A Palestinian boy stands outside the remains of Gaza's Yasser Arafat International Airport, which was bombed and bulldozed by Israeli forces more than two decades ago. AFP
A Palestinian boy stands outside the remains of Gaza's Yasser Arafat International Airport, which was bombed and bulldozed by Israeli forces more than two decades ago. AFP
A Palestinian boy stands outside the remains of Gaza's Yasser Arafat International Airport, which was bombed and bulldozed by Israeli forces more than two decades ago. AFP
A Palestinian boy stands outside the remains of Gaza's Yasser Arafat International Airport, which was bombed and bulldozed by Israeli forces more than two decades ago. AFP


Who will rebuild Gaza?


  • English
  • Arabic

March 12, 2024

As symbols for shattered sovereignty and political failure go, few beat the forlorn ruins of Gaza’s international airport. On its opening day on November 24, 1998, planes from Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Austria and the now-defunct Palestinian Airlines could be seen at Yasser Arafat International Airport, close to the border with Egypt. Along with plans for a major seaport, the air link was part of the Oslo agreements reached in 1993 that offered Palestinians even a limited taste of life free from Israeli occupation.

Fast forward to 2024 and the airport is still in ruins, having been bombed in 2001 by Israeli forces, who then went on to rip up its runway with bulldozers the following year. Work on the seaport began in July 2000 but ground to a halt amid a lack of construction materials and the turmoil of the Second Intifada that erupted later that year. Gaza remains without the infrastructure necessary to import goods by sea – an issue that has become painfully apparent amid the recent rush to build a floating pier off its shoreline that would allow emergency aid to be unloaded.

The lack of vital infrastructure is one of the reasons the Palestinian enclave has remained impoverished and dependent on aid for decades. This imposed helplessness has been exacerbated by Israel’s military response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks. At the start of February, the UNRWA – the UN agency for Palestinian refugees – said more than 70 per cent of civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals and schools, have been destroyed or severely damaged. While those who have died can never be replaced, and those orphaned or severely injured cannot be made whole, rebuilding infrastructure will take years of funding, planning and work.

  • October 27, 1998: Palestinians workers asphalt a road at Gaza international airport on the Gaza Strip. The Wye River memorandum signed in Washington by Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu finally clinched a deal to open the airport early November. AFP Photo
    October 27, 1998: Palestinians workers asphalt a road at Gaza international airport on the Gaza Strip. The Wye River memorandum signed in Washington by Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu finally clinched a deal to open the airport early November. AFP Photo
  • November 24, 1998: A Palestinian policeman leads a horse rider away from a Jordanian plane which landed on the Gaza international airport before its opening day. AFP Photo
    November 24, 1998: A Palestinian policeman leads a horse rider away from a Jordanian plane which landed on the Gaza international airport before its opening day. AFP Photo
  • November 24, 1998: A general view of Gaza international airport on its inauguration when planes from Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Austria, the European Community and then Palestinian Airlines landed. The airport cost US$ 250 million to build and its opening was delayed some 20 months. AFP Photo
    November 24, 1998: A general view of Gaza international airport on its inauguration when planes from Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Austria, the European Community and then Palestinian Airlines landed. The airport cost US$ 250 million to build and its opening was delayed some 20 months. AFP Photo
  • December 13, 1998: Two huge US and Palestinian flags hang from the control tower of the Gaza international airport in Rafah City ahead of the historic visit by US president Bill Clinton – the first ever visit by a US president to the Palestinian territories. AFP Photo
    December 13, 1998: Two huge US and Palestinian flags hang from the control tower of the Gaza international airport in Rafah City ahead of the historic visit by US president Bill Clinton – the first ever visit by a US president to the Palestinian territories. AFP Photo
  • December 14, 1998: Then-US president Bill Clinton, second from left, who was accompanied by his wife Hillary, left, and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, wave to the crowds upon the Clintons’ arrival at the Gaza international airport in Rafah. Clinton made history when he flew into Gaza airport on a highly symbolic first visit ever by a US leader to the Palestinian territories. AFP Photo
    December 14, 1998: Then-US president Bill Clinton, second from left, who was accompanied by his wife Hillary, left, and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, wave to the crowds upon the Clintons’ arrival at the Gaza international airport in Rafah. Clinton made history when he flew into Gaza airport on a highly symbolic first visit ever by a US leader to the Palestinian territories. AFP Photo
  • October 19, 1999: Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat and the former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela wave to a cheering crowd during their meeting at Gaza international airport. AFP Photo
    October 19, 1999: Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat and the former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela wave to a cheering crowd during their meeting at Gaza international airport. AFP Photo
  • September 9, 2001: A lone luggage trolley stands in front of the abandoned check-in counters at the Gaza international airport, outside the southern Gaza town of Rafah. The 70-million-dollar airport which opened in November 1998 was closed forced tp close in February 2001 during a conflict with Israel. AFP Photo
    September 9, 2001: A lone luggage trolley stands in front of the abandoned check-in counters at the Gaza international airport, outside the southern Gaza town of Rafah. The 70-million-dollar airport which opened in November 1998 was closed forced tp close in February 2001 during a conflict with Israel. AFP Photo
  • December 13, 2001: A Palestinian police officer inspects the rubble of a building at the Gaza international airport in Rafah after Israeli raids. Israeli warplanes bombarded Palestinian security buildings in the Gaza Strip and West Bank in swift revenge during the second intifida AFP Photo
    December 13, 2001: A Palestinian police officer inspects the rubble of a building at the Gaza international airport in Rafah after Israeli raids. Israeli warplanes bombarded Palestinian security buildings in the Gaza Strip and West Bank in swift revenge during the second intifida AFP Photo
  • November 8, 2004: Palestinian security personnel walk on the Gaza international airport strip that was destroyed by the Israeli army bulldozers nearly three years before. Said Khatib/AFP Photo
    November 8, 2004: Palestinian security personnel walk on the Gaza international airport strip that was destroyed by the Israeli army bulldozers nearly three years before. Said Khatib/AFP Photo
  • August 18, 2014: A Palestinian boy standing outside the destroyed and deserted Gaza Strip’s former international airport in the southern town of Rafah. Residents of Gaza dream of the day planes will land and take off here again – a key demand of the Islamist Hamas movement and was at the heart of the 50-day Gaza-Israel conflict that ended with a ceasefire last week. Thomas Coex/ AFP Photo
    August 18, 2014: A Palestinian boy standing outside the destroyed and deserted Gaza Strip’s former international airport in the southern town of Rafah. Residents of Gaza dream of the day planes will land and take off here again – a key demand of the Islamist Hamas movement and was at the heart of the 50-day Gaza-Israel conflict that ended with a ceasefire last week. Thomas Coex/ AFP Photo

But who will pay for all this? Those looking to the US will not be reassured, having seen its politicians feuding about whether to keep spending taxpayers’ money on supplying Ukraine – an American ally – with much-needed arms. Similarly, the EU has provided an enormous sum – €88 billion ($96.2 billion) and counting – in economic, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine since the 2022 invasion by Russia. Given their many spending commitments, persuading the West to invest heavily in Gazan reconstruction may prove difficult.

What of Israel? Fourteen years ago, the country paid the UNRWA $10.5 million for damage caused by its forces during the 2008-2009 Gaza War. According to a report from Gisha, an Israeli human rights NGO, this sum was barely enough to cover the estimated $10 million cost of the damage done to Gaza’s electricity network alone. Given the rhetoric coming from Israel’s current leadership, and despite the pragmatic sense it would make for Israeli security to have a functional and stable neighbour, it seems unlikely that funding to rebuild will come from this quarter.

Attention has turned to Arab states to potentially step in and pay for rebuilding Gaza. Despite many countries in the Arab world donating often and well to Palestinian relief efforts, these nations are wary of funding reconstruction for damage they did not cause and that could be bombed flat again at a moment’s notice.

More importantly, for Arab countries, funding is the not the key issue – the lack of a political process is. A clear programme that begins with a ceasefire and ends with the political solution that just about all parties recognise is the way out of the conflict is what’s needed. Where there is consensus, funds and action can follow effectively. In a recent interview with The National, GCC Secretary General Jasem Al Budaiwi recalled how, within days of Israel’s strikes on Gaza after Hamas’s attack on October 7, the bloc’s foreign ministers met in an extraordinary session and within 45 minutes had agreed on $100 million in humanitarian aid.

Reconstruction after a war is never easy. As well as funding and stability, much will also depend upon the role of the Palestinian leadership, which will have to be supported as it attempts to reassert itself as capable and representative.

But the rubble of Gaza’s airport tells us one thing: that better times are possible. The optimism of the Oslo years, and the tantalising glimpse of a Palestine that was open to the world should not be forgotten. While Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide concurred that ultimately the Oslo Accords led to “false promises”, he and other officials from around the world are trying to make those promises realities. The resolve of the Palestinian people should be enough inspiration for those with the patience and fortitude to rebuild when this war ends.

How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries

• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.

• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.

• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.

• For more information visit the library network's website.

The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870

Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder

Transmission Seven-speed PDK

Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm

Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km

AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Tim Paine (captain), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

NYBL PROFILE

Company name: Nybl 

Date started: November 2018

Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence

Initial investment: $500,000

Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)

Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up 

Points tally

1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km

Price: from Dh94,900

On sale: now

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

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.”

Drishyam 2

Directed by: Jeethu Joseph

Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy

Rating: 4 stars

The%20specs
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The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

 

 

Uefa Nations League: How it Works

The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.

The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.

Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.

Silent Hill f

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%20Twin-turbocharged%204-litre%20V8%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20625%20bhp%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20630Nm%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh974%2C011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

All the Money in the World

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Charlie Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer

Four stars

The Buckingham Murders

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less

'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press

Coming soon

Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura

When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Akira Back Dubai

Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as,  “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems. 

Company%20Profile
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The specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: nine-speed

Power: 542bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh848,000

On sale: now

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

 

 

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

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England-South Africa Test series

1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London

2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham

3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London

4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Updated: March 12, 2024, 3:00 AM