On Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus, the sites most familiar in the decades-long fight for land in the city – Al Aqsa Mosque flanked by the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah – can be seen.
Turn, and below the desert hills of the occupied West Bank towards the Dead Sea is one of many more recent battlegrounds, a barren tract of scorched grass, criss-crossed by dirt tracks. A motorway runs to the right and a few hundred metres to the left there is a rubbish tip. On either side are two Palestinian neighbourhoods.
The area is not spectacular, but those who have been watching Israel’s gradual takeover of Palestinian land in the city say that it is a focus in one of the most dangerous eras of land grabs since Israel captured all of the city in 1967.
The area is about to become a national park, on the surface an odd designation for an unremarkable patch of ground. Eyebrows were raised when, in 2013, the plan was approved after years of effort by Palestinian residents in the neighbouring villages who tried to develop the land.
Israeli authorities have since then said the designation is for reasons such as preserving flora and fauna, protecting the view and creating a walking trail.
Aviv Tatarsky, a Jerusalem researcher at Israeli NGO Ir Amim, has a different assessment of why the designation was made – to prevent the expansion of Palestinian residential areas and instead create a “more Israeli space”.
“As a national park, you can’t develop it and certainly not as a neighbourhood. So, that aspiration has been blocked,” he said, standing at a viewing point over the land in the morning sun. There is a lack of homes for Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
“The Nature and Parks Authority has the power to use this area as it sees fit. Basically, they can now make some sort of tourist area that will draw Israelis here,” he added.
“The bottom line is that instead of the two neighbourhoods developing a space with tens of thousands of Palestinians conducting their daily lives here, each neighbourhood will be separated from the other, making them small enclaves."
Although not an Israeli residential settlement, “it will still be controlled by Israeli authorities, which are able to attract the Israeli public, with all kinds of events, festivals, and thereby achieve, let’s say, Israeli dominance in the space".
It is an anxious battle, but one whose fortunes could be reversed, Mr Tatarsky said. A far harder battle is taking place a short drive away. It is also based on creating Palestinian enclaves, albeit on a far larger scale.
Between the Palestinian village of Al Zaim and the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, which is one of the biggest in the occupied West Bank, is an area that in a week could be at the heart of a major blow to the prospect of a Palestinian state.
A planning council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday and hear objections against plans for almost 3,500 housing units in the area, known as E1. It is one of the final steps before the project is approved.
Israeli NGO Peace Now, which monitors the development of settlements, calls E1 “particularly devastating for the prospects of peace and the future of a two-state solution, as it would cut the West Bank in two and prevent the development of the metropolitan area between Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem”.
It would surround East Jerusalem, making the prospect of the area becoming the capital of a future Palestinian state impossible, activists said. E1 would expand the separation barrier that cuts the city off from the occupied West Bank, undermining sovereignty, freedom of movement and the economy of a future state.
There would be less space for Palestinians to build, in an area where there is a shortage of homes and classrooms.
The idea for E1 dates to the 1990s and reflects the long-term desire on the part of Israel to expand settlements despite international objections. A more specific purpose of E1 is to connect Ma’ale Adumim, currently separated from the outskirts of East Jerusalem, with the city.
Significant international opposition, including from Israel’s key ally the US, proved effective in blocking it, even as settlement expansion continued elsewhere in the occupied West Bank. It appears now that Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, who advanced the plan in 2012, and his far-right coalition, composed of many settlers such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, could be on the brink of overcoming this obstruction.
“If we’re speaking about future Palestinian state, contiguity is crucial. E1 is not just any big area. It’s an area that breaks up the West Bank into two disconnected enclaves,” Mr Tatarsky said.
“Today, we’re in a very different story, because Israel has no challenges to its sovereignty, no serious pressure for a Palestinian state or ending this apartheid. Until today, Israel couldn’t achieve it because geopolitically it meant no Palestinian state. Today, it looks like Israel feels it can go ahead with it."
Since October 7, 2023, the wider settlement project has been in the ascendant, not just E1, as the world focuses on Gaza. Record numbers have been displaced by Israeli settlers who have access to more arms and enjoy greater impunity than before from the government and authorities.
Peace Now summarises the moment as one in which "the Netanyahu-Smotrich government is exploiting the war in Gaza and the current internal and international power dynamics, to establish facts on the ground that would eliminate any prospect for peace and a two-state reality".
In the past few weeks, a glimmer of hope has emerged for Palestinians. Israeli ally France said it will recognise a Palestinian state and the UK said it would do so by September, if certain conditions are not met.
Two of those British conditions appear incompatible with E1. The first is that Israel must commit to a peace process that leads to a Palestinian state. The second is that Israel must not annex the occupied West Bank, a goal of many Israeli settlers that becomes easier if the territorial viability of a Palestinian state no longer exists.
Declarations in favour of a symbolic Palestinian state, while powerful, are not yet accompanied with action to make one a reality, activists say. These declarations are made as Israel allows settlers to tear through shepherding communities, declare national parks and, most critically of all, promote E1.
In a week, the world will know if Israel is one step closer to this blow.
Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Results
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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.
