A damaged residential building in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, after an Israeli strike on Wednesday. AP Photo
A damaged residential building in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, after an Israeli strike on Wednesday. AP Photo
A damaged residential building in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, after an Israeli strike on Wednesday. AP Photo
A damaged residential building in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, after an Israeli strike on Wednesday. AP Photo

Belgium pushed to be first EU country to join genocide case against Israel at the ICJ


Sunniva Rose
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The Belgian government on Wednesday asked its Foreign Affairs Ministry to examine a senior coalition member's call to back South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

“We must act against the threat of genocide,” Deputy Prime Minister Petra de Sutter said on X. “I want Belgium to take action at the International Court of Justice, following the lead of South Africa.”

“The Foreign Affairs Ministry will first conduct a legal analysis and examine the position of other European countries,” said Sam De Paepe, spokesperson for Prime Minister Alexander De Croo's liberal Open VLD party.

“We will then decide what position to take,” Mr de Paepe told The National, which has contacted the ministry for comment.

It is unclear how long the analysis will take. Mr de Croo is travelling to China for the next three days and a decision is not expected until his return.

If the government agrees to follow Ms de Sutter's proposal, Belgium could become the first EU country to back the South African case.

It could choose to lodge its own case at the ICJ or join South Africa's complaint, which was filed in December.

Belgian political parties are divided on the Israel-Gaza conflict. Ms de Sutter is a member of the Flemish Green party and is supported in her call by the Flemish Socialists and the Christian Democrats' party, CD&V.

"This conflict is extremely fraught, so it is very important to judge based on facts. As an independent body, the International Court of Justice is best placed to investigate the risk of genocide," said CD&V MP and chair of the Parliament's federal affairs committee, Els Van Hoof.

The Open VLD opposed a proposal made in November by Ms de Sutter to boycott the import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements.

Other members of Mr de Croo's coalition government had not responded to The National at the time of publication.

The first hearings in the South African case, which alleges that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

Israeli bombardments and raids have killed more than 23,000 people in Gaza since October 7, according to local authorities.

Israel says it does its best to protect civilian lives. Israeli president Isaac Herzog has called the South African accusations “atrocious and preposterous”.

In a statement published on Instagram, Ms de Sutter pointed at Israel's blockade of Gaza, which prevents the arrival of food, medicine and fuel and has forced hospitals to operate without anaesthesia.

Most of the enclave's population has been displaced and it is not clear whether its inhabitants will be able to return.

“Representatives of the Israeli government refer to Palestinians as 'human animals', declare they will 'get hell' and threaten to 'eliminate everything',” Ms de Sutter said.

“Unimaginable, horrific acts. They disturb me as they do many of you. Under the Genocide Convention it is our duty to act once there is a risk of genocide.

“All those international treaties are valuable only when we abide by them,” she said.

In November, Ms de Sutter called on the Belgian government to sanction Israel.

Belgium has since said that it would ban extremist Israeli settlers from its territory but has not disclosed who it has targeted. The EU has not implemented similar measures.

Ms de Sutter has also condemned Hamas and called for the release of Israeli hostages detained by the group in Gaza since October 7.

No EU country has so far supported South Africa's case at the ICJ.

Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister Petra de Sutter said: 'We must act against the threat of genocide.' Getty Images
Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister Petra de Sutter said: 'We must act against the threat of genocide.' Getty Images

Earlier this week, Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said his country would not back the case and warned of the need to be “very careful” about defining genocide.

Mr Varadkar has previously expressed some of the strongest criticism from EU leaders of Israel's military operation in Gaza and highlighted the West's “double standards” in the war.

The EU, which is historically deeply divided over the Israel-Palestine conflict, will probably not call for a ceasefire until the US does, Mr Varadkar said last month.

His comments on the South African case were echoed by UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron who said he did not think it was “helpful” or “right”.

“I don't think we should bandy around terms like genocide in this case, I don't think that's correct,” he told British legislators on Tuesday.

Countries that support the South African complaint include Malaysia, Turkey, Jordan and Bolivia, as well as the Organisation of Islamic Countries, which includes 57 member states.

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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.

These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.

Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.

Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.

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Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets

 

 

Notable Yas events in 2017/18

October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)

December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race

March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event

March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Videographer: Jear Velasquez 

Photography: Romeo Perez 

Fashion director: Sarah Maisey 

Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory 

Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG 

Video assistant: Zanong Maget 

Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud  

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

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Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways

The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof

The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history

Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure

Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used

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Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

Updated: January 10, 2024, 4:49 PM