Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
McLean, Virginia, is a Washington suburb that is home to some of the country's most elite decision makers, including senators, Supreme Court justices, CIA officials – and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Over the course of two weeks, women-led pro-Palestine protesters have turned Mr Blinken's gilded block of multimillion-dollar homes into a fake-bloodstained, concrete-barricaded campsite.
The residents of the affectionately named “Kibbutz Blinken” confront him day and night over his support for Israel, as the war in Gaza rages on.
“I wanted to know, Blinken, if we brought the settlement to you, are you completely OK with it?” Hazami Barmada, the Palestinian-Syrian-American who organised the protests, told The National on a chilly Thursday morning.
“American politicians and people in positions of power here are completely absolved of any consequences of their actions in their personal lives. They create these policies that create havoc … and they just leave their offices, go back to their lives and it's business as usual.
“So we wanted to bring this up close and personal, to his home.”
It's the fourteenth day of the camp-out and Mr Blinken is hours away from returning home from a failed Middle East trip during which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.
This “settlement” has evolved into a rather sophisticated operation: there are delegated clean-up responsibilities, signs reminding campers of city-mandated quiet hours, a kitchen tent with a functional stove and even portable toilets.
Every morning, at 7am, the women do their “wake-up call”, shouting at the house.
Huda Suliman is in the kitchen tent on morning coffee duty, heating it up over the portable stove top and unwrapping breakfast sandwiches brought by donors and fellow protesters.
Nadine Seiler is reminding others not to cross over the street line to disrupt the morning commuter traffic.
“They are looking for any reason to shut us down,” she says.
These women know – and follow – the law well. The relationship with police seems relatively friendly – when the patrol arrives later, they offer them doughnuts.
There are moments of hostility with drivers, who sometimes pass just centimetres away from the protesters.
An older white man in a convertible screams: “Hamas are scum!”
A middle-aged white woman shouts, “you need to get the [expletive] out of here” as she quickly speeds by.
But the vast majority of the response to the demonstration in this affluent suburban community has been surprisingly supportive.
Not five minutes go by without passing cars honking their horns and throwing peace signs out their windows. One man rolls down his window to yell out a thank-you while another slows down to wave and say “salam alaykoum”.
Protesters say some of Mr Blinken's neighbours have expressed frustration with blocked driveways or Ubers pulling in to drop off more demonstrators.
Latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures
But most have been accommodating, even offering direct support to the camp, protester Atefeh Rokhvand says, including one who baked them an apple pie.
Others have been donating supplies like shoes and socks, including after a heavy rainstorm in which the campsite flooded, says Ms Barmada, wiping away tears.
“Because we have the ability for people to come and bring us things and show us love and show us affection and show us compassion, but the people in Gaza don't.”
Those moments of cold and rain, Ms Barmada says, reinforce the reason they are doing this.
“On the same evening our tents flooded, I opened my social media and saw that tents in Gaza were flooding and they had nowhere to go,” she explains. “They had no blankets. They had no food, they had no supplies.
“It's kind of emotional whiplash, because on one hand you feel empowered. And on the other hand, you feel useless.”
But the secretary and his family haven't taken the protests lying down.
Mr Blinken and his wife Evan Ryan, also an administration official working in the White House, progressively built up security around their home as protests continued.
During The National's visit, they took measures with implications for the whole county: their entire road, a major commuter hub, was temporarily blocked off on Thursday afternoon so the city could install concrete barriers.
As Kibbutz Blinken resettled their tents to accommodate, they say the development actually boosted their morale.
“This makes us safe, it adds space for signage and proves that they are bothered,” Ms Barmada says.
Pro-Palestine protesters shut down busy bridge in San Francisco – video
That's also when Bawadi, a local Palestinian restaurant, arrived with meals.
A restaurant employee who had seen the developments unfolding on social media walked up the road, circumventing the police blockade, with meals in hand, ready to feed the campsite.
Many members of the restaurant owner's family were killed by Israeli bombs in Gaza.
One of Mr Blinken's neighbours and her two children also brought bags of food.
“We're so sorry this is all happening,” the neighbour told Ms Barmada as city workers put up the concrete walls.
But one issue that has been a particular point of controversy is what the ongoing protest, which has included constant shouts of “Bloody Blinken”, has meant for the two young children in Mr Blinken's family, aged three and five.
Protesters say that the family had asked them, through law enforcement, to stop screaming when the children were in cars driving by.
“They literally said to us, can we agree that a three and a five-year-old are not collateral damage,” Ms Barmada says.
“Do you understand the irony of what you're saying to me? Because we are here because three and five-year-olds [in Gaza] are collateral damage.
“You are concerned about the peace and tranquillity of your children. That is the definition of hypocrisy.”
Motherhood is an inescapable theme in this war and colours Ms Barmada's acts of solidarity for the Palestinians in Gaza.
She has a 15-month-old son and for her, October 7 marked a turning point.
“For a long time, the Palestinian identity even for me was something that – I wouldn't say I'm ashamed of it. I'm very proud to be Palestinian, but I contained my identity and was very particular about where I would choose to be proudly Palestinian,” she explains.
“On the seventh of October, when I saw the visceral and horrendous response, that was completely disproportionate, but also the dehumanisation of Palestinians, I said: my son is Palestinian. How am I going to be telling him to be proud of who he is if I can't step into the full reality of who I am?
“And something in me broke.”
Womanhood is also a major theme of this particular protest – Ms Seiler says it's “no coincidence” that Kibbutz Blinken's residents are all women of colour.
Some, like Ms Rokhvand, are in-between jobs but were urged by family and friends to take part.
“My husband wants me to be here. And I know it's a privilege to be able to be here,” she says.
“Obviously it's a little bit harder being on one income right now, but he's like, go represent our family. That is his contribution, being supportive, keeping the roof over our heads.”
Others say the experience is changing their relationship with the expectations of womanhood, too.
“Some of these actions, they kind of helped us to not be scared and be loud and take up space. [Mr Blinken and his security] try to intimidate us,” says Ms Suliman.
That takes on a particular meaning for the camp's visibly Muslim women.
“For us, growing up in America, we kind of were like, we're going to be nice. We're going to be super smiley … and it's like, look where that got us,” says Ms Rokhvand.
“I'm going to be unapologetic … If you want to call me a terrorist for wanting peace and wanting a ceasefire, and wanting to stop bombing, that says more about you than it does about me.”
The residents of Kibbutz Blinken, many of them strangers before becoming neighbours, say this is a community that will stay in tact long after the tents come down.
But, they emphasise, there's a long way to go before that happens.
Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
ICC Intercontinental Cup
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed
Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2
UAE v Afghanistan, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Ireland v Scotland, Dubai International Stadium
Namibia v Netherlands, ICC Academy, Dubai
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company%20Profile
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HOW TO WATCH
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RIDE%20ON
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Day 3 stumps
New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 366Nm
Price: Dh200,000
Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
Company%C2%A0profile
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The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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RACE CARD AND SELECTIONS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
The National selections
5pm: RB Hot Spot
5.30pm: Dahess D’Arabie
6pm: Taamol
6.30pm: Rmmas
7pm: RB Seqondtonone
7.30pm: AF Mouthirah
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Russia v Scotland, Thursday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
RESULTS
Time; race; prize; distance
4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)
4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed
5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
Results
2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Mezmar, Adam McLean (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m; Winner: AF Ajwad, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Gold Silver, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
4pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m; Winner: Atrash, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez.
4.30pm: Gulf Cup Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Momtaz, Saif Al Balushi, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Al Mushtashar, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
