Israel and Iran: masters of the art of stalling



For all their foaming-at-the-mouth antipathy towards each other, Israel and Iran share one thing in common: they have perfected the art of stalling. Today, the delays and evasions of the Middle East's two most formidable powers hold the region in thrall.

It was no surprise that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, seemed content after his meeting with Barack Obama, the US president, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, yesterday in New York. Even the Obama administration acknowledged beforehand that the meeting would probably not produce any results. Instead, Ian Kelly, a state department spokesman, noted tepidly that the talks would "advance our efforts towards our ultimate goal" and would show that Mr Obama "is personally engaged in the effort". Mr Netanyahu could rest easily.

In fact, the Israeli leader's satisfaction represents another victory for delay diplomacy, which has succeeded in defying the Obama administration over Jewish settlements in the West Bank and once again staved off pressure for peace talks with the Palestinians. For a time after Mr Netanyahu took office in March, it did not appear that the usual Israeli stalling tactics would prevail. First, the Israeli premier tried to change the subject, saying the principal issue facing the world was Iran's nuclear ambitions.

When the shifting-the-goalposts gambit failed to keep Washington at bay, Mr Netanyahu turned to another manoeuvre in Israel's diplomatic playbook. Through aides, he complained that Mr Obama was applying more pressure on West Bank settlements than his government could bear. Since then, the my-government-is-too-fragile-to-make-concessions stall has been coupled, with considerable success, to another oft-used talking point, this one suggesting that US and Palestinian attempts to hold Israel to the commitments it made regarding settlements in the 2003 "road map" peace plan were counterproductive, even cruel.

This week, for instance, The New York Times quoted an unnamed "top Israeli official" as saying that the Palestinians should not object to the construction of kindergartens or other new public buildings inside existing settlements because if those communities are ultimately transferred to the Palestinians, those buildings would go to them. It was a particularly polished example of diplomatic spin. For one thing, it suggested that Palestinians were undermining their own self-interest by demanding that Israel live up to its pledges regarding settlements. For another, it intimated that Palestinians were against children and education.

The tactic - at once trivialising, sensationalising and disparaging - was nothing new. In 2004, George W Bush asked Ariel Sharon why Israel was violating its commitments on settlement growth. Mr Sharon reportedly replied: "What do you expect me to do - to ask the settlers' wives to have abortions?" Even Mr Bush, the closest friend Israel has had in Washington in years, was said to have been stunned.

Perhaps the most effective stall in the Israeli diplomatic playbook leading up to yesterday's meeting was the suggestion that inherent weaknesses in Palestinian society make them ineligible and undeserving of statehood. Final status talks, therefore, are a waste of time. The most frequently cited example is the divided rule of the Palestinian territories. From the trivial to the ingenious, the goal of the stalling tactics by Israel's political establishment is simple, Palestinians say. While it publicly professes to support the formation of a Palestinian state and have its hand perennially "extended in peace", it continues inexorably to make conditions for such a state all but impossible.

According to sceptics about official pronouncements out of Tehran, the goal of Iran's stalling tactics over its nuclear programme also is simple. By dawdling on the dance floors of various international institutions such as the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency, they say, Tehran is buying time to complete the uranium enrichment process and build a nuclear weapon. Upon completing a bomb, it will unveil its membership in the nuclear club and dare the world to expel it.

Tehran is simply denying the existence, as it were, of the goalposts: it has proposed a meeting agenda that seems to include everything but its uranium enrichment activities. Along with the US shuttle diplomacy that is expected to follow yesterday's meeting in New York, the coming weeks will determine whether Iran and Israel can continue the delay game, which is slowly paralysing the region. Owing to the power of his office, Mr Obama may be the one person who can stop the game, change the rules and relieve the region of two predicaments that have drawn it into the mire. With Cairo a faded memory, the day of reckoning for the US president appears to be drawing near.

Mr Obama already has said there will have to be an "assessment" of Tehran's position by the end of the year. But with his hopes for health care reform and re-election lurking in the back of his mind, what will he stake in a showdown with Iran, let alone Israel? To complicate matters further, Israel's own atomic arsenal is a factor in the Iranian nuclear debate. Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, indicated last week that Israel's arsenal would not be included in any regional disarmament discussion. In a variant on the they-aren't-ready-for-primetime theme, Mr Barak said the Muslim world must first "behave like Western Europe".

With confrontation looming, there persists the hope - at least among some in Israel - that the US president will cease to be a factor at all and that the delay game will be able to continue apace. "My right-wing friends say Obama is getting weaker, and soon they'll find out that he wasn't even born in the US," one Israeli recently confided. cnelson@thenational.ae

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Kanye%20West
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
MATCH INFO

New Zealand 176-8 (20 ovs)

England 155 (19.5 ovs)

New Zealand win by 21 runs

THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS

Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.

Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.

Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.

Men's football draw

Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica

Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea

Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA

Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
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Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

Generation Start-up: Awok company profile

Started: 2013

Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev

Sector: e-commerce

Size: 600 plus

Stage: still in talks with VCs

Principal Investors: self-financed by founder

RESULTS

Tottenham 1

Jan Vertonghen 13'

Norwich 1

Josip Drmic 78'

2-3 on penalties

McIlroy's recent struggles

Last six stroke-play events (First round score in brackets)

Arnold Palmer Invitational Tied for 4th (74)

The US Masters Tied for 7th (72)

The Players Championship Tied for 35th (73)

US Open Missed the cut (78)

Travellers Championship Tied for 17th (67)

Irish Open Missed the cut (72)

Brief scores:

Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf

Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)

Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17

Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)

Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40

Scoreline

Ireland 16 (Tries: Stockdale Cons: Sexton Pens: Sexton 3)

New Zealand 9 (Pens: Barrett 2 Drop Goal: Barrett)