Tomorrow, Israelis will choose their new prime minister, following an electoral campaign that has been particularly objectionable. Throughout, the two main contenders – Benny Gantz of the Blue & White Party and the incumbent, Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud – have stood on platforms of unprecedented intolerance and bigotry. Mr Netanyahu has threatened to wage war on Gaza. Meanwhile, in a bid to establish himself as a man of action, Mr Gantz boasted that he had bombed the territory "back to the Stone Age" during the 2014 conflict, which left 2,200 Palestinians dead.
Mr Netanyahu's latest ploy, however, is particularly distasteful. In a televised interview just three days before the polls, he promised to extend Israeli sovereignty over illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. This would amount to annexing Palestinian territories seized by Israel in 1967, in contravention of international law. Whether this is a genuine policy decision or crass electioneering is yet to be seen. In any case, this is a dangerous escalation.
"The annexation of settlement blocs in the West Bank will lead to the destruction of the Palestinian Authority," senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told The National at the World Economic Forum in Jordan. A total of 400,000 settlers already live in the West Bank, surrounded by nearly three million Palestinians. Annexing the land they have taken would reduce the West Bank to an ungovernable archipelago of disconnected territories, costing many Palestinians their ancestral homes.
Quite apart from the pain it would inflict on Palestinians, such a policy would destroy any remaining hope of a two-state solution. It follows a series of heavy blows to peace talks – on hold since 2014 – including the Trump administration’s decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv and to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. If Israel is allowed to annex the West Bank with impunity, as Mr Netanyahu has suggested, any hope of an independent Palestine, with east Jerusalem as its capital, will slip even further away. As Mr Erekat noted, “Palestinian identity is glued to a Palestinian state.” Put simply, peace cannot be reached if a two-state solution is taken off the table.
And yet, backed by the most amenable US administration in memory, it appears that Mr Netanyahu is attempting just that. His latest plan might constitute electoral opportunism, but that does not make it any less dangerous. At best, it helps to normalise an idea that was once the sole preserve of Israel’s far-right. At worst, it will deal a hammer blow to dreams of an independent Palestine, from which its besieged people may never recover.
ON TRACK
The Dubai Metaverse Assembly will host three main tracks:
Educate: Consists of more than 10 in-depth sessions on the metaverse
Inspire: Will showcase use cases of the metaverse in tourism, logistics, retail, education and health care
Contribute: Workshops for metaverse foresight and use-case reviews
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
A QUIET PLACE
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Rating: 4/5
Bridgerton season three - part one
Directors: Various
Starring: Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 3/5
SHAITTAN
Director: Vikas Bahl
Starring: Ajay Devgn, R. Madhavan, Jyothika, Janaki Bodiwala
Rating: 3/5
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
Stage 3 results
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 4:42:33
2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:03
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:30
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
5 Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
6 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:56
General Classification after Stage 3:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 12:30:02
2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:35
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40
5 Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
6 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Team Sunweb) 0:02:06
SPEC SHEET: APPLE M3 MACBOOK AIR (13")
Processor: Apple M3, 8-core CPU, up to 10-core CPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Display: 13.6-inch Liquid Retina, 2560 x 1664, 224ppi, 500 nits, True Tone, wide colour
Memory: 8/16/24GB
Storage: 256/512GB / 1/2TB
I/O: Thunderbolt 3/USB-4 (2), 3.5mm audio, Touch ID
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Battery: 52.6Wh lithium-polymer, up to 18 hours, MagSafe charging
Camera: 1080p FaceTime HD
Video: Support for Apple ProRes, HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10
Audio: 4-speaker system, wide stereo, support for Dolby Atmos, Spatial Audio and dynamic head tracking (with AirPods)
Colours: Midnight, silver, space grey, starlight
In the box: MacBook Air, 30W/35W dual-port/70w power adapter, USB-C-to-MagSafe cable, 2 Apple stickers
Price: From Dh4,599
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
Company profile
Name: Khodar
Based: Cairo and Alexandria, in Egypt
Founders: Ayman Hamza, Yasser Eidrous and Amr El Sheikh
Sector: agriculture technology
Funding: $500,000
Investors: Saudi Arabia’s Revival Lab and others
Employees: 35
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Signs of heat stroke
- The loss of sodium chloride in our sweat can lead to confusion and an altered mental status and slurred speech
- Body temperature above 39°C
- Hot, dry and red or damp skin can indicate heatstroke
- A faster pulse than usual
- Dizziness, nausea and headaches are also signs of overheating
- In extreme cases, victims can lose consciousness and require immediate medical attention
MORE ON IRAN'S PROXY WARS
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.
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
BACK TO ALEXANDRIA
Director: Tamer Ruggli
Starring: Nadine Labaki, Fanny Ardant
Rating: 3.5/5