At his goodbye party in November, the EU foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, made a diplomatic gesture that received little attention at the time but meant a lot to Palestinians.
Mr Borrell received copies of the mission letters of the new Palestinian ambassador, Amal Jadou, in a symbolic gesture of support for the Palestinian diplomatic profile at the heart of Europe.
That was a change in protocol and in keeping with Mr Borrell's public frustration over the EU's passive position on the Israel-Gaza war. Palestinian ambassadors did not usually hand over their letters to such high-ranking EU officials.
Palestine is recognised as a fully-fledged state by a minority of the EU's 27 countries. But the gesture paved the way six months later for Ms Jadou to become the first Palestinian ambassador in Brussels to present her credentials to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
The event, which included 10 other ambassadors from countries ranging from Egypt to Colombia, took place on May 20 − the same day that the bloc announced it would launch a review of its relations with Israel. Backed by 17 countries out of 27, it was an important move triggered by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“We see the shift,” an Arab diplomatic source told The National. “It's too late. It's too little. But we are happy something is happening.”
"This is a major change in EU dynamics on the Gaza crisis," said Martin Konecny, director of the European Middle East Project think tank in Brussels. "Even countries with right-wing governments that have backed Israel so far are now becoming ready to put EU pressure on their ally."
Diplomatic boost
Letters of credence are a diplomatic tradition that signal the start of formal relations between an envoy and the leadership of the country they work in. It “highlights the importance of international dialogue and the EU’s commitment to fostering co-operation with countries around the world,” according to the European Council.
The Palestinian mission described its participation in the ceremony as representing “an advanced step in consolidating diplomatic relations between the State of Palestine and the European Union”.
Palestinian ambassadors normally hand over their letters of credence to the chief of protocol of the European External Action Service, the equivalent of the EU's foreign affairs ministry, unlike normal states. Those states give them to the EU's presidents − Mr Costa and Ms von der Leyen. But Palestinians had been requesting an upgrade, which they view as reciprocity. The EU ambassador to Palestine always gives his letters of credence to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
This year, the change in protocol in Brussels was backed by Mr Costa. This mirrors practices by a number of EU countries such as Luxembourg and Belgium to upgrade their diplomatic relations with Palestinian officials.
“The current political context and the EU’s commitment to the two state solution were clearly on Mr Costa's mind," an EU diplomatic source said. "It is a symbolic gesture, but a strong political message of support toward the recognition of the State of Palestine.”
This upgrade in diplomatic relations with Palestinians comes against a backdrop of increased diplomatic isolation of Israel, 19 months into the Gaza war. Israel's ambassador to the EU, Haim Regev, on Thursday warned of a “diplomatic erosion”. “Europe is seeing horrific images and struggling to deal with them. The support we had at the beginning of the war is no longer there,” Mr Regev said, quoted by The Times of Israel.
The most recent high-level diplomatic meeting between the EU and Israel took place in February, after a three-year suspension, in a move that “highlighted a positive light on Israel-EU relations”, an Israeli diplomatic source told The National.
'Challenging times'
“We are examining the current developments following the last foreign affairs council,” they said, in a reference to the May 20 meeting when the review of relations was announced by Mr Borrell's successor, Kaja Kallas.
“We believe that despite the current challenges, the dialogue between Israel and the EU will continue to be constructive and reflective of the deep relations and shared values between both parties,” added the Israeli diplomat.
The launch of the review may lead to a proposal to partly or fully suspend the EU-Israel association agreement, which could heavily impact trade relations between the two parties. However, such a proposal, before it is submitted to a vote to the 27 EU countries, must be greenlit by Ms von der Leyen. Widely viewed as Brussels' most powerful official, Ms von der Leyen, a former German minister, is known to be against a review.
In another important diplomatic move that may affect the EU's work on the Israel-Palestine conflict, on May 20 it announced the appointment of former French ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot as special envoy for Middle East Peace Process. He replaces Dutch lawyer Sven Koopmans. The EU's long-standing policy is to support the establishment of a Palestinian state, but recognition is off the table for a number of states, including Germany and Italy.
Mr Bigot, who will take up his duties on June 2, recently served as director of the Africa and Indian Ocean department at the French Foreign Affairs Ministry and director of strategy for France's external intelligence agency, the DGSE.
In the 1990s, his first posting abroad was in Beirut, and he later worked as adviser to socialist foreign affairs minister Bernard Kouchner. “France supported his nomination as we always do when French diplomats are nominated in multilateral institutions,” French diplomatic sources said.
Mr Bigot is scheduled to travel to Israel and Palestine in late June as part of his role focusing on a two-state solution, as France is preparing to co-host a major conference in New York with Saudi Arabia.
France's intention to recognise Palestinian statehood has been heavily criticised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Relations between Europe and Israel further soured this week after the murder of two Israeli embassy officials in Washington, which Israeli leaders have blamed on the support for Palestinian statehood by some Europeans.
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Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
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Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
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Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
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2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
