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Jordan and Egypt have intensified their opposition to what they regard as a possible expulsion of Palestinians, with officials warning any movement of refugees across their borders would constitute a regional threat.
Egypt rejects "eviction or attempts to liquidate the Palestinian question at the expense of neighbouring nations", read an official statement after President Abdel Fattah El Sisi chaired a meeting on Sunday of the country's National Security Council to discuss the war in Gaza.
It said there "will be no leniency in protecting" Egypt's security as the war entered its second week. Thousands of people on both sides, mostly non-combatants, have been killed.
The meeting occurred as Jordan's King Abdullah embarked on a European tour to alert the leaders of Britain, Italy, Germany and France of the impact of the war on Jordan.
The king told British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London "any attempt to expel the Palestinians" could result in "catastrophic consequences on the countries of the region".
"The king expressed Jordan's rejection to move the crisis to neighbouring countries and compounding the refugee issue," official television reported.
Jordan and Egypt were the first Arab nations to sign formal peace treaties with Israel. They are all US allies and the top three recipients of American aid.
Egypt and Jordan separately share borders with Gaza and Israeli-occupied territories in the West Bank, respectively.
Aside from the raging war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, ongoing for nine days, there has been a surge in violence in the West Bank that could yet worsen.
Jordanian Prof Hasan Al Momani said Egypt and Jordan were co-ordinating closely to contain any repercussions of the war.
They have been among "the most engaged" on the Palestinian issue, partly because of repeated threats by the Israeli right to transfer the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to the two countries.
"The co-ordination between Jordan and Egypt is very close on the Palestinian issue, particularly on this [expulsion possibility] side," said Mr Al Momani, who heads the international relations and regional studies department at the University of Jordan.
He said the public positions of the king and Mr El Sisi in the past several days have helped the US to formulate a position that rejects expulsion as a consequence of the current war, not far from the stance taken by the two men.
For decades, Egypt has criticised Israeli pressure on the Palestinians, fearing it could drive Gaza's 2.3 million residents into the sparsely populated Sinai Peninsula.
A similar "alternative homeland" scenario has long been feared by Jordanian authorities. Under such a scenario, a mass expulsion of West Bank Palestinians could drive another wave of refugees to Jordan, adding to the kingdom's large proportion of citizens and residents of Palestinian origin.
This could add strain to the balance between tribes who played a main role in creating Jordan as a British protectorate in 1921, and the later incomers from Palestine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration "does not support proposals to relocate the Palestinians outside of Gaza“.
He said after meeting Mr El Sisi in Cairo that the idea was a "non-starter, so we do not support it".
In 1979, Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel, followed 15 years later by Jordan.
Egypt’s House Speaker Hanafy El Gibaly urged the Palestinians to remain in Gaza, days after the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, one of highest seats of Islamic learning, issued a similar plea from Cairo.
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
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The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
MATCH DETAILS
Manchester United 3
Greenwood (21), Martial (33), Rashford (49)
Partizan Belgrade 0
