An Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank that killed at least 11 Palestinians and wounded more than 100 others was “worth the risk”, Yaakov Amidror, the former head of the Israeli National Security Council, told The National on Thursday.
The operation was launched in the city of Nablus against three suspects “planning attacks in the immediate future” and the threat was “neutralised”, the Israeli Defence Forces and Israel Security Agency said.
The death toll was the highest for a single raid since the Second Intifada, or uprising, ended in 2005.
It was described as a “massacre” by top Palestinian official Hussein Al Sheikh, who called for “international protection for our people”.
But despite heavy Palestinian losses, Mr Amidror said the operation was “clearly worth the risk”.
He added that the operation was “a decision that could not be postponed”.
“The information was that there was a terror group very ready for an attack,” he continued.
“The decision was based on assessing the risk of losing the operatives. In the end, the risk of going into Nablus was less than letting them go out and hide somewhere else.”
He played down fears that the operation might escalate tension, leading to a new intifada.
“As far as we understand the situation in the West Bank today, the risk of a new intifada is very limited,” he said.
“Hamas and Islamic Jihad have less influence on the ground than they used to.”
But escalation seems to be occurring regardless. Before dawn on Thursday, Palestinian militants fired rockets from Gaza at Israel, prompting air strikes by the army on several sites in the coastal enclave.
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rockets, after saying one of its commanders was killed in the Nablus raid.
The Israeli army said it had intercepted five rockets, while a sixth struck an uninhabited area.
Two hours later, Israeli air strikes were launched against a “weapons factory” and a “military camp” run by Gaza's rulers Hamas, the army said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned those firing rockets into Israel: “Whoever tries to attack us will pay the price”.
International actors have called for an end to the violence. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the “immediate priority must be to prevent further escalation”, describing the situation as “its most combustible in years.”
The UN's Middle East envoy travelled to the area on Thursday.
The US said it was “extremely concerned by the levels of violence” and called for de-escalation.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
