The resolution will be one of outgoing US ambassador Nikki Haley’s last actions at the UN. AP
The resolution will be one of outgoing US ambassador Nikki Haley’s last actions at the UN. AP
The resolution will be one of outgoing US ambassador Nikki Haley’s last actions at the UN. AP
The resolution will be one of outgoing US ambassador Nikki Haley’s last actions at the UN. AP

US seeks to condemn Hamas by name in landmark UN resolution


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The United States will on Thursday ask the United Nations to explicitly condemn Hamas, the dominant Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip that has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, by name for the first time. 
The measure – one of outgoing American ambassador Nikki Haley's last actions at the body – has won EU backing, the American mission to the UN said in a statement.

Its main provision asks UN members to “condemn Hamas for repeatedly firing rockets into Israel and for inciting violence, thereby putting civilians at risk”, according to a draft text.

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Read more:

New US report on Gaza urges contingencies in case of Israel-Hamas war

The twin strategies of violence crippling Gaza

UN to vote on US measure condemning Hamas

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The resolution also demands that Hamas “and other militant actors including Palestinian Islamic Jihad cease all provocative actions and violent activity, including by using airborne incendiary devices”.

The latter is probably a reference to the firebomb balloons and kites that have been launched from Gaza, the Palestinian territory that Hamas controls along with Israel, across the border.

Palestinians in Gaza view the balloons and kites as legitimate resistance against Israel’s more than decade-long blockade. Israel says those releasing them are guilty of terrorism and has responded militarily.

Monica Grayley, spokeswoman for the president of the current UN General Assembly, told reporters on Monday the resolution would be put to a vote among its 193 members at 3pm local time on Thursday.

The US measure – a draft of which contains seven points – is likely to add to tension over the current lack of progress towards peace between Israel and Palestinians.

The chances of it passing through the General Assembly – which on Friday alone adopted six separate resolutions condemning Israel – look slim, despite the EU's agreement to support the US measure. Adoption would require 97 votes among member states. So-called non-aligned nations, which are a majority in the assembly, customarily follow the Palestinians’ lead in such votes.

Beyond its main two points, it also calls for “tangible steps towards intra-Palestinian reconciliation, including in support of the mediation efforts of Egypt, and concrete steps to reunite the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority and ensure its effective functioning in the Gaza Strip”.

The administration of US President Donald Trump, however, is largely seen as hostile towards Palestinians, having earlier this year broken historical convention by moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The US has also cut funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and closed the Palestine Liberation Organisation's mission in Washington.

The US is reportedly getting ready to release early next year its own plan to resolve the conflict, but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has already dismissed the unpublished proposals, saying America is no longer regarded as an honest broker.

Ms Haley, in her post throughout Mr Trump’s tenure, said that she would be leaving by the end of the year, in a surprise announcement in early October. She routinely railed against the UN’s treatment of Israel, but no successor has yet been named.

The resolution against Hamas would have been presented on Monday, but the Palestinian representative at the UN pushed for a delay, the US mission said.

Its statement added: “The issue before the United Nations on Thursday is not whether it supports one form or another of a Middle East peace plan. The issue is as plain as the resolution’s text. Each country will be asked to vote for or against the activities of Hamas, along with other militant groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad. If the UN cannot bring itself to adopt this resolution, then it has no business being involved in peace discussions.”

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

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Essentials

The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.

Leap of Faith

Michael J Mazarr

Public Affairs

Dh67
 

What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

Top financial tips for graduates

Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:

1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.

2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.

3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.

4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.

Syria squad

Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.

FIXTURES

All games 6pm UAE on Sunday: 
Arsenal v Watford
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Wolves
Crystal Palace v Tottenham
Everton v Bournemouth
Leicester v Man United
Man City v Norwich
Newcastle v Liverpool
Southampton v Sheffield United
West Ham v Aston Villa

Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt

Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure

Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers

Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised

Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels