Efforts to stop Iran's nuclear programme are fair - if a denuclearisation of Israel takes place
Israel's right-wing hawks, led by the Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, have a knack for blowing external threats out of proportion, particularly Iran, against the wisdom of the dictum "people in glass houses should not be throwing stones", noted the pan-Arab newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi in an editorial at the weekend.
Last week, in a speech celebrating Israel's so-called "Independence Day", the Israeli defence minister, Ehud Barak, said that Iran was going to set off a regional nuclear arms race if it pursues its nuclear programme, adding: "Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will be impelled to enter that race," Al Quds Al Arabi quoted the minister as saying.
"Well, that's really interesting," the newspaper commented. "The truth is that a nuclear arms race is bound to start in the region sooner or later, whether Iran has nuclear weapons or not. And Israel is to blame.
"Israel's monopoly over nuclear capability [in the Middle East] must be broken, especially in this new context of democratic change in the region."
To be sure, Israeli politicians are a mixed bag. Mr Netanyahu and his defence minister, Mr Barak, keep overstating the Iranian threat and try to present the option of a strike against Iran as the only way to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
On the other side of the spectrum, there is a group of senior Israeli military officials - like Benny Gantz, the chief of staff of the Israeli army, and Shaul Mofaz, the newly elected head of the Kadima party - who do not see Iran's capabilities through a magnifier, and as such advocate a less frenetic approach to the Islamic Republic.
Indeed, the attitude of the incumbent Israeli government is deeply paradoxical. Israel asks others not to do what it has always done: seeking regional supremacy through military (nuclear) might.
Yet, no western power is ready to acknowledge that Israel plays a big part of the nuclear crisis in the Middle East, and that denuclearising Israel would make sense if the intent was really to make the whole region and its people nuclear-threat-free.
"Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have, in fact, long missed out on building nuclear facilities with the purpose of producing nuclear deterrents against Israel," the newspaper said. "That would have kept Israel in check and forced it to honour international treaties."
None of these three nations, which are moderate and pro-West, should get involved in military action against Iran over its nuclear ambitions.
"And if they have to, their involvement must not be for nothing; in return, they must obtain solid pledges from the United States and the other western powers to denuclearise the whole Middle East, which won't happen without denuclearising Israel."
Sudan split is lesson for Kurds to ponder
Like South Sudan, which split from Sudan after a referendum last summer, Iraqi Kurdistan may soon be voting for its own independence from the rest of Iraq, snubbing the hard lesson that could be learnt from the Sudanese experience, wrote columnist Hazem Saghiya in yesterday's edition of the London-based newspaper Al Hayat.
The violence that is bordering on full-out war between Sudan and South Sudan these days does not augur well for any territory mulling secession.
Armies from Khartoum and Juba are locking horns over the oil-rich town of Heglig, only months after the South separated. The same is likely to happen over the oil-rich Kirkuk, for instance, should Iraqi Kurdistan opt to go it alone.
Massoud Barzani, the president of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, announced that by the end of this summer the Kurds will vote in a referendum on whether to remain part of Iraq or not. Some Kurds are already expressing fears that the reaction of the central government in Baghdad may involve US-made fighter jets, the writer said.
If there is anything to retain from the Sudanese experience, it is the fact that precipitated secession does not bring an end to all woes.
If Iraqi Kurdistan separates from Iraq, the most likely outcome would be one of two evils: all-out war, or perpetual border hostilities.
Will May 5 be Syria's 'moment of truth'?
France has set a May 5 deadline for President Bashar Al Assad's regime to show evidence of its compliance with the peace plan brokered by Kofi Annan to end the violence in Syria. Otherwise Paris will demand that the UN Security Council issue a resolution authorising the use of military force, according to an article yesterday by Mazen Hammad, a columnist with the Qatari newspaper Al Watan.
"Russia and China will surely stand in the way of that motion," the writer noted. "But given that the crisis in Syria is still escalating, western powers may consider pressing ahead with military action anyway, bypassing the Security Council."
The situation in Syria is still "bleak", more than two weeks after Mr Annan's six-point peace plan came into effect. The plan provides for a complete cease-fire, and orders Damascus to withdraw its tanks from residential areas.
So far only 15, out of 300 foreign monitors, have managed to enter Syria. And they have noted more than 2,000 government breaches to the ceasefire. The daily death toll stands at around 50.
May 5 is also when Mr Annan will present his report on Syria. So would it really be the "moment of truth" that the French foreign minister, Alain Juppé, talked about?
* Digest compiled by Achraf El Bahi
aelbahi@thenational.ae
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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9am: 10Km Road Race
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Match info
Huddersfield Town 0
Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
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Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
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- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.