Stopping the killing of civilians in the Israel-Gaza conflict “should be a priority for everyone”, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said on Friday as the war looms over Belgium’s move into the rotating six-month European Council Presidency after Spain in January.
A Flemish liberal politician, Mr de Croo’s commitment to calling for a de-escalation of the conflict has not been endorsed by all EU members, many of whom have preferred to skirt around the sensitive topic and highlight Israel’s right to self-defence.
“I've been quite straightforward on that,” said Mr de Croo in a joint press conference in Brussels with Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib to unveil their country's priorities as the incoming presidency.
“I'm more of a human being than a politician, and I think humanity is important.”
Yet this positioning will have to be “restrained” from now on, Ms Lahbib said, as Belgium endorses the role of an “honest broker” in often tough negotiations between the bloc’s 27 member states.
She spoke of Belgium's famed sense of compromise, often put forward by politicians as a natural consequence of their country’s complicated multilingual federal system.
Belgium’s negotiation skills will be in high demand in the coming months as the Middle East conflict brings back to surface tensions between the bloc's member states and Israel, an ally.
Statements made by Mr de Croo and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez during a visit to the region last month started a diplomatic row with Israel that led to accusations of support for Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by the EU. Spain and Belgium have rejected such accusations.
Mr de Croo said that he hoped that “no one was angry” if Belgium asks “to stop the killing of innocent civilians” and believes that a ceasefire is needed for humanitarian access to Gaza and to free the remaining 136 hostages held by Hamas in the enclave.
Another exception to overall European hesitancy to take a strong position on the conflict has been Ireland, which early on criticised Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for her apparent pro-Israeli bias.
In Germany, the October 7 attacks have spurred politicians to call for the recognition of the state of Israel's “right to exist” to become a prerequisite for citizenship candidates. Across the continent, antisemitic and anti-Muslim attacks have surged, prompting a senior EU official to say this week that the threat of a terrorist attack during the Christmas holidays was “huge”.
Irish President Michael D Higgins said that Ms von der Leyen did not speak for Ireland when she visited Israel one week after the Hamas attacks and said that she believed Israel would respond in a way that shows “that it is a democracy”.
In Belgium, observers said, there is particular concern to remain attentive to concerns expressed by all sides. But even more important perhaps to Belgian politicians are the looming European and Belgian elections next year which include local elections in which foreigners are allowed to vote.
Belgium hosts a Moroccan community which is more sensitive to the Israel-Palestine conflict, as well as a Jewish presence in the country’s second biggest city, Antwerp.
Brussels, which hosts EU institutions as well as Nato headquarters in nearby suburb, also boasts being the most cosmopolitan city in the world after New York.
“It’s a topic that preoccupies and interests everybody. I think I have never assisted at such a quiet meeting during which everybody listens to what others have to say on the Near East,” Ms Lahbib said.
The war in Ukraine also remains a pressing issue, as EU leaders ready to discuss next week Ukraine's membership bid to join the bloc. Ukrainian leaders have expressed fears that Russia's invasion of their country has been eclipsed by the war in Gaza.
“If we look at the atrocities human beings inflict on each other, we can only be in a situation where we know we have a responsibility to […] plead for the respect of human rights,” Mr de Croo said in his opening speech.
This week, Ms Lahbib was one of the few EU politicians to publicly support UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ letter to the Security Council invoking Article 99 of the UN charter. In an unprecedented move aimed at highlighting the gravity of the situation, Mr Guterres said that the Gaza conflict could threaten international peace and security.
Speaking in a personal capacity, the EU’s senior diplomat, Spanish politician Josep Borrell, asked EU members of the Security Council and “like-minded partners” to support Mr Guterres’ call to “prevent a full collapse of the humanitarian situation in Gaza”.
Previous statements by Mr Guterres on the conflict, including about the Hamas attacks not happening “in a vacuum”, have led to Israeli calls for his resignation.
The topic remains highly sensitive, and EU politicians have been hesitant to echo Mr Guterres’ calls, which also include requesting a ceasefire.
Despite these divisions, EU leaders agreed in late October to call for “humanitarian corridors and pauses”.
Ms Lahbib said that during the EU Presidency Belgium’s position on the conflict would be similar to Spain’s.
She said Belgium would recognise a Palestinian state and pointed to the government’s contract, published each time a cabinet is formed, which says that Belgium would pay “sustained and balanced attention” to the Middle East peace process.
“We are on the same line even if there are differences,” she said.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Top financial tips for graduates
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.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
I Care A Lot
Directed by: J Blakeson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage
3/5 stars
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
