Silhouette sculptures of Israeli soldiers are pictured next to a sign for tourists showing the respective distances to Damascus and Baghdad from an army post on Mount Bental in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. AFP Photo
Silhouette sculptures of Israeli soldiers are pictured next to a sign for tourists showing the respective distances to Damascus and Baghdad from an army post on Mount Bental in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. AFP Photo
Silhouette sculptures of Israeli soldiers are pictured next to a sign for tourists showing the respective distances to Damascus and Baghdad from an army post on Mount Bental in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. AFP Photo
Silhouette sculptures of Israeli soldiers are pictured next to a sign for tourists showing the respective distances to Damascus and Baghdad from an army post on Mount Bental in the Israeli-annexed Gol

US President Donald Trump calls for full recognition of 'Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights'


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Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted that the US should recognise Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights, despite international law underpinned by UN resolutions.

The decision follows a lobbying campaign by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days.

Israel seized the territory from Syria in the Middle East War of 1967 and later annexed it.

The US leader said the territory was of "critical strategic and security importance" to Israel and the Middle East.

Mr Trump's comments gained much support from Republicans, but less so from Democrats. Republican senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, who previously ran against Mr Trump for the party's presidential nomination, both supported Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

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WATCH: The Golan Heights explained:

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The American Jewish Committee warmly received Mr Trump's comments, saying: “We welcome President Trump’s recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which acknowledges the history of the region and the facts on the ground. The events in Syria have proven that the entire region is safer with Israel in control of this territory.”

Days before Mr Trump made the tweet about the contested territory, the US State Department described the area as "Israeli-controlled" rather than "Israeli-occupied" in the latest edition of its Global Human Rights Report.

For the second year, the report did not use the word "occupied" in sections relating to the West Bank and Gaza.

Officials at the State Department said it was not a policy change because the report focuses on human rights, not legal issues.

Many UN resolutions have declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories to be illegal.

UN Resolution 2334 adopted in 2016 stated that Israeli settlement activity was a breach of international law and had no legal validity.

Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, was visiting Israel when Mr Trump posted his tweet.

Mr Pompeo became the first person in his position to go to Jerusalem's holiest places, including the Western Wall, in the company of an Israeli prime minister.

Mr Trump's announcement angered Palestinian officials, who accuse the US administration of bias in its approach to contested areas.

Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestine Liberation Organisation spokesman, said it would sow further instability.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO’s executive committee, said that “complicity in Israeli crimes is criminal”.

US officials have in the past spent time at Jerusalem's Western Wall unaccompanied by Israeli officials, to avoid appearing as if they recognise Israel’s rule over the area.

US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after delivering a speech in Jerusalem. Mr Trump announced on Twitter it was time for the United States to recognise the Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. AFP
US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after delivering a speech in Jerusalem. Mr Trump announced on Twitter it was time for the United States to recognise the Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. AFP

“I think it’s symbolic that a senior American official go there with the Prime Minister of Israel," Mr Pompeo said in Jerusalem on Thursday. "It’s a place that’s important for many faiths."

Mr Netanyahu quickly recognised Mr Trump’s announcement.

“At a time when Iran seeks to use Syria as a platform to destroy Israel, President Trump boldly recognises Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Thank you President Trump,” he tweeted minutes after Mr Trump's post.

While Mr Pompeo did not directly mention the Golan Heights, the Israeli leader, who is fighting a general election campaign, used the visit as a platform for the decision.

Mr Pompeo was given Israeli intelligence briefings on efforts by Lebanese militia Hezbollah to establish positions in Syrian-controlled parts of the Golan from which to threaten Israel.

Israeli Druzes sit together watching the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in July 2018. Reuters
Israeli Druzes sit together watching the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in July 2018. Reuters

Bloomberg reported that in light of Mr Trump's announcement, a slew of Democrat politicians have confirmed that they would not attend the AIPAC, a conference organised America's pro-Israel lobby.

Since coming to office, Mr Trump has moved the US Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The decision last year has prompted weekly Friday protests on the Gaza Strip.

Mr Trump also stopped funding the UN aid agency supporting Palestine.

This month the US State Department said it would merge its Palestinian mission with the Israeli embassy. It also closed Palestine's office in Washington.

Mr Trump will host Mr Netanyahu at the White House next Monday and Tuesday.

Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes. 
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com

History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

if you go

The flights

Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes. 

The hotels

Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes. 

When to visit

March-May and September-November

Visas

Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.

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A State of Passion

Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

Rating: 4/5

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Transmission: seven-speed auto

Power: 420 bhp

Torque: 624Nm

Price: from Dh293,200

On sale: now

If you go

The flights

Fly direct to London from the UAE with Etihad, Emirates, British Airways or Virgin Atlantic from about Dh2,500 return including taxes. 

The hotel

Rooms at the convenient and art-conscious Andaz London Liverpool Street cost from £167 (Dh800) per night including taxes.

The tour

The Shoreditch Street Art Tour costs from £15 (Dh73) per person for approximately three hours. 

While you're here
MATCH INFO

Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')

Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')

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

Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')

Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')

Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)