Israel agreed on Sunday to curb its settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory after a meeting with Palestinian security officials in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, partly acquiescing to a major Arab demand as violence rose in the West Bank.
Although neither side signalled that the violence would end soon, a statement after the meeting said they "reaffirmed the necessity of committing to de-escalation on the ground and to prevent further violence".
They agreed to continue meeting under this formula, maintain positive momentum and expand this agreement towards wider political process leading to a just and lasting peace
Joint statement at Aqaba
"The Government of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority confirmed their joint readiness and commitment to immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months," the statement said.
"This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement units for 4 months and to stop authorisation of any outposts for 6 months."
It said the United States, which was represented by senior National Security Council official Brett McGurk, considers these understandings "as major progress towards re-establishing and deepening relations between the two sides, and commit to assisting and facilitating as appropriate their implementation."
Representatives from Jordan and Egypt also attended the meeting in Aqaba.
It was the first high-level meeting between Israel and the Palestinians since an acceleration of West Bank violence this year, following the ascendancy of a far right government to power in Israel.
The statement, circulated by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said the two delegations "affirmed their commitment to all previous agreements between them, and to work towards a just and lasting peace."
"They reaffirmed the necessity of committing to de-escalation on the ground and to prevent further violence," the statement said.
The declaration however, did not specifically refer to deadly Israeli incursions into the West Bank, which increased in the past few months, or the issue of Palestinian militancy, which Israel cites as behind the incursions.
It said the two sides agreed to "pursue confidence-building measures," adding that there will be another meeting in Sharm El Sheikh in March to "achieve the goals" agreed upon in Aqaba.
"They agreed to continue meeting under this formula, maintain positive momentum and expand this agreement towards wider political process leading to a just and lasting peace," the statement said.
In a nod to Jordan, the declaration said the five parties emphasise "the Hashemite Custodianship/ special role of Jordan" in Jerusalem, where the kingdom claims custodianship over the ancient Muslim and Christian holy places in the city.
Surge in violence
Jordanian officials regard Israeli actions against the Palestinians a as potentially affecting Jordanian interests if pressure on the Palestinians results in another wave of refugees to the kingdom.
Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank over the last year, in which more than 200 people have been killed, have also undermined the Palestinian Authority, which is nominally in charge of the area, and fuelled Palestinian revenge attacks.
The Israeli military said that two Israeli settlers were killed on Sunday when a Palestinian gunman opened fire on their car near the northern town of Huwara in the West Bank.
The attack came days after an Israeli raid on the West Bank city of Nablus this week killed 11 Palestinians.
Israeli media said attendees at the Aqaba meeting would include Palestinian intelligence chief Majed Faraj, and Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
A Jordanian official said on condition of anonymity that it was crucial to halt the escalation before the advent of Ramadan and Passover.
He said "a period of calm" could "allow for confidence-building measures and lead to more political engagement".
The Palestinian presidency said the Palestinian delegation would demand the halting of "all Israeli unilateral actions" to allow for "a political horizon" to solve the conflict.
It was not immediately known who represented Egypt, which has traditionally acted as a link to Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip.
Earlier this month, King Abdullah II and US President Joe Biden discussed ways to reduce tension in the West Bank during a meeting in Washington, a week after the king met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Amman.
Israel says the raids on the West Bank are aimed at curbing militant threats.
The raid in Nablus was the second high-casualty Israeli operation in the West Bank since Mr Netanyahu's hardline government was installed in December.
Ten people were killed during a military raid in the northern city of Jenin in late January, followed days later by a shooting outside a synagogue on the outskirts of Jerusalem in which seven died.
At least three of the dead in Wednesday's raid on the Old City in Nablus were civilians. More than 80 people were wounded.
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
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SAUDI RESULTS
Team Team Pederson (-40), Team Kyriacou (-39), Team De Roey (-39), Team Mehmet (-37), Team Pace (-36), Team Dimmock (-33)
Individual E. Pederson (-14), S. Kyriacou (-12), A van Dam (-12), L. Galmes (-12), C. Hull (-9), E. Givens (-8),
G. Hall (-8), Ursula Wikstrom (-7), Johanna Gustavsson (-7)
Naga
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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RESULT
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 0 Al Ain 6
Al Ain: Caio (5', 73'), El Shahat (10'), Berg (65'), Khalil (83'), Al Ahbabi (90' 2)
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
