David Chemla, the head of the anti-settlement group Peace Now in France, said that the survival of Israel "as a Jewish and democratic state depends on the creation of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state".
David Chemla, the head of the anti-settlement group Peace Now in France, said that the survival of Israel "as a Jewish and democratic state depends on the creation of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state".
David Chemla, the head of the anti-settlement group Peace Now in France, said that the survival of Israel "as a Jewish and democratic state depends on the creation of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state".
David Chemla, the head of the anti-settlement group Peace Now in France, said that the survival of Israel "as a Jewish and democratic state depends on the creation of a sovereign and viable Palestinia

European Jewish group calls on Israel to end settlement policy


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TEL AVIV // A new left-wing Jewish lobbying group in Europe calling for a stop to Israeli construction in the Palestinian territories has infuriated right-wing Israelis and could step up international pressure on the country's hardline government to end its settlement activity. JCall, which describes itself as the European J Street, the liberal, pro-Israel Jewish lobbying group that is based in Washington, was launched at the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday by unveiling a fast-growing online petition called "European Jewish Call for Reason".

According to the petition, signed by almost 4,000 European Jews, including prominent intellectuals, politicians and activists from such countries as France, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy, the Israeli government's "continuing pursuit of settlements in the West Bank and in the Arab districts of East Jerusalem is morally and politically wrong". The petition's organisers warned that such policies are feeding into the "delegitimisation process" that Israel is increasingly facing in Europe. The formation of the group, which includes some of Israel's most ardent defenders in Europe, indicates that opposition to the country's settlement activities is spreading even among Israel's Jewish backers abroad, and might threaten its relationship with European allies.

Bernard Henri-Lévy and Alain Finkielkraut, French philosophers who often speak out in support of Israel, such as during its devastating military attack on the Gaza Strip that ended in January 2009, are participants in the initiative. Others include Daniel Cohn-Bendit, an organiser of student demonstrations in the 1960s, and now at the leadership of the Greens in the European Parliament in Brussels, as well as former Israeli ambassadors to France and Germany.

Their initiative has spurred anger among right-wing Israelis. Michael Ben Ari, a legislator from Ichud Leumi, an ultra-nationalist, pro-settler party, accused JCall's participants of anti-Semitism. He added: "Self-hate did not help the intellectuals in Nazi-era Berlin. Instead of reproaching us, it's time that they pack their belongings and immigrate to their only homeland." Otniel Schneller, a right-leaning legislator from the opposition Kadima Party, warned that the new effort could "hurt the solidarity that world Jews share with Israel". He added: "Like J Street in the US, this new organisation wants to dictate to the Israeli public its future, and is a new and dangerous phenomenon ? with their actions, they are widening the rift between European Jews and Israel."

The new group has also drawn criticism from some Jewish organisations in Europe, especially in France, home to Europe's biggest Jewish population. Richard Prasquier, president of CRIF, the umbrella representative body of the Jewish community in France, declined to sign JCall's petition and criticised what he indicated was the group's meddling in Israel's internal affairs. In a piece published by Le Figaro newspaper, he wrote: "Do Israelis need the Jewish diaspora to know what is 'the right' decision, what should be the borders of the country that their sons and daughters are protecting?"

Prominent dovish figures in Israel, however, hailed the new bid. Yossi Sarid, a former cabinet minister, said in a column in Haaretz, a liberal Israeli newspaper, this week: "These are the people who seize every opportunity to defend Israel publicly and have remained faithful to her ? but they are now also running out of patience and their hearts are filled with sincere concern." Michael Warschawski, founder of the Jerusalem-based Alternative Information Centre, an Israeli-Palestinian activist organisation, said the growing criticism by prominent European Jews of the Israeli government is a "strong sign" of the country's increasing isolation in the international arena. In a posting on his group's website, he added: "The question is whether or not, and when, that message will be understood by Israeli public opinion.

"For the time being it seems that public opinion in Israel is no less deaf than the government." However, some left-wing activists in Israel and Europe criticised the fact that JCall stopped short of publicly acknowledging that Israeli settlements were illegal, according to international law and had also omitted any mention of the blockade that Israel has been imposing on the Gaza Strip, where 1.5 million Palestinians live.

JCall's leaders have stressed that they are acting in the interests of Israel, and urged the European Union to join the United States in putting pressure on the country, cautioning that "systematic support of Israeli government policy is dangerous and does not serve the true interests of the state of Israel". David Chemla, the head of the dovish, anti-settlement group Peace Now in France, said at the press conference that the survival of Israel "as a Jewish and democratic state depends on the creation of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state".

Elie Barnavi, a former Israeli ambassador to France who is a participant in JCall, added: "It is not enough to speak about a two-state solution. "It is also essential to implement it, and this will only begin with the end of the occupation." @Email:foreign.desk@thenational.ae

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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.”