Disingenuous to suggest negotiations stalled under this admin – there were no negotiations happening! It’s time for the PA to realise their tired arguments won’t achieve peace.”
Relations between the Palestinian leadership and the Trump administration have been icy since the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2017 and soon after cut off aid to Palestinian refugees, among other moves. Mr Greenblatt’s team is working on a peace plan, an endeavour Mr Abbas has rejected as biased towards Israel.
The plan is not expected to endorse a two state solution and end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank along 1967 borders, the longstanding demand of the Palestinian leadership and, until now, US policy.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
CREW
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERajesh%20A%20Krishnan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETabu%2C%20Kareena%20Kapoor%20Khan%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Cashew%0D%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202020%0D%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Ibtissam%20Ouassif%20and%20Ammar%20Afif%0D%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%0D%3Cbr%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%2410m%0D%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Mashreq%2C%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
Fixtures
Sunday, December 8, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v USA
Monday, December 9, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – USA v Scotland
Wednesday, December 11, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v Scotland
Thursday, December 12, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v USA
Saturday, December 14, ICC Academy, Dubai – USA v Scotland
Sunday, December 15, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v Scotland
Note: All matches start at 10am, admission is free
WHAT%20START-UPS%20IS%20VISA%20SEEKING%3F
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEnablers%20of%20digital%20services%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Blockchain%20and%20cryptocurrency%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Crowdfunding%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Banking-as-a-service%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Banking%20identification%20number%20sponsors%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Issuers%2Fprocessors%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Programme%20managers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDigital%20issuance%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Blockchain%20and%20cryptocurrency%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Alternative%20lending%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Personal%20financial%20management%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Money%20transfer%20and%20remittance%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Digital%20banking%20(neo%20banks)%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Digital%20wallets%2C%20peer-to-peer%20and%20transfers%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Employee%20benefits%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Payables%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Corporate%20cards%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EValue-add%20for%20merchants%2Fconsumers%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Data%20and%20analytics%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20ID%2C%20authentication%20and%20security%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Insurance%20technology%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Loyalty%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Merchant%20services%20and%20tools%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Process%20and%20payment%20infrastructure%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Retail%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESME%20recovery%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Money%20movement%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Acceptance%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Risk%20management%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Brand%20management%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ENew%20categories%20for%202023%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Sustainable%20FinTechs%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Risk%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Urban%20mobility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
RESULTS
5pm: Sweihan – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: Shamakh, Fernando Jara (jockey), Jean-Claude Picout (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Shamkha – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Daad, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
6pm: Shakbout City – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Ghayyar, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Gold Silver, Sandro Paiva, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Masdar City – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Khalifa City – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Ranchero, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
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
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
more from Janine di Giovanni
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Read more from Kareem Shaheen
