US secretary of state John Kerry speaks to the European Union foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, during a phot session with other foreign ministers and representatives at Middle East peace conference in Paris on January 15, 2017. Bertrand Guay via AP
US secretary of state John Kerry speaks to the European Union foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, during a phot session with other foreign ministers and representatives at Middle East peace conference in Paris on January 15, 2017. Bertrand Guay via AP
US secretary of state John Kerry speaks to the European Union foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, during a phot session with other foreign ministers and representatives at Middle East peace conference in Paris on January 15, 2017. Bertrand Guay via AP
US secretary of state John Kerry speaks to the European Union foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, during a phot session with other foreign ministers and representatives at Middle East peace conf

Peace talks in Paris deliver warning to Israel and Trump


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  • Arabic

PARIS // Some 70 countries on Sunday warned Israel and the Palestinians against “unilateral steps” on Jerusalem and urged both sides to commit to a two-state solution.

The final communique of the Middle East peace conference held in Paris shied away explicitly from criticising plans by US president-elect Donald Trump to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, and said a new conference would be held by year-end for interested parties.

But France warned that such a move will have “serious consequences”.

Neither Israel nor the Palestinians attended the conference, which Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed as “futile”.

France called the gathering to reaffirm global support for a two-state solution to the seven-decade-old conflict, seen as increasingly elusive.

The Palestinians have warned that Mr Trump’s campaign pledge to move the US embassy to the contested city of Jerusalem could torpedo their chances of obtaining an independent state.

French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the move would have “extremely serious consequences” and predicted the incoming US leader would find it impossible to implement.

“When you are president of the United States, you cannot take such a stubborn and such a unilateral view on this issue. You have to try to create the conditions for peace,” he told France 3 TV.

The Palestinians regard Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel proclaims the entire city as its capital.

The status of the city is one of the thorniest issues in the conflict.

President Francois Hollande told the gathering that the prospect of two independent states coexisting side-by-side was “not the dream of yesterday’s system”.

“It remains the goal of the entire international community for the future,” Mr Hollande said.

Mr Netanyahu, who insists only direct talks with the Palestinians can bring peace, has dismissed the Paris meeting as “a last gasp of the past”.

On Sunday, he called it a futile exercise aimed at “imposing upon Israel conditions that are incompatible with our national needs”.

Both Mr Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas have been invited to meet with Mr Hollande to discuss the conclusions of the Paris talks.

Mr Abbas is expected to travel to Paris in the coming weeks but Mr Netanyahu has rejected the offer, French diplomats said.

The conference is mainly symbolic, but comes at a crucial juncture for the Middle East, five days before Mr Trump is sworn in as US president.

Mr Trump has said “there’s nobody more pro-Israeli than I am” and his choice for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is a hardliner who says he looks forward to working from “Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem”.

Israel, which is still seething over a critical UN resolution last month, fears the Paris meeting could produce measures hastily put to the Security Council before Mr Trump takes over.

The French have stressed they have no such plans.

US secretary of state John Kerry, who rebuked Israel recently over its settler activity, joined the Paris talks on his farewell tour, along with delegates from the UN, EU and Arab League.

A draft conference communique called on Israel and the Palestinians to reiterate their support for two states and to refrain from “unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations”.

On Saturday, Mr Abbas warned tensions could boil over if the US embassy was relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“Any attempts at legitimising the illegal Israeli annexation of the city will destroy the prospects of any political process, bury the hopes for a two-state solution, and fuel extremism in our region, as well as worldwide,” he said.

Tensions have spiralled recently following a wave of Palestinian attacks and inflammatory rhetoric on both sides.

Israeli-Palestinian efforts have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.

* Reuters and Agence France-­Presse

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler

Price, base / as tested Dh57,000

Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine

Transmission Six-speed gearbox

Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm

Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
The specs
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  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The biog

Favourite colour: Brown

Favourite Movie: Resident Evil

Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices

Favourite food: Pizza

Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon

Specs

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UAE gold medallists:

Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.

'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'

Director: Jason Reitman

Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace

Rating: 2/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi

“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
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Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

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Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

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Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets