Raghida Dergham is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute, and a columnist for The National
May 05, 2024
The protesters that have gripped US university campuses over the past few weeks are ostensibly there to oppose President Joe Biden's support for Israel and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, especially in light of the egregious civilian death toll in Gaza. Protesters are appalled with the way Mr Netanyahu continues to receive billions of dollars in American military and economic aid to help carry out his war. And he receives these things despite his constant embarrassment of the US and the open disregard for Mr Biden.
But while the central focus of these protests is, indeed, Israel's war in Gaza, they have struggled with accusations of political naivety and anti-Semitism. The latter appears to have become a default accusation against those opposing the Gaza war, as if there were no Jewish students among the protesters and as if to say the world must accept crimes against humanity out of fear of being labelled anti-Semitic. This scenario recalls the familiar post-9/11 equation of “you're either with us or you're against us”.
Yet those who have taken to protesting Israel's rejection of a ceasefire without mentioning Hamas militant group's rejection of the same overlook the militants’ own history of hindering the two-state solution alongside Israel. They ignore Hamas policies that have exacerbated Palestinian divisions, and the group’s nature as an Islamic resistance movement rather than a Palestinian national movement.
Indeed, Israel and Hamas are two sides of the same coin when it comes to their stances on the two-state solution, which garners international consensus. Israel helped create Hamas to undermine the Palestinian Liberation Organisation's march towards a two-state solution as envisioned in the Oslo Accords, which Palestinians took seriously while Israel regarded it as a temporary distraction. Therefore, it is both hypocritical and duplicitous when western officials demand Hamas accept the two-state solution without making it a serious condition for Israel as well.
Gaza is the victim of both extreme Jewish right wing in Israel and Palestinian Islamic extremism. Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, knows full well that Israel will not cease its war and will invade Rafah unless he offers significant concessions approaching capitulation. He knows that thousands more of Palestinian civilians will otherwise pay their lives for the sake of his agenda, against their will, if he remains rigid in his negotiations with Israel. Mr Sinwar's battle is existential, as is Mr Netanyahu’s. This battle of extremisms is existential for both the right-wing in Israel and the Islamic resistance in Gaza.
Therefore, those who simplify and reduce it to resistance against Israeli occupation either ignore or deliberately forget that Hamas's agenda is not to end the occupation and establish a Palestinian state, but rather to save Hamas from Israel's threats to crush it so that it remains in control of Gaza and continues its Islamic project – the project of the Muslim Brotherhood – and not the project of Palestinian statehood. It is premature to interpret any of Hamas's recent, less combative messages as a turn towards moderation, constructive partnership with the PLO and respect for the principles of the Palestinian Authority's establishment.
Israel and Hamas are two sides of the same coin when it comes to their stances on the two-state solution
This is a reality that student movements in the US do not consider as some of their members raise Hamas flags and focus on protesting Israel. In doing so, they leave themselves exposed because these same students do not condemn Hamas, neither for what it committed on October 7 nor for its ongoing prioritisation of self-preservation over the interests of Palestinians.
Many Arab students from overseas, in particular, who participate in the protests believe they are making history and have risked their academic futures to do so. But it is particularly important for them to be aware that this division in America did not originate on October 7; it has a history of its own. It is an internal American polarisation related to the Republican and Democratic camps in the presidential elections. And their battle is intensifying.
Mr Biden's position is becoming more difficult because the university protests today appear to echo those accompanied the Vietnam War, even if they are not truly of the same nature or scale. What matters is the impression that these protests are affecting the political system in the US. And Mr Biden is concerned.
The woke left within the Democratic Party is gaining strength because of the university protests, and it has found a good rallying point in the Palestinian cause. This strand of the left does not care whether what it is doing will weaken Mr Biden in the face of Trump – what it wants is to change Mr Biden himself. This branch of the left is a problem for the Democratic Party because it compromises the part while doing nothing to weaken Donald Trump.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, draws huge support from the extremist fringe of his own party. He is also inherently unpredictable and easy to provoke; we don’t know, for instance, how he might have reacted if he were in the White House during these protests.
It is hard to say what will happen as the electoral calendar progresses and the extremes of both parties continue to try to push their leaders. Mr Biden may try to stick to winning votes through domestic issues, or he may try to shore up support from his own party by doing something drastic with respect to Ukraine or Gaza. He needs to win the election, and because of that, maybe everything is permissible.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
All matches in Bulawayo Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
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
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
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