Disputes between Israelis and Palestinians have been debated at UN headquarters for the past seven decades. This year's General Assembly was no exception, with leaders offering their views on the enduring crisis.
The 2020 gathering, an online event due to the Covid-19 pandemic, came on the heels of a deal to establish ties between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain — the first Arab states to make the move in a quarter-century.
United States President Donald Trump, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and other statesmen lauded the Abraham Accord, as the deal is known.
For Mr Trump, the accord was a big selling point in his UN speech. The deal, brokered by the US and inked on the White House lawn earlier this month, was a "landmark breakthrough" after "decades of no progress" in Israeli-Palestinian talks.
It heralded the "dawn of the new Middle East," Mr Trump said on Tuesday.
In his pre-recorded address, Mr Macron on Tuesday said he welcomed the "legitimate recognition" of Israel by the two Gulf states, which he called a "pledge of hope for the future".
Mr Macron described a tough "path back to decisive negotiations" for Palestinians, who seek an independent state based on borders before a 1967 war, in which Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip and annexed East Jerusalem.
European Council President Charles Michel said "rapprochement" would boost regional "peace and stability". Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the "historic diplomatic achievement" could flip the script on future Middle East peace talks.
We want "more realism to be introduced into the way this issue is perceived within the UN," Mr Babis said on Friday.
Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced support for the deal, saying in an opinion article on Wednesday that the "significant political development" could help "overcome decades of estrangement and mistrust".
Bahrain's King Hamad called the deal a "courageous" bid to boost peace talks.
During his virtual address to the UN General Assembly, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, affirmed the UAE’s “total rejection of the annexation of Palestinian territory.”
“With the signing of a historic peace accord with Israel supported by American efforts, my country was able to freeze the annexation decision and open broad prospects to achieve a comprehensive peace,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu conveyed similar optimism towards the agreements during his address, expressing his belief that they “will bring our peoples the blessings of peace and the enormous benefits that come with more trade, more investment, more commerce, transportation, tourism, increased cooperation in so many other areas.
“I also have no doubt that more Arab and Muslim countries will be joining the circle of peace, soon, very soon,” he added.
Behind the scenes, Trump administration officials were pushing for more Arab states to follow suit, said UN envoy Kelly Craft. Speaking with Al Arabiya on Wednesday, she said "more countries" would join the two Gulf states, without naming them.
Warming ties were on display in New York. Israel's UN ambassador Gilad Erdan met his UAE counterpart Lana Nusseibeh for the first time on Wednesday. They agreed to work together at the UN to promote women's rights and tackle online extremism.
Several Middle Eastern leaders addressed the UN without mentioning the accord. Others called on the need to implement the Saudi-proposed Arab Peace Initiative from the early 2000s, which offered Israel normalised ties only after it had withdrawn from Palestinian land.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday said there had to be a respect for “terms of reference of a comprehensive, lasting and just solution”. He called for a UN-led international meet on Middle East peace early next year to deliver on Palestinian hopes.
Dr Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, rebuffed criticism, saying the accord would strengthen the Emirati role in promoting a two-state solution and peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
"It will contribute to our joint efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state," Dr Gargash said in an online session of the Asia Society, a New York-based think tank, on Thursday.
Officials in the UAE note that the accord stopped Israel's planned annexation of occupied Palestinian land, and did not represent a departure from support for the creation of a future, independent Palestinian state.
The UN assembly in normal years draws some 10,000 people from around the world. Yet this year it was attended only by representatives already based in New York. But that was unthinkable at a time when countries imposed strict entrance requirements to halt the spread of Covid-19, which has claimed more than 1 million lives.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
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Torque: 175Nm
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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.
Step by step
2070km to run
38 days
273,600 calories consumed
28kg of fruit
40kg of vegetables
45 pairs of running shoes
1 yoga matt
1 oxygen chamber
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
