TEL AVIV // Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, announced yesterday that his government will restrict the construction of Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank for 10 months in a bid to break a deadlock in peace talks with the Palestinians.
The construction limit, an idea Mr Netanyahu has previously floated without giving a firm time commitment, would not apply to Jewish neighbourhoods in regions of the West Bank that Israel annexed to its Jerusalem municipality after taking over the territory during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
It would also not include the building of houses already underway or the construction of public buildings such as schools and community centres.
It appeared far from certain whether the move, which has long been anticipated and which has been offered to the Palestinians through US mediators, would spur peace negotiations because it fell far short of Palestinian demands for a complete halt to settlement expansion in all occupied territory.
Mr Netanyahu, speaking in a televised press conference, said: "This is not an easy step. We are taking it ... in a bid to encourage the resumption of the peace process in order to reach peace with our Palestinian neighbours."
Mr Netanyahu added: "I hope that the Palestinians and the Arab world will be wise enough to take advantage of this opportunity in order to advance on the path of peace."
Once the 10-month period is over, he said, "my government will return to the construction policy of previous governments" in the West Bank.
Even before the proposal was made public and as its emergence appeared in media reports, Palestinian officials were quick to reject it.
Salam Fayyad, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, which holds sway in the West Bank, told journalists in Ramallah: "We are not looking for the resumption of the [peace] process for the sake of it. This is not new. The exclusion of Jerusalem continues to be a major issue for us."
Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, said: "Any return to negotiations must be on the basis of a complete settlement freeze, and in Jerusalem foremost." Palestinians want their future state to include the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as the capital.
Israel's move would include a "suspension" of new residential building permits and residential housing starts, according to a statement from Mr Netanyahu's office. It said the partial moratorium would take place in "Judea and Samaria", the biblical names for the West Bank, indicating that it would not include Jerusalem.
According to the statement, the prime minister told members of his so-called security cabinet: "This step will promote Israel's broad national interests. It allows us to place a simple fact before the world: the government of Israel wants to enter into negotiations with the Palestinians, is taking practical steps in order to do so and is very serious in its intentions to promote peace."
Mr Netanyahu has refused to comply with calls by the Palestinians and by the United States, Israel's staunchest ally, for a complete settlement freeze, saying the so-called "natural growth" of settler families must be accommodated.
However, it is probable that his announcement was co-ordinated with the administration of Barack Obama, the US president, who has softened his stance on the settlement issue recently by calling for Israeli restraint instead of a freeze. Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, angered Palestinians and Arab officials this month by praising Mr Netanyahu's offer on the settlements as "unprecedented".
Although his offer is far from a freeze, Mr Netanyahu will probably still face opposition to his plan from the Israeli Right that helped bring him to power last March.
Daniel Hershkowitz, a cabinet minister whose Jewish Home party supports settlement expansion, criticised the fact that the suspension was not brought to a full governmental vote. "A right-wing government needs to help settlements and not strangle them."
Yariv Levin, a legislator in Mr Netanyahu's Likud party, lambasted the building limit as an "anti-Jewish, anti-Zionist move".
Close to half a million Jews live on West Bank land captured by Israel in 1967, residing in settlements that are deemed by the World Court and the European Union as illegal under international law.
Also, yesterday, a senior Hamas official said that its talks with Israel over a prisoner swap have hit a snag over some of the top militants the Islamic group wants freed, the Associated Press reported.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity, said a deal is unlikely in coming days to release the Israeli soldier Sgt Gilad Schalit, who was seized by Gaza militants in 2006. He said the German mediator shuttling between the sides has presented an alternative list of names provided by Israel, and that Hamas leaders are studying it.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Company%20profile
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Blue%20Beetle
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
Company%20Profile
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
THE%20SWIMMERS
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