Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, has condemned the attack on Gaza and Rafah. Pawan Singh / The National
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, has condemned the attack on Gaza and Rafah. Pawan Singh / The National
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, has condemned the attack on Gaza and Rafah. Pawan Singh / The National
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, has condemned the attack on Gaza and Rafah. Pawan Singh / The National

UAE’s Gargash says Israel’s violence against Gaza civilians brutal and inhuman


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Israel's violence against civilians in Gaza "has taken brutal and inhuman dimensions," Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, said at the Arab Media Forum in Dubai on Wednesday.

“I’ve been to Gaza twice and witnessed the scale of overcrowding. Israel has been using this method of displacing families repeatedly, only to attack them in designated safe zones,” he said.

The Emirati diplomat spoke as Israeli tanks continued their push across the city of Rafah in Gaza on Wednesday, having reached the centre of the city on Tuesday after a night of heavy bombardment in which scores of civilians were killed, including in designated so-called "safe zones" around the city.

About a million civilians have fled from Rafah as Israel pushes on with its offensive against the city, where 1.5 million people had been sheltering before the assault began three weeks ago.

Washington had also warned Israel not to attack Rafah, but the White House said the current assault did not constitute a "major ground operation".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure from his far-right cabinet partners, has vowed to achieve "total victory" against Hamas in the city, despite criticism from international allies and an order from the International Court of Justice to halt the offensive.

Mr Gargash said the Arab world condemned the "heinous" attack on Rafah.

“We have a firm belief in the justice of the Palestinian cause, which we absorbed from our upbringing and from our Arab conscience,” Dr Gargash told the audience in Dubai, stressing that the “heinous attack in Gaza and Rafah cannot be overlooked by the world”.

“But the problem is the current Israeli government and the far-right extremists have worked on existing imbalances,” Dr Gargash said on the continuing efforts towards a two-state solution following the Oslo Accords.

A man carries a child as Palestinians flee Rafah. Reuters
A man carries a child as Palestinians flee Rafah. Reuters

Dr Gargash said that the containment policy to resolve the situation in Gaza has “failed miserably”, especially with the presence of an Israeli government that has “exaggerated expectations”.

The Emirati diplomat stressed that steps must be identified to revive the right to establish a Palestinian state, stressing that Israel is losing its international influence because of its continuing brutal war policies.

The UAE recently condemned Israel’s most recent attack on Rafah, when Israeli strikes sparked a fire that killed more than 40 people in a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah.

“The UAE in the strongest terms and denounced the continuing Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip and the most recent targeting of refugee tents, which has resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries to innocent civilians,” the foreign ministry said.

Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
THE APPRENTICE

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Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: HealthTech

# of staff: 10

Funding to date: Self-funded

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THE SPECS

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Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
  • US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
  • Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
  • Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
  • Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
  • Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
  • The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
  • Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
  • Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ICC T20 Team of 2021

Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi

The bio

Favourite vegetable: Broccoli

Favourite food: Seafood

Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange

Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania

Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.

Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes

Updated: May 29, 2024, 9:24 PM