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The UAE’s relationship with Palestine and its people runs deep.
Spearheaded by the visionary leadership of UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Emirates was one of the first countries to formally recognise Palestine as an independent state, marking the start of a close-knit relationship that would span decades.
Elevating this connection, Sheikh Zayed assigned a plot of land in Abu Dhabi for a Palestinian embassy.
The appointment of the UAE’s first Palestinian ambassador in 1989 solidified a bridge of cultural exchange and mutual respect between the two nations.
Beyond diplomatic gestures, the integration of Palestinians within the UAE community remains a tangible manifestation of the profound friendship shared between the two peoples.
This relationship was tested but ultimately reinforced during the Iraq invasion of Kuwait in August 1990.
When the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) supported Iraq, leading to the expulsion of more than 350,000 Palestinians from Kuwait, the UAE stood resolute in safeguarding the rights and presence of every Palestinian within its borders – despite joining the coalition to liberate Kuwait.
Standing together
Over the past two weeks, the enduring solidarity between Emiratis and Palestinians has shone through again as thousands of UAE residents gathered to collect aid for the people of Gaza currently under siege from Israeli air strikes.
While the UAE’s leadership is working to bring in a ceasefire on a diplomatic level, the nation also seeks to support the Palestinian people from a humanitarian perspective – in keeping with the country’s ethos of promoting peace and unity.
Palestine's first ambassador to the UAE, Khalid Malak, 83, and his wife Nawal, spoke to The National to reflect on a long-standing friendship.
Mr Malak was born in the city of Akka, now known as Acre, eight years before the Nakba when more than 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced by Zionist paramilitary groups during the establishment of the state of Israel.
He moved to Lebanon when he was eight and where he later became head of the UNRWA school for girls and volunteered for the PLO.
Following the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982, Mr Malak moved to the UAE with his wife and children after a brief stint in Cyprus and Zanzibar.
There, he struck up a friendship with Sheikh Zayed that would endure until the Founding Father’s passing in 2004.
“I felt like the spoilt son of Zayed,” Mr Malak said.
In the late 1980s, Mr Malak was appointed head of the UAE’s PLO office by the group’s leader Yasser Arafat, known as Abu Ammar. Six years later, Palestine was declared an independent state and the PLO office became the Palestinian embassy with Mr Malak as the first ambassador.
Compassionate vision
“Sheikh Zayed loved Palestine and Palestine lived within him. He gave it what nobody in the world has given it and I am witness to that. Whatever we say about him will not do him justice,” said Mr Malak, who is now settled with his family in Abu Dhabi.
“Sheikh Zayed supported us in every way possible. He cared about our education, health and every part of our lives. Palestine lived within him, in his mind, his heart and conscience.”
Palestinians who moved to the UAE with only travel documents were welcomed with open arms by Sheikh Zayed, Mr Malak said.
Mrs Malak said: “His vision was always to support everyone regardless of whether they were Palestinians or Lebanese or any nationality. Education and supporting people was important to him, which is why he was always at every school opening and graduation.”
This was a vision he shared with his wife Sheikha Fatima, the Mother of the Nation.
"I don't think there was single moment where Sheikh Fatima didn't support Palestine whether it is through providing aid or even emotionally," Mrs Malak said.
"She supported exhibitions, campaigns, cultural events and covered the cost of treatment of Palestinians injured during the second intifada and many more.
"The continuous support of the Emirates Red Crescent under Sheikh Hamdan and his wife Sheikha Shamsa has made, and is as we speak, continuing to make a significant difference not only in Palestine but in many parts of the world."
Sheikha Fatima was the first to welcome the mother of 12-year-old Muhammad Al Durrah, who was killed alongside his father on September 2002 during Palestine's second intifada.
Mr Malak said one of the most challenging periods of his tenure was Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, during which the UAE and Palestine stood in support of opposing sides.
The PLO’s decision to support Iraqi President Saddam Hussein against Kuwait, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had lived for years, led to an exodus from the country.
Mr Malak said that, at the time, Mr Arafat told him he felt compelled to stand with Iraq because “Saddam was temperamental”.
“‘If you are not with him, then he would take it as if you were against him. He has no middle ground," Mr Arafat told him. “We tried to convince him to pull his troops out but didn’t want to attack him out of fear that he would have all the Palestinians deported [from Iraq].”
Sheikh Zayed's unflinching support
Sheikh Zayed immediately summoned Mr Malak to his palace.
“‘How can you support an oppressor over the oppressed?’ Sheikh Zayed asked. ‘You are an occupied nation who have been oppressed yourself.’ I told him we weren’t with Saddam but didn’t want to issue an official statement,” Mr Malak said.
The words that followed from Sheikh Zayed are ones that Mr Malak says he will never forget.
“'I know that the entire Palestine leadership are with Saddam, but I stand by the Palestinian people’, he said."
The UAE did not deport any Palestinians, choosing not to punish the people for their government’s decisions.
“I don’t think there is a single person who doesn’t kneel for prayer without praying for Zayed. What he gave me and my family is like nobody has even given me, including Abu Ammar,” said Mr Malak.
“At the time I swore that if a single Palestinian even so much as got a traffic ticket, I would resign my post.
“This man ... built entire cities, hospitals, schools, universities and mosques, which his sons later inaugurated. His prints are in every area of Palestine.”
Today, President Sheikh Mohamed and the leadership carry on this legacy.
Earlier this month, Sheikh Mohamed directed $20 million in aid for the Palestinian people.
He has also held talks with a number of world leaders since the start of the conflict, to call for civilian lives to be protected, crucial aid to be delivered and to reiterate the need for a ceasefire.
“The events today are heart-breaking,” said Mr Malak of the war on Gaza.
“Seeing all the young children, women and innocent civilians being massacred. Our hearts are breaking. People are dying not in hundreds but in thousands.
“We hope it stops – for the sake of the innocent civilians on both sides.”
WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
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Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
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It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
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With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
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The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
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The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
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A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures: Monday, first 50-over match; Wednesday, second 50-over match; Thursday, third 50-over match
'Champions'
Director: Manuel Calvo
Stars: Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi
Rating: 2/5
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
- Rocketman – 1
- The Neighbors' Window – 1
- Toy Story 4 – 1
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
