Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
The UN Security Council on Wednesday rejected two competing resolutions, proposed by rival powers Russia and the US, on the Israel-Gaza war.
The latest failure to act on the crisis came after two other draft resolutions presented by Russia and Brazil failed last week.
The US draft presented on Wednesday emphasised “the inherent right of all states to individual and collective self-defence”, but it was blocked by Russia and China.
It also called for “humanitarian pauses”, but not a ceasefire, to let urgently needed aid into the Gaza Strip.
It received 10 votes in favour, two abstentions and three against, including the UAE, which voted in line with the Arab group's joint position.
The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Washington had worked to forge a consensus around the resolution that is “strong and balanced”.
“We solicited input, we listened," Ms Thomas-Greenfield said.
"The United States is deeply disappointed that Russia and China vetoed this resolution," she said. "We did listen to all of you."
The Russian draft text called for “an immediate, durable and fully respected humanitarian ceasefire” and condemned “all violence and hostilities against civilians".
It gathered four votes in favour, two against and 10 abstentions.
The UAE ambassador to the UN, Lana Nusseibeh, told Council members that the UAE vote was “strictly on the merit of the draft resolutions submitted to this Council and how they tangibly respond to the dire situation in Gaza”.
“Yesterday, we heard dozens of statements imploring this council to assign the same value to Palestinian life as it does to Israeli life," Ms Nusseibeh said.
"We cannot allow any equivocation on this point. There is no hierarchy of civilian lives. These must be the priorities of any resolution adopted by this council."
She said the Council cannot be silent on the question of forced displacement and Israel's order for civilians to flee northern Gaza.
“Crucially, the Gaza Strip is occupied territory, there should be no ambiguity about that," Ms Nusseibeh said. "We still hope that forging consensus is possible. But clearly it will require more work.”
Delivering a statement on behalf of the Council's 10 non-permanent members serving a two-year term, Malta’s UN ambassador Vanessa Frazier said the Security Council must urgently address the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“As elected members of this Council, we also represent the rest of the international community and we have a duty and an obligation to act," she said.
"There is no time to waste."
Ms Frazier said they will be working on a new proposal in the coming days.
With the Security Council paralysed, the UN General Assembly - where there are no vetoes - is scheduled to hold an emergency session on the Israeli-Hamas conflict on Thursday. The debate will be followed by a vote on Friday afternoon on a draft resolution submitted by Jordan on behalf of the Arab Group.
The text seen by The National focuses on an immediate ceasefire and demands continuous and unhindered provision of essential goods and services to civilians throughout the Gaza Strip.
The draft which has so far 40 co-sponsors, rejects any attempts at forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian population.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fixtures
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWednesday%2C%20April%203%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArsenal%20v%20Luton%20Town%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Aston%20Villa%2C%2011.15pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThursday%2C%20April%204%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELiverpool%20v%20Sheffield%20United%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
BIG SPENDERS
Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Result
Arsenal 4
Monreal (51'), Ramsey (82'), Lacazette 85', 89')
West Ham United 1
Arnautovic (64')
