The travel bans imposed by various Gulf countries on Lebanon due to regional instabilities have drawn strong support from Arabic-language commentators.
Writing in the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al Awsat, Abdel Rahman Al Rashed said that following moves against Hizbollah initiated by Saudi Arabia, some observers seemed to believe that Hizbollah represented the Lebanese people as a whole.
“One must recall that those who assassinated [former prime minister] Rafiq Hariri, according to the results of international investigations, were members of Hizbollah. They killed him as they have killed a number of Lebanese symbols who dared to stand up to the Iranian camp – that is Hizbollah and the Assad regime [in Syria],” he wrote.
Al Rashed noted that Hizbollah had also killed ministers such as Mohammad Shatah and Basil Fleihan, military leaders including Gen Francois Al Hajj and top security officials. The party had also killed intellectuals such as George Hawi and prominent young Christian MP Pierre Gemayel, the son of the Phalange Party leader Amine Gemayel who had dared to challenge them.
The list also included the writer Samir Kassir and the editor-in-chief of Annahar newspaper, Gibran Tueni, who often wrote against Hizbollah, and Bashar Al Assad, demanding the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.
“When the militia of [Hizbollah leader] Hassan Nasrallah invaded the Sunni areas of west Beirut six years ago, killing many people and destroying their property, Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Druze, took a stand against the party. Hizbollah factions retaliated by attacking Druze areas in Mount Lebanon, killing 46 people.”
Al Rashed noted that Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea was one of the bravest in standing against Hizbollah, and that even many Shia had protested against the movement’s intervention in Syria.
“My historical exposé is addressed to those who seem to mix up the Lebanese people with Hizbollah. The majority of the Lebanese people wish to be rid of Hizbollah, its ideology and its militia, for internal reasons that are not related to Saudi Arabia or Syria.
“Hizbollah has created a state of fear, caused the exodus of hundreds and thousands and repelled investors.”
He cited the Downtown Beirut project, which began 20 years ago and had been deliberately sabotaged by Hizbollah “at every opportunity”.
Al Rashed said that the decision of Saudi Arabia to withdraw its support for the Lebanese army was justified. The role of the army was to strengthen state institutions in the face of extremist organisations such as Hizbollah and ISIL, but army leaders in Lebanon were powerless to do so.
“I do not imagine that Saudi Arabia would abandon supporting the forces that stand against Hizbollah, nor will it impede dealings with the Lebanese who have nothing to do with the party,” he concluded.
In the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, columnist Rashid Saleh Al Araimi noted that the UAE was one of the first to align with Saudi Arabia in its stand, as it often warned about the dangers presented by militias that do not recognise states or their interests.
Those warnings made no distinction between Sunni and Shiite militias “for all are equal when it comes to the destruction of nations and peoples”.
Al Araimi concluded: “Will the Lebanese cabinet show sufficient wisdom to spare Lebanon the consequences of actions committed by Hizbollah and its allies? And will Hizbollah revise its positions in the interest of Lebanon and all the Lebanese? Coming days will tell.”
* Translated by Carla Mirza
cmirza@thenational.ae
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Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
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Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
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2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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The national orchestra
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
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Defence review at a glance
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The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
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Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
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Tomorrow 2021
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
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UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
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The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
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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
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The five pillars of Islam
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2.
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4.
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Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
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Rating: 4/5
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Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
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Monday, January 28
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Tuesday, January 29
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- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
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Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
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