Locked in Gaza for years, denied adequate food, medicine and water, life for the population of the “world’s largest prison” is horrendous. Ever since Israel began its collective punishment of the Palestinian territory in 2007, life has become steadily worse. And yet the world rarely takes notice of the humanitarian disaster until the next round of war starts.
This is the tragedy of Gaza and of the Palestinian people in general. The brutal occupation – the worst and longest running of the modern era – tends to fall off the front pages and what Israel calls the “status quo” continues. This round started after Israel killed a Hamas leader and the group retaliated with rocket fire, which led to the current massacre.
As much as the Israeli propaganda machine has hyped up the threat of rocket fire from Gaza, the reality is these rockets are rarely deadly, apart from occasional tragedies. Contrast that with Israeli rockets, which meet their civilian targets with such regularity that most outside observers conclude that Israel either cannot target its rockets or is deliberately hitting civilians. Photographs of three boys playing on a beach in Gaza and slaughtered by a mortar rather suggest that is the case.
Yet despite world opinion turning away from Israel, Hamas have yet to capitalise on this, yet to utilise what is their strongest weapon: information. The missiles that Hamas fires into Tel Aviv will never succeed in ending the siege, only in increasing the “price” that Israel has to pay for it. But ordinary Palestinians pay a higher one, as Israel seeks retribution.
Far better for Hamas to use the power of public relations. Israel’s PR machine is slick but suffers from the crucial problem of facts: all the gloss cannot disguise the slaughter. But Hamas has the opposite problem. It does not invite journalists into Gaza to see the daily grind of the siege, does not make its spokespeople accessible.
There is, of course, a problem here, in that Israel has form in targeting journalists – just yesterday it issued leaflets to journalists in Gaza, warning them that they were considered “fair game” during its ground invasion. But Hamas must dedicate itself to the public relations message with as much vigour as it does to acquiring weaponry and building tunnels.
What will eventually end the siege is the public relations disaster of Israel’s actions, which is already leading to protests, boycotts and sanctions. Hamas must speed up that process.
Results:
Men’s wheelchair 200m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 27.14; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 27.81; 3. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 27.81.
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
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Jawan
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East