Jared Kushner has doubted the ability of Palestinians to self-govern, in an HBO interview. REUTERS
Jared Kushner has doubted the ability of Palestinians to self-govern, in an HBO interview. REUTERS
Jared Kushner has doubted the ability of Palestinians to self-govern, in an HBO interview. REUTERS
Jared Kushner has doubted the ability of Palestinians to self-govern, in an HBO interview. REUTERS

Self-governance is the right of Palestinians


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US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has long promised a big reveal of his so-called "peace plan" after Ramadan. His interview on Sunday with a US broadcaster could have been an opportunity for the Middle East envoy to win Arab and Palestinian backing for the US's "deal of the century". Instead, when asked if he thought that Palestinians could govern themselves, Mr Kushner replied: "The hope is that they, over time, will become capable of governing". Not only was this deeply offensive; the immediate impact has been to set back any hope of a legitimate peace process. As senior Palestine Liberation Organisation negotiator Saeb Erekat tweeted, Mr Kushner "disqualified himself from any role in the peace-making".

Mr Kushner’s statement was deemed to be a reference to the Palestinian boycott of the upcoming economic conference for Palestine, hosted by the US and Bahrain. The refusal to attend by the Palestinian Authority has been criticised as a luxury it can ill afford, at a time when ordinary Palestinians are in dire need of aid and an economic crisis looms. But inferring that Palestinians are incapable of self-governance is neither going to convince them to attend nor bolster Arab support for any peace deal. The statement is not only condescending, it is simply untrue because the Palestinian people have never been given a chance to govern themselves in the first place.

Certainly, Palestinian leadership has been flawed and not always acted in the best interests of its people. The Gaza Strip was seized by Hamas in 2007 while Fatah runs the occupied West Bank. The two political factions have been at loggerheads for more than a decade and there is no unified government. In addition, both territories are rife with mismanagement and corruption. However, this bleak situation cannot be blamed on Palestinian civilians. The hardships they endure, from the Gaza blockade to poor basic supplies of water and power, stem from the ongoing Israeli occupation, which has made it impossible for citizens to travel or even communicate between the two territories. Meanwhile illegal settlements and the ubiquity of checkpoints have crippled the West Bank, preventing communities from coming together and ordinary Palestinians from leading normal lives. The crippling siege on Gaza has also entrenched Hamas further and rendered violence against protesting Gazans an everyday occurrence.

Nefarious behaviour from politicians and instability are not unique to Palestine. Israeli politics of late have been rife with alleged misdemeanours and back-stabbing, with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected to be indicted for corruption. Israel is now facing its second election this year after the Knesset was dissolved and Mr Netanyahu's former allies have turned on him – yet no one claims that Israelis cannot self-govern. The reality is that political machinations do not justify stripping an entire population of their basic rights. Wherever the Palestinian diaspora has been given the chance to thrive, its members have excelled and made names for themselves. There is no doubt they could do the same in their homeland, given half a chance.

MATCH INFO

RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')

Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)

Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Director: Jon Favreau

Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Match info

Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')

West Ham United 0

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia

When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start

Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1

Tickets: Admission is free

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle

The biog

Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists. 

Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.

Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic 

While you're here
Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants

Results

2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m

Winner: Hello, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihi (trainer).

2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m

Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m

Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m

Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m

Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.

4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m

Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.

5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m

Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.

The chef's advice

Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.

“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”

Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.

The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.

Mountain%20Boy
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The low down

Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films

Director: Namrata Singh Gujral

Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark

Rating: 2/5

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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