Jordan has "intensified moves" to seek an end to the violence in Jerusalem, the Foreign Ministry said, after Israeli police entered Al Aqsa Mosque for a second day.
The violence during Passover and Ramadan, is whipping up religious fervour in Palestine and raising tensions between Israel and Iran-backed militant groups in the Gaza Strip. Two more rockets were fired late on Wednesday from the area towards Israel.
Jordan's foreign ministry spokesman Sinan Al Majali said the ministry has engaged in "contacts and intensified moves regionally and internationally to stop the escalatory Israeli steps".
"Israel bears full responsibility for the dangerous consequences of the continuation of the escalation," he said.
Israeli police entered the compound overnight and tried to remove worshippers, using stun grenades and firing rubber bullets, Palestinian staff at the site said.
Yossi Alpher, an author on Israeli diplomacy and a former intelligence officer, told The National there was “nothing new” about the tensions at Al Aqsa, but said the Israeli government is “not helping itself with its composition that includes extremists”.
“One thing Israel can do is improve the performance of its police. Did they have to break into to Al Aqsa for the second straight night? Couldn’t they have done something more effective to prevent these Israeli provocateurs from playing into the hands of Hamas and Islamic Jihad?
"While there’s still a capable bureaucracy in terms of dealing with our neighbours in the Foreign Ministry and the Mossad (intelligence agency), the minister of so-called national security, (Itamar) Ben-Gvir, does not have the skills or experience and is ideologically predisposed to support Jewish extremists and take a heavy hand against Arabs. That gives us one hand behind our backs.”
Mr Alpher said he believed there was an economic incentive for Hamas “not to stir the pot too much”.
“Hamas still wants to exploit this situation and win points, which is why the rockets in the past couple of days have been a pretty pathetic performance,” he said.
“If they had really wanted to make a point as defender of Al Aqsa, it would have fired rockets at my home during Passover.”
For Mr Alpher, external escalation presents more of a threat.
“There’s a greater danger of Hezbollah joining in and maybe Iran launching other provocations from Syria or by backing extremists in the West Bank, given the weakness of the Palestinian Authority,” Mr Alpher said.
Al Aqsa is managed by Jordan's religious endowments ministry, an arrangement that dates from when East Jerusalem and the West Bank were under Jordanian control, from 1948 to 1967.
Last year, efforts by Jordan and Egypt helped contain violence in Palestine that erupted over Al Aqsa, US officials who mediated an end to the violence said at the time.
The US is among many western nations that recognises Jordan's claim of custodianship over Al Aqsa, one of Islam's holiest places.
The claim dates from the 1920s, when Palestinian religious leaders gave custodianship of the shrine to Sharif of Makkah, a great-grandfather of King Abdullah, as tension mounted between Arabs and Zionist incomers to Palestine.
In Cairo, Egypt’s foreign ministry condemned the latest Israeli incursion into Al Aqsa, saying it constitutes a “blatant violation of international laws”.
"Such hateful and reprehensible scenes and Israel's repeated violations of the sanctity of the holy places ignite the feelings of anger among the Palestinians and the Islamic peoples," the statement said.
The ministry urged world powers to “shoulder the responsibility” by seeking an end to such attacks.
The UN Security Council is to meet on Thursday for an emergency session to discuss tensions at Al Aqsa Mosque.
Mr Alpher said Israel could face new challenges this time round.
“Normally, Israel would rely on the Biden administration either to prevent a Security Council discussion, which the US did about a month ago, or veto a resolution that was tabled there.
"Right now, Mr Biden has been very critical of Mr Netanyahu and made it clear that he’s persona non grata in the White House. It will be interesting to see how the Biden administration acts at the Security Council.”
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
More from Aya Iskandarani
Match info
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
SHAITTAN
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Match info:
Burnley 0
Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')
Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)
Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
MEYDAN%20RACECARD
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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.
