Two Palestinians were shot dead and dozens wounded by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, as protests swelled amid raging conflict between Gaza and Israel.
The deaths on Saturday came as Palestinians marked Nakba Day, commemorating the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people during the creation of Israel in 1948.
Medics treated more than 90 people for gunshot wounds in Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron and elsewhere in the West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Earlier on Saturday the ministry declared the “highest state of emergency” in hospitals, expanding emergency rooms and first aid stations across the Palestinian territory.
The measure comes a day after 11 Palestinians were shot dead by the Israeli army, one of whom the military said had attempted to stab a soldier. As their funerals took place on Saturday, crowds gathered around those killed who were shrouded in the Palestinian flag.
Palestinians set tires on fire and used slingshots to hurl objects at Israeli forces.
In separate incidents near Hebron, the Israeli military said it responded to two car-ramming attempts on Saturday.
In the first incident the army said the driver was “neutralised”, a term usually meaning shot, while in the second a soldier fired towards the vehicle.
Near the Israeli settlement of Beit El, north of Ramallah, a demonstrator urged other Palestinians to join them.
"We're calling on everybody to protest and to protect the homeland because what is happening in Jerusalem and Palestine is not acceptable," he told AP, declining to give his name for security reasons.
“One must protect the homeland. Nothing else would work. We do what we have to do,” he said.
We're protecting the homeland, says protester
At a rally in the city of Ramallah, protesters waved Palestinians flags while some carried signs reading “save Sheikh Jarrah” and “stop bombing Gaza”.
The East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah became a focal point of protest last month, as people demonstrated against eviction orders hanging over Palestinian families.
Demonstrations broadened to the Old City's Damascus Gate at the start of Ramadan, initially over Israeli police banning people from gathering there after evening prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque.
The situation deteriorated dramatically with clashes at the mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, in which hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israeli police officers were hurt.
The military wing of Hamas, which rules Gaza, responded by firing rockets towards the city on Monday. At least 146 Gazans have been killed since and eight people in Israel.
The violence has prompted international protest, with thousands gathering outside the Israeli embassy in London on Saturday in support of the Palestinians. Similar rallies were held in other capitals including Berlin and Madrid, while in Paris demonstrators defied a ban by French authorities.
With more than 2,000 rockets fired from Gaza and at least 670 targets there attacked by Israel according to the country’s military, the sheer scale of fire has sparked global alarm.
US envoy Hady Amr landed in Israel late Friday in a push for peace, though diplomatic efforts to get a ceasefire on the table have stalled so far.
In a Saturday call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Joe Biden highlighted that the conflict has "tragically claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including children."
Eight children and their two mothers were killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes on Saturday. A five-month-old baby was the sole survivor.
The fighting has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis
President Biden also “voiced his concern about violent confrontations in the West Bank,” the White House said.
Earlier this week, the Biden administration said it will provide $10 million to Palestinian groups in the West Bank and Gaza to support exchange and reconciliation projects with Israelis.
The United Nations has meanwhile called for a ceasefire following days of “great suffering and destruction”.
“The fighting has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to foster extremism further, not only in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, but in the region as a whole,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said Friday.
With casualties mounting, Egypt on Saturday opened its Rafah border crossing with Gaza to transfer some of more than 1,000 wounded Palestinians. Rockets from Gaza have wounded 109 people in Israel.
Speaking on Saturday night, Mr Netanyahu suggested a ceasefire was not immediately on the agenda.
"Israel has responded forcefully to these attacks and we will continue to respond forcefully until the security of our people is reinstated and restored.”
Against the backdrop of the Gaza conflict, Israel is currently facing an outburst of intercommunal violence across the country. The authorities have so far failed to quell consecutive nights in which both Arab and Jewish mobs have gone on the rampage, beating passersby, attacking places of worship and torching cars.
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
RESULTS
Time; race; prize; distance
4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)
4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed
5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Results
2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Mezmar, Adam McLean (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m; Winner: AF Ajwad, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Gold Silver, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
4pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m; Winner: Atrash, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez.
4.30pm: Gulf Cup Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Momtaz, Saif Al Balushi, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Al Mushtashar, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
AVOID SCAMMERS: TIPS FROM EMIRATES NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
