Militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket and detonated an explosive on Wednesday, Israel said, hours after its soldiers killed six Palestinians in a raid in Jenin.
Those who died in the Israeli operation in the flashpoint West Bank town on Tuesday included a man suspected of shooting two Jewish brothers near Huwara last week. The raid left 26 wounded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday congratulated the commanders of the Jenin raid, saying it was an “exceptional intelligence and operational achievement”.
“By your actions, you are sending a clear and sharp message to all who are thinking about murdering an Israeli citizen: we will settle accounts with you,” he said.
Israeli security forces named 49-year-old Abdul Fattah Kharushah as a Hamas militant who killed the Israeli brothers in Huwara.
Hamas issued a statement identifying Kharushah as a member.
Hamas’s Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades called for further escalation of “armed resistance in the face of the occupation and its usurpers” in response to the latest developments.
On Wednesday afternoon, Israel’s military said an explosive device detonated near troops operating on Gaza’s border.
No Israeli casualties were reported. Palestinian reports said two Hamas militants were lightly injured after Israeli forces responded to the explosion with artillery fire.
Israeli forces were carrying out an engineering operation near the Gaza security barrier.
The military released a statement saying “[Israeli] tanks struck a military post belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the southern Gaza Strip.
Farmers were told to temporarily leave the area.
The attack is the latest case of fighting in the West Bank following a deadly rampage by Israeli settlers a little more than a week ago in Huwara, outside Nablus.
During the attack, hundreds of Israelis set fire to Palestinian homes and businesses, resulting in the death of one Palestinian and about a dozen injuries.
Calls for de-escalation
The UAE has condemned the continued Israeli raids in the Jenin camp.
In a statement on Wednesday, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation called on Israeli authorities to stop escalation and not take steps that exacerbate tension and instability in the region.
The ministry stressed the need to support all regional and international efforts to push forward the peace process in the Middle East.
It also called for an end to the illegitimate practices that threaten the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
On Wednesday, Jordan condemned Israel's killing of six people in the raid on the West Bank, calling it an escalation against the Palestinians, less than two weeks after a meeting between the two sides convened in the kingdom to reduce the violence.
Foreign ministry spokesman Sinan Al Majali said “continued Israeli aggression” on occupied Palestinian territory would “lead to more deterioration and expanding the torrent of violence, and undermine the efforts for reaching calm”.
“Immediate actions are needed to halt unilateral steps and protect the [possibility of] the two-state solution, and stopping all these illegal and illegitimate Israeli campaigns and measures”, he said.
On February 26, Jordan hosted a meeting between security officials from Israel and the Palestinian authority in the city of Aqaba, which committed the two sides to “de-escalate and prevent further violence”. Officials from the US, Jordan and Egypt also attended.
Jordan portrayed the meeting as a prelude to a possible breakthrough in the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Tor Wennesland, the UN Middle East peace envoy, also urged Israel and the Palestinians to calm surging violence in the occupied West Bank.
“We are in the midst of a cycle of violence that must be stopped immediately”, he said.
“The Security Council has spoken with one voice, calling on the parties to observe calm and restraint, and to refrain from provocative actions, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric."
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to arrive in Israel on Wednesday for a two-day visit as part of his Middle East tour, before visiting Jordan. He made an unannounced stop in Iraq on Tuesday. He is expected to visit Egypt after Israel.
In Israel, Mr Austin is expected to raise concerns about the surge in violence in the occupied West Bank.
He will discuss diplomatic efforts to reduce tension before Ramadan and Passover, US officials said.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Results
2.30pm: Expo 2020 Dubai – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Barakka, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
3.05pm: Now Or Never – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: One Idea, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.40pm: This Is Our Time – Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Perfect Balance, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Visit Expo 2020 – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Kaheall, Richard Mullen, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.50pm: The World In One Place – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1.900m; Winner: Castlebar, Adrie de Vries, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm: Vision – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Al Wasl Plaza – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Jadwal, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
HWJN
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