WASHINGTON // The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the powerful lobbying group known for its unwavering support of Israel, kicks off its annual conference here today amid high tensions stemming from a US-Israel dispute over settlement construction in East Jerusalem.
The conference, which brings the Israeli prime minister to the US capital, sets up a week of closed-door meetings and public pronouncements that will provide a clearer picture of how deep the tensions run and how long the diplomatic flap will last.
Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Barack Obama, the US president, who recently postponed plans to visit Indonesia and Australia to make a final push for his top domestic priority, healthcare reform. The announcement of their meeting, putting an end to doubts that it would happen, could be a sign that the countries are ready to enter a more conciliatory phase.
Mr Netanyahu also will meet Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, whom he called last week to discuss "specific actions that might be taken to improve the atmosphere for progress", according to the state department. During the call, Mr Netanyahu offered his much-anticipated response to the US request that Israel halt its plan to build 1,600 new housing units on land claimed by Palestinians. The details of that response were not disclosed but Mrs Clinton referred to Mr Netanyahu's proposals as "useful and productive".
The construction plans were announced during a visit to Israel this month by Joe Biden, the US vice president, spoiling his efforts to build momentum for the peace process.
Mrs Clinton and Mr Netanyahu are scheduled to address the Aipac audience within hours of each other tomorrow, their most public remarks since the dispute began. The words of each leader will be picked apart by analysts and activist looking for more clues as to how each side will proceed. The Israeli prime minister's speech will likely provide a more definitive answer on the controversial settlement project. For Mrs Clinton, meanwhile, the question is whether she will continue to denounce Israeli policies with tough rhetoric or resort to the kind of pro-Israel applause lines that often define political speeches at Aipac conferences.
Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator in Republican and Democratic administrations and now a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, said he expects Mrs Clinton to do a little of both, giving a speech that is "tough as well as reassuring".
Although Mr Miller said the current dispute is not as serious as some previous ones, such as the 1975 fallout over a US demand that Israel partially withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula, he noted that Mr Netanyahu's visit to Washington has the makings of gripping political theatre for those who track the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
There were signs late last week that the US-Israel relationship was already on the mend. Mrs Clinton seemed to soften her tone when she described the "unshakeable bond" between the United States and Israel during a press conference. But the dispute has not yet been resolved and the way forward for both sides remains unclear.
Steven Cook, an expert on the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations, said he expects both sides to wind down the tensions and return to the shared goal of bringing Israelis and Palestinians together for so-called "proximity talks", or indirect negotiations mediated by the United States.
"I think the ones who are going to be sorely disappointed are folks in the region who are expecting the administration to take some sort of different stance," he said, calling the dispute one of many "periodic bumps in the road" in the US-Israel relationship.
Still, he said: "The stakes are high for Netanyahu. I think the stakes are high for the administration as well."
The Aipac conference often involves a heavy dose of politics, and it has served in the past as a venue for US officials to criticise Israel.
At the 1989 conference, James Baker, the US secretary of state at the time, bluntly told the audience that it was time for Israel to "lay aside once and for all the unrealistic dream of a Greater Israel".
In 2006, Nancy Pelosi, the house speaker, heard scattered boos after she called the Iraq war a failure. Last year, Mr Biden criticised Israel's settlement policies, at one point telling the audience "you are not going to like my saying this".
Aipac, for its part, has deliberately staked out a position in the current dispute by issuing a statement that was sharply critical of the administration's tone. It remains to be seen whether the group will soften its position. The annual conference is a tangible expression of Aipac's power in Washington and influence over top US and Israeli policymakers. This year's guests include Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and now envoy to the Mideast Quartet; Tzipi Livni, the Israeli opposition leader and head of the Kadima Party; and several top US legislators and governors.
This year's conference has been billed as the biggest in Aipac's history, with an estimated 7,500 participants. Conference attendees also will visit Capitol Hill to lobby for Aipac-approved legislation, including measures passed by both houses of Congress that would stiffen sanctions on Iran.
Aipac spent nearly US$2.8 million (Dh10.3m) lobbying Congress last year, its highest single-year total of the decade, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group that tracks money in politics.
@Email:sstanek@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20(2022)
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Grand slam winners since July 2003
Who has won major titles since Wimbledon 2003 when Roger Federer won his first grand slam
Roger Federer 19 (8 Wimbledon, 5 Australian Open, 5 US Open, 1 French Open)
Rafael Nadal 16 (10 French Open, 3 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 1 Australian Open)
Novak Djokovic 12 (6 Australian Open, 3 Wimbledon, 2 US Open, 1 French Open)
Andy Murray 3 (2 Wimbledon, 1 US Open)
Stan Wawrinka 3 (1 Australian Open, 1 French Open, 1 US Open)
Andy Roddick 1 (1 US Open)
Gaston Gaudio 1 (1 French Open)
Marat Safin 1 (1 Australian Open)
Juan Martin del Potro 1 (1 US Open)
Marin Cilic 1 (1 US Open)
TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15 (First Test)
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24 (Second Test)
July 8: New Zealand v Lions (Third Test) - kick-off 11.30am (UAE)
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Naga
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
THREE
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Blonde
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House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans