US Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen inspected Israel’s fenced border with Egypt on Tuesday for ideas for the US border with Mexico, where president Donald Trump has pledged to build a wall, Israel Radio reported.
Mr Trump has said the United States needs a wall along its 3,200 kilometre southern border to prevent illegal immigrants entering from Mexico and that country should pay for the project. Mexico has rejected the idea, and the funding dispute has fuelled US domestic dissent.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu angered Mexico last year by publicly backing Mr Trump’s call and pointing to the towering, sensor-rigged Egyptian border fence as a possible model. The US president, in turn, has spoken of his admiration for Israel’s barrier.
A US official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, confirmed Ms Nielsen’s visit to the Israel-Egypt border.
“She understood the challenges and opportunities that exist there,” the official said, without elaborating.
The US Department of Homeland Security declined to comment. In a June 8 statement, it had said that while travelling in Israel this week she would “receive an operational briefing on Israeli border infrastructure technology and systems”.
The razor wire-lined Israeli fence, which is between five and eight metres in height, was erected more than three years along the 230km frontier with Egypt’s Sinai desert. It cost Israel about $380 million.
Israel credits the fence with stemming an influx of African migrants and infiltration by ISIS-linked militants.
In March, Mr Trump signed a federal spending bill from Congress that included $1.6 billion to pay for six months of work on his wall. He had asked for $25bn for the project.
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6.30pm: Madjani Stakes Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,400m
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Chinese Grand Prix schedule (in UAE time)
Friday: First practice - 6am; Second practice - 10am
Saturday: Final practice - 7am; Qualifying - 10am
Sunday: Chinese Grand Prix - 10.10am
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Name: Dr Lalia Al Helaly
Education: PhD in Sociology from Cairo
Favourite authors: Elif Shafaq and Nizar Qabbani.
Favourite music: classical Arabic music such as Um Khalthoum and Abdul Wahab,
She loves the beach and advises her clients to go for meditation.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
