NAZARETH // Hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces across East Jerusalem yesterday in the worst rioting in years, after Hamas called for a "day of rage".
Police fired rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at protesters who hurled stones and set up barricades with rubbish bins and burning tyres.
In one neighbourhood, Israeli police officers disguised as protesters wrestled demonstrators to the ground and handcuffed them. Sixteen Palestinians were taken to hospital with broken bones, eye and stomach injuries, and dozens more were treated on the spot, according to the emergency services. Sixty Palestinians were arrested.
Amid the violence, the Israeli government remained defiant in the face of mounting US anger at the diplomatic crisis created by Israel's approval of 1,600 homes for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem.
Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister said there was no reason to "get hysterical" about falling out with the United States, and that it was unreasonable to "forbid Jews from building in the east of the city or from buying land there".
His remarks came as Peace Now, an Israeli peace group, brought to light the approval of a further 309 settler homes in East Jerusalem. In recent days Israeli activists have leaked data suggesting as many as 50,000 homes in East Jerusalem are in the planning pipeline.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, demanded yesterday that Israel prove its commitment to the peace process, though she brushed aside suggestions that US-Israel relations were in crisis. She called the bonds between the two countries "close" and "unshakeable".
The White House spokesman Robert Gibbs yesterday reiterated the sentiment: "[The dispute] does not break the unbreakable bond that we have with the Israeli government and the Israeli people on their security."
However, in a sign of the deepening rift, George Mitchell, the US special peace envoy, cancelled his departure to Israel due on Monday, despite intense lobbying by Israel of the White House to reverse the decision.
Mr Mitchell had been due to arrive in the region yesterday to kickstart so-called "proximity talks" between Israel and the Palestinians that have been plunged into crisis by Israel's construction plans for East Jerusalem.
Officially, the cancellation was blamed on "logistical problems". But according to reports in both the US and Israeli media, Mr Mitchell's visit will be put on hold until the White House has received Israeli agreement to key demands that were set out by Mrs Clinton in a phone conversation with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Friday.
"We want to make sure that we have the commitment from both sides that, when he [Mr Mitchell] travels, we can make progress," a US state department spokesman, PJ Crowley, told reporters.
Israel was expected to provide an answer yesterday to the conditions, which are reported to include reversing its building plans in East Jerusalem, making a "substantial gesture" to the Palestinians, and declaring that all the core issues of the conflict, including Jerusalem, will be included in the forthcoming talks.
The demands are said to have been issued by Barack Obama, the US president.
Instead, Mr Mitchell will probably fly to Moscow on Friday for a meeting of the Quartet of Middle East peace brokers - the United States, the EU, the UN and Russia. Ban Ki-moon, the head of the UN, said Israeli construction in East Jerusalem would be on the agenda of the quartet's discussions.
Despite intensifying pressure, Mr Netanyahu and senior government ministers have given every appearance of treating the diplomatic stand-off as a passing spat.
Israeli officials told the Haaretz newspaper yesterday that Mr Netanyahu had no plans to cancel a scheduled trip to the United States on Sunday to address the annual conference of Aipac, the most powerful pro-Israel lobby group in Washington.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has done little to ease the strains.
On Sunday it reproached Mr Obama for what it called the administration's "escalated rhetoric" and called for the demands on Israel to be withdrawn.
According to a report yesterday in The Washington Post, US officials regard Mr Netanyahu's resolution of the crisis a test of his commitment to better relations. "We have to have guarantees that these kinds of things will not happen again," a senior official was reported as saying.
However, in an interview with Israel Radio yesterday, Mr Lieberman suggested Israel was in no mood for concessions. "The challenge for the government is to withstand the pressures exerted upon it," he said. The Palestinians were "looking for excuses to threaten Israel".
Mr Netanyahu has appeared to harden his stance since he apologised last week for the "unfortunate timing" of the announcement - during the visit of Joe Biden, the US vice president - that 1,600 homes would be built in Ramat Shlomo, a religious Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.
The Israeli ambassador in Washington, Michael Oren, was reported on Sunday to address concerned Israeli diplomats based in the United States that, as a result, Israel was facing the worst crisis in its relations with Washington in 35 years.
But Mr Netanyahu remained defiant on Monday as he addressed a meeting of his Likud Party: "Building everywhere in Jerusalem will continue as it has over the past 42 years."
In a speech hours later, he reiterated that Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem - or neighbourhoods, as he called them - would remain part of Israel in any future peace talks with the Palestinians. "Forming these neighbourhoods did not harm the Arabs of East Jerusalem in any way and they were not built at their expense."
East Jerusalem, which has been annexed to Israel in violation of international law, is home to 200,000 Jewish settlers.
The settlements are widely seen as destroying hopes for peace because the Palestinians demand East Jerusalem as the capital of any future state.
Mr Netanyahu has received backing from all 30 ministers in his cabinet, including Ehud Barak, leader of the avowedly left-wing Labor Party.
Mr Barak told his own faction only that the government "must work to ensure that the crisis will be forgotten and the talks will get back on track".
Sources close to Tzipi Livni, leader of the large opposition party, Kadima, told the daily Jerusalem Post newspaper yesterday that she too was behind Mr Netanyahu's stance on construction in East Jerusalem. In a minor indication of caution on the prime minister's part, however, he dissuaded hawks in his party from holding a meeting tomorrow at which they were due to advance a resolution publicly requiring Likud legislators to vote against extending the 10-month settlement freeze after it ends on September 25.
The freeze, part of an agreement with the United States made in November, was only partial, with East Jerusalem excluded from the deal and exemptions for thousands of buildings already under construction in the West Bank.
The 309 new settler homes given approval in East Jerusalem will be located in Neve Yaakov. The announcement, Peace Now said, had been published on a government website last Friday but only publicised yesterday.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,200 metres
Winner: Jabalini, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Younis Kalbani (trainer)
5.30pm: UAE Arabian Derby (PA) | Prestige | Dh150,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Octave, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round 3 (PA) | Group 3 Dh300,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Harrab, Richard Mullen, Mohamed Ali
6.30pm: Emirates Championship (PA) | Group 1 | Dh1million | 2,200m
Winner: BF Mughader, Szczepan Mazur, Younis Al Kalbani
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (TB) | Group 3 | Dh380,000 | 2,200m
Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) | Conditions | Dh70,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF La’Asae, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
Sweet Tooth
Creator: Jim Mickle
Starring: Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Stefania LaVie Owen
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: Single front-axle electric motor
Power: 218hp
Torque: 330Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 402km (claimed)
Price: From Dh215,000 (estimate)
On sale: September
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
Sukuk
An Islamic bond structured in a way to generate returns without violating Sharia strictures on prohibition of interest.
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
SPEC SHEET: APPLE IPHONE 14 PRO MAX
Display: 6.7" Super Retina XDR OLED, 2796 x 1290, 460ppi, 120Hz, 2000 nits max, HDR, True Tone, P3, always-on
Processor: A16 Bionic, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 6GB
Capacity: 128/256/512GB / 1TB
Platform: iOS 16
Main camera: Triple 48MP main (f/1.78) + 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) + 12MP telephoto (f/2.8), 6x optical, 15x digital, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Portrait Lighting
Main camera video: 4K @ 24/25/30/60fps, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps, HD @ 30fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps, ProRes (4K) @ 30fps; night, time lapse, cinematic, action modes; Dolby Vision, 4K HDR
Front camera: 12MP TrueDepth (f/1.9), Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Portrait Lighting; Animoji, Memoji
Front camera video: 4K @ 24/25/30/60fps, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps, ProRes (4K) @ 30fps; night, time lapse, cinematic, action modes; Dolby Vision, 4K HDR
Battery: 4323mAh, up to 29h video, 25h streaming video, 95h audio; fast charge to 50% in 30min; MagSafe, Qi wireless charging
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC (Apple Pay)
Biometrics: Face ID
I/O: Lightning
Durability: IP68, dust/splash/water resistant up to 6m up to 30min
Cards: Dual eSIM / eSIM + eSIM (US models use eSIMs only)
Colours: Deep purple, gold, silver, space black
In the box: iPhone 14 Pro Max, USB-C-to-Lightning cable, one Apple sticker
Price: Dh4,699 / Dh5,099 / Dh5,949 / Dh6,799
Leaderboard
15 under: Paul Casey (ENG)
-14: Robert MacIntyre (SCO)
-13 Brandon Stone (SA)
-10 Laurie Canter (ENG) , Sergio Garcia (ESP)
-9 Kalle Samooja (FIN)
-8 Thomas Detry (BEL), Justin Harding (SA), Justin Rose (ENG)
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Mascotte Health
Started: 2023
Based: Miami, US
Founder: Bora Hamamcioglu
Sector: Online veterinary service provider
Investment stage: $1.2 million raised in seed funding
The specs
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 646hp
Torque: 830Nm
Transmission: Two-speed auto (rear axle); single-speed auto (front)
Price: From Dh552,311; Dh660,408 (as tested)
On sale: now
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
WITHIN SAND
Director: Moe Alatawi
Starring: Ra’ed Alshammari, Adwa Fahd, Muhand Alsaleh
Rating: 3/5
NEW ARRIVALS
Benjamin Mendy (Monaco) - £51.75m (Dh247.94m)
Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur) - £45.9m
Bernardo Silva (Monaco) - £45m
Ederson Moraes (Benfica) - £36m
Danilo (Real Madrid) - £27m
Douglas Luiz (Vasco de Gama) - £10.8m
The Specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 118hp
Torque: 149Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Price: From Dh61,500
On sale: Now
The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
$3.6 million led by Global Ventures
The specs
Powertrain: Single electric motor
Power: 201hp
Torque: 310Nm
Transmission: Single-speed auto
Battery: 53kWh lithium-ion battery pack (GS base model); 70kWh battery pack (GF)
Touring range: 350km (GS); 480km (GF)
Price: From Dh129,900 (GS); Dh149,000 (GF)
On sale: Now
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m; Winner: Faiza, Sandro Paiva (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Greeley, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi.
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Marzaga, Jim Crowley, Ana Mendez.
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Jawaal, Jim Crowley, Majed Al Jahouri.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Ashras, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi.
Fight Night
FIGHT NIGHT
Four title fights:
Amir Khan v Billy Dib - WBC International title
Hughie Fury v Samuel Peter - Heavyweight co-main event
Dave Penalosa v Lerato Dlamini - WBC Silver title
Prince Patel v Michell Banquiz - IBO World title
Six undercard bouts:
Michael Hennessy Jr v Abdul Julaidan Fatah
Amandeep Singh v Shakhobidin Zoirov
Zuhayr Al Qahtani v Farhad Hazratzada
Lolito Sonsona v Isack Junior
Rodrigo Caraballo v Sajid Abid
Ali Kiydin v Hemi Ahio
Forced Deportations
While the Lebanese government has deported a number of refugees back to Syria since 2011, the latest round is the first en-mass campaign of its kind, say the Access Center for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization which monitors the conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
“In the past, the Lebanese General Security was responsible for the forced deportation operations of refugees, after forcing them to sign papers stating that they wished to return to Syria of their own free will. Now, the Lebanese army, specifically military intelligence, is responsible for the security operation,” said Mohammad Hasan, head of ACHR.
In just the first four months of 2023 the number of forced deportations is nearly double that of the entirety of 2022.
Since the beginning of 2023, ACHR has reported 407 forced deportations – 200 of which occurred in April alone.
In comparison, just 154 people were forcfully deported in 2022.
Violence
Instances of violence against Syrian refugees are not uncommon.
Just last month, security camera footage of men violently attacking and stabbing an employee at a mini-market went viral. The store’s employees had engaged in a verbal altercation with the men who had come to enforce an order to shutter shops, following the announcement of a municipal curfew for Syrian refugees.
“They thought they were Syrian,” said the mayor of the Nahr el Bared municipality, Charbel Bou Raad, of the attackers.
It later emerged the beaten employees were Lebanese. But the video was an exemplary instance of violence at a time when anti-Syrian rhetoric is particularly heated as Lebanese politicians call for the return of Syrian refugees to Syria.
SHAITTAN
Director: Vikas Bahl
Starring: Ajay Devgn, R. Madhavan, Jyothika, Janaki Bodiwala
Rating: 3/5