Under twin clouds of legal investigations, the leaders of the United States and Israel pledged on Monday to further strengthen ties as President Donald Trump said he might travel to Jerusalem to preside over the May opening of a new US embassy.
Prospects for using such a trip to unveil his much-vaunted but still mysterious peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians were uncertain.
Hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Mr Trump said his controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city had improved chances for ending the conflict, despite Palestinians’ insistence otherwise.
The two steps enraged the Palestinians, who claim part of Jerusalem for the capital of an eventual state and accuse the US president of abandoning the US role of honest broker.
Monday’s meeting came as the leaders cemented an increasingly close relationship yet amid profound turmoil in the Middle East that threatens hopes of a resumption in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and also attempts to restore stability in the volatile region.
Iran and its activities in Syria and Lebanon are of profound concern to Israel, and Mr Netanyahu made clear Iran is his highest priority.
His American counterpart said that despite their anger, “the Palestinians, I think, are wanting to come back to the table”. There was no apparent evidence for the assertion as the Palestinians are not even co-operating with US mediation right now.
Mr Trump said his Middle East team, led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, was hard at work on a peace proposal that is nearing completion, even as Mr Kushner’s status is in limbo after losing his top secret security clearance.
The president said he had actually given peace hopes by removing Jerusalem as an obstacle in long-stalled negotiations that have collapsed under successive administrations of both political parties.
“Nobody could get past, No 1 Jerusalem,” he said. "We’ve taken it off the table. So this gives us a real opportunity for peace."
Mr Trump said he was looking into the possibility of making his second trip to Jerusalem as president in mid-May, when the embassy is slated to move into a temporary location that is now an annex of the US consulate. “We’re looking at coming,” he said. “If I can, I will.”
With Mr Netanyahu looking on, the president said he had rejected a $1 billion plan for a new embassy in favour of a temporary facility that would cost only $250,000. Eventually, however, that embassy would have to be expanded to accommodate more than a handful of diplomats.
The cost of an expansion likely would run in the hundreds of millions of dollars, based on construction costs for US embassies around the world.
For his part, the Israeli leader lavished praise on Mr Trump for the Jerusalem recognition and the embassy move, comparing him with the Persian king Cyrus, who allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem from Babylon 2,500 years ago; former British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour, who signed a declaration in 1917 supporting the creation of a Jewish state in what was then the British mandate of Palestine; and president Harry Truman, the first world leader to recognise Israel in 1948.
For all the warmth and bonhomie, misgivings are percolating under the surface over Iran, where Israel sees Mr Trump’s efforts to date to crack down on the Jewish state’s arch-enemy as lacking.
He has vowed to pull out of a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran in mid-May unless the US and Europe agree on sanctions that would punish Iran for activity not covered by the accord or, in some cases, would be eventually permitted under its terms.
Israeli officials are concerned Mr Trump may not demand enough, particularly on Iran’s ballistic missile program, and are wary the administration may be acquiescing to Iran’s growing presence in Syria and influence in Lebanon — two Israeli neighbours.
Mr Netanyahu arrived in the US over the weekend as Washington was gearing up for the annual conference of AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobby, that will give him a respite from swirling legal troubles at home.
He and his wife were questioned separately by police for hours on Friday in a pending corruption case before his departure for Washington. Just before meeting with Mr Trump on Monday, Israel police announced that a Netanyahu confidant had agreed to turn state’s witness in the burgeoning case.
Mr Netanyahu will speak to the AIPAC conference on Tuesday.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
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'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
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
Funds raised: $22 million
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Representing%20UAE%20overseas
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Company%20Profile
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Draw
Quarter-finals
Real Madrid (ESP) or Manchester City (ENG) v Juventus (ITA) or Lyon (FRA)
RB Leipzig (GER) v Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Barcelona (ESP) or Napoli (ITA) v Bayern Munich (GER) or Chelsea (ENG)
Atalanta (ITA) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Ties to be played August 12-15 in Lisbon
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Company%20Profile
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Manchester City 4
Otamendi (52) Sterling (59) Stones (67) Brahim Diaz (81)
Real Madrid 1
Oscar (90)
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm