A Palestinian jobseeker who was stuck in travel limbo because of the coronavirus has been looked after for months in Abu Dhabi, a senior UAE official said.
Alaa Alghamri has spent five months in the capital's Humanitarian City, which was set up to look after stranded travellers.
The 26-year-old tried to fly home to Gaza via Egypt in March but was turned away at Cairo airport. He was put on a flight back to the Emirates, landing on March 19, just as the borders closed.
Mr Alghamri's situation came to light after Israeli media claimed the aspiring firefighter had been "locked up" and prevented from leaving.
The UAE has repatriated hundreds of foreign nationals from around the world during Covid-19. However in this case, Mr Alghamri does not appear to wish to leave
Khalid Abdullah Humaid Belhoul, undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, said the claims were “misleading and baseless.”
"Alghamri entered the UAE on a tourist visa in December last year, but was in fact job-hunting. After being unable to find work, and with his visa expired," he told The National.
"Alghamri left the UAE to return home via Egypt, but was turned around at Cairo airport and sent back to the UAE.
“As Alghamri had no valid visa to re-enter the UAE, and the coronavirus pandemic had made further travel impossible, he was provided with free board and food at Abu Dhabi’s Humanitarian City, along with many other stranded travelers.
“At no time was Mr Alghamri detained against his will. He has always been free to leave, just as soon as there was a carrier available and a country who would take him.
“The UAE Government has since offered Alghamri the option of a flight to Cairo from Dubai, but Alghamri has refused the offer, saying he wanted to travel to Turkey.”
He said: “Mr Alghamri has been a guest of the UAE’s humanitarian aid for months yet he is not providing an accurate portrayal of his circumstances.
“The UAE has successfully repatriated hundreds of foreign nationals from around the world during Covid-19. However in this case, Mr Alghamri does not appear to wish to leave."
Speaking to The National from the Humanitarian City, Alghamri said his reason for giving the interview to Israeli media was to sway public opinion so that Israel would allow him to fly in through Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport, in the absence of any other alternative, as Egypt had closed its borders.
A request which was submitted to the Jerusalem District Court in its capacity as a court for administrative affairs, against the interior minister and the office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories was rejected.
Palestinians are not allowed to fly from Ben Gurion Airport or any other airport in Israel. Prior to closing of the borders, Alghamri had flown to Dubai through Egypt via the Rafah crossing.
Alghamri has an uncle living in Dubai, Karem Odeh.
“I don’t want to go to my uncle,” he said. “I don’t want to be asking him or anyone for money.”
He also claimed he did not have the money to amend his visa status so he can remain in the UAE.
“I have looked for a job and was unsuccessful and right now all I want is to go back home. I am too scared to leave and start asking and borrowing money from people honestly. Here the government is taking care of me but if I leave [Humanitarian City] no one will know anything about me.”
The Israeli report in Haaretz, an English and Hebrew language newspaper, claimed that Alghamri is confined to a room in which the windows are shuttered and the door is locked most hours of the day.
He told The National this was not true.
"The windows are not shuttered and I can come and go as I please. Maybe if I was in my country I would not be treated so well," he said. "In my own house I also would not be living so comfortably but I want to go home," Alghamri said.
"The story was misreported. I don't know how they said I was confined," he said. "I committed no crime to be locked up. I just need a permit to be allowed into either Egypt or Israel."
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
India cancels school-leaving examinations
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Barcelona 2
Dembele (36'), Alcacer (64')
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RACE CARD
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6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Group 2 Dh300,000 2,200m
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
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Day 3, stumps
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Australia 151
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- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
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SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
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Biggest rival: Al Nasr
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Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
