Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday described as "inappropriate" remarks by a key Cabinet ally calling for a Palestinian village to be erased, seeking to quell international outrage.
In a Twitter thread, Mr Netanyahu thanked Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for "clarifying" his earlier comments that called for the destruction of the West Bank village of Hawara.
He also pushed back against censure of Mr Smotrich, accusing foreign powers of playing down Palestinian violence, such as the February 26 killing of two Israeli brothers in Hawara village that sparked a settler rampage there, and fended off mounting domestic and international criticism of his new government's sweeping right-wing agenda.
Mr Netanyahu also called for calm after a ninth week of mass protests across the country.
“While some forms of protest are legitimate, we see that many are taking the law into their own hands," he said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday. "They wish to cause the government to collapse and bring about a constitutional crisis. I call upon the opposition to join me in trying to take the tensions down a notch."
Hawara backlash
On Wednesday, Mr Smotrich drew widespread condemnation for saying "the village of Hawara needs to be wiped out. I think that the State of Israel needs to do that, not, God forbid, private individuals”.
The comments came after Israeli settlers rampaged through the town burning Palestinian homes and property, killing one and injuring dozens. The attack, which one leading Israeli general described as a "pogrom", followed the killing of two Israeli settlers.
After widespread backlash at home and abroad, Mr Smotrich said it was possible his comments were not the right choice of words. He added that they were ”a slip of the tongue in a torrent of emotion”.
The US State Department said the remarks were "repugnant" and faced calls to deny Mr Smotrich entry to the country for an imminent trip.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said it "affirms the kingdom’s complete rejection of these racist and irresponsible statements, which reflect the amount of violence and extremist [behaviour] practised by the occupying Israeli entity towards the brotherly Palestinian people”.
But in the string of tweets released on Sunday morning, Mr Netanyahu went on to criticise the Palestinian Authority (PA) for not condemning the killing of the two brothers that sparked the Hawara attack carried out by about 400 settlers.
"I am still waiting to hear a condemnation from the Palestinian Authority for the murder of the Yaniv brothers", he wrote.
"And Israel is waiting for the international community to insist that the PA condemn that attack. Not only has it not done so, it continues to turn a blind eye to the PA’s rampant incitement, to the disgusting spectacle of Palestinians handing out sweets to celebrate terror attacks against Jews and to the official PA pay-to-slay policy, in which the PA pays terrorists to murder Jews. The international community’s silence in the face of Palestinian support for terrorism must finally come to an end."
Mr Netanyahu's outburst comes as pressure mounts at home over his new government's radical right-wing agenda, with particular anger levelled at plans to alter the country's judicial system.
The government says the Supreme Court has too much power in the country's democracy, but opponents of the move say the measures would render the institution unable to effectively challenge laws passed by parliament.
On Saturday evening, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Israeli cities for the ninth straight week to oppose the plans.
Demonstrations were largely peaceful, but in Tel Aviv police released footage showing protesters breaking barriers and starting fires as they blocked roads. Police sprayed water cannon to disperse the crowds.
On Sunday, Israeli media reported that almost all reservists in an Israeli squadron of fighter jets said they would not show up for a training session in protest over the measures.
Last week, senior government figures ratcheted up the rhetoric against opponents of the legislation, seeking to portray increasing disorder among demonstrators as destabilising and unpatriotic.
Limor Livnat, a former education minister for Mr Netanyahu, jokingly greeted the rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday with "hello to all the anarchists, hello to all the terrorists, hello to all the patriots".
But National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who visited a police command centre, said: "I have no intention of apologising to anyone, certainly not to the anarchists who want to set the state of Tel Aviv on fire.”
Israel has also come under fire from a senior Palestinian aide on Saturday for not fulfilling a verbal promise to release tax revenue it is withholding from the PA.
“[Israel] promised at Aqaba that they would transfer all of the funds but as of now we haven’t got anything,” Hussein Al Sheikh told The Times of Israel.
Mr Al Sheikh said millions of dollars were being held contrary to Israeli promises to release them at a recent meeting in the Jordanian city of Aqaba to de-escalate tensions. Last month, the PA said Israel had cut $78 million from the monthly revenue.
Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told the newspaper in response to Mr Al Sheikh's accusation that the revenue was "not discussed at all" at the meeting, and that they were a matter for a "civil committee that was established at the [Aqaba] meeting”.
Israel collects tax revenue on the behalf of the PA. The monthly amount makes up a significant budget of the cash-strapped authority and its distribution is often a source of contention.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has placed the arrangement under heavy scrutiny, saying that funds can be sent by the PA to convicted terrorists and the families of attackers that were killed.
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
