It was a massacre. When 30,000 residents of Gaza pitched up on the border with Israel on Friday to engage in peaceful demonstration against their degrading incarceration, Israeli forces opened fire into crowds of families. Drones sprayed tear gas from the skies. Men, women and children ran for shelter. At least 15 Palestinians were killed by the time the shooting subsided. Of the 1,416 people injured, 750 were struck by live ammunition. In the annals of colonial violence, what Israel did on Friday is comparable to the notorious Jallianwallah Bagh massacre of 1919, when the British fired on hundreds of peaceful protesters in India. That episode had provoked condemnation in London. Yesterday's killings in Gaza, on the other hand, have not even scratched the conscience of Israeli society. Instead, Israel's military spokesman, brigadier-general Ronen Manelis, has threatened to "respond inside the Gaza strip" if the Palestinians persist with their protests.
But Israel is delusional if it believes that it can tame with yet more violence a people who have lost everything. May 15 will mark the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, when heavily armed agents of the newly created state of Israel stormed Palestinian towns and villages and drove out hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Take a stroll in Jerusalem, and you will still see faded Arab lettering carved into the facades of the city's grand houses. The families who built them have become refugees in their own land. From Gaza, you can see the villages that were once Palestinian, but where no Palestinian is allowed today. Israel's supposedly "democratic" state wields the power of life and death over them even as it denies them the most rudimentary civil rights. If this is not apartheid, the word has no meaning. Israel's history is written in the blood and dispossession of Palestinians. And as Israel gears up shamelessly to "celebrate" seven decades of its founding in May, Palestinians in Gaza are staging protests to remind the world of their own story.
This is a combustible moment. The misrule of Hamas and the Israeli blockade have ensured that conditions in Gaza, an open prison where 5,000 people are packed into every square kilometre, are so appalling that the UN estimates it will become unliveable in two years' time. The rift between Hamas and Fatah means that there is no united Palestinian leadership. This is a gift to Israeli reactionaries as well as Iran, both of whom are exploiting internal Palestinian divisions for their own ends. Making matters worse, the US government has abandoned even the pretence of impartiality by deciding to relocate its embassy to Israel to Jerusalem. The UN's call for an independent investigation into Friday's massacre will likely be thwarted by Israel's allies. There are all the ingredients for protracted violence, with not a single just solution in sight. This is Israel's accomplishment over the past 70 years.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
Company%20Profile
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
Company%20Profile
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Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Midnights'
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50