Palestinian Claim to Jerusalem Area Backed by Legal Docs and Human Rights

Fighting in Gaza Marks the Start of a More Violent Era

U.S. Defending or Abandoning Afghan Women Is a False Choice

A Weekly Political News Magazine

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Issue 1853- May- 21/05/2021

Adel Imam: The Icon of Egyptian Art and Actor Nonpareil A Weekly Political News Magazine

Issue 1853- May- 21/05/2021

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Palestinian Claim to Jerusalem Area Backed by Legal Docs and Human Rights

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Editorial

A Weekly Political News Magazine

www.majalla.com/eng As the magazine was readying for publication, the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire was announced between Israelis and Palestinians to put on hold the most intensive wave of violence since the eruption of 2014 Gaza war. This round of the conflict, which began in early May and led to Israeli military strikes in Gaza, Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli cities, and rising inter-communal violence between Arabs and Jews, was the culmination of various small but important steps related to political dynamics on both sides, and triggered by the forcible eviction of Palestinian families from their houses in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood over a legal dispute. In this week’s cover story, Amal Shahada follows the latest legal proceedings of the dispute which is expected to take place in the coming weeks to address the eviction issue, as the families’ lawyers prepare to take the case to the International Court of Justice and a legal expert emphasizes the humanitarian aspect of the case that support the Palestinian right to keep their homes.

In early May, Russia announced it would be drawing down its forces near Ukraine after carrying out a large-scale military exercise. The event had caused deep concern in Ukraine as it looked like a sign of coming massive Russian invasion. It drew in the European and American leadership who called on Russia to withdraw the forces. Maia Otarashvili writes about Russian military activities and the questions they raise about possible signs of a coming military confrontation between Russia and one or more of its neighbors.

Read these articles and more on our website eng. majalla.com. As always, we welcome and value our readers’ feedback and we invite you to take the opportunity to leave your comments on our website.

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Editor-in-Chief

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A Weekly Political News Magazine

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A Weekly Political News Magazine

Meet the Five Arab Athletes Who

52 Rose to Fame Outside the Middle East

Issue 1853- May- 21/05/2021

28 Zapad 2021 Exercises

44 The Making of Ma’adi

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Pandemic hits Egypt’s Oldest Snake Business

40 Want to Raise Successful Kids?

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Netflix’s ‘Woman’ in the Window is a Psychological Non-thriller 5

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56 Weight-loss Diets That Keep Your

Heart Happy

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Sea Life London Aquarium in London Members of the public watch sharks at the Sea Life London Aquarium in London on May 17, 2021 as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions ease London, , United Kingdom)AFP Photos(

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World Cup and European Olympic Qualifier Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup and European Olympic Qualifi er - Szeged, Hungary - May 16, 2021 Germany’s Sabrina Hering-Pradler, Melanie Gebhardt, Jule Marie Hake and Tina Dietze celebrates with a gold medal on the podium after winning the K4 women’s 500m final alongside silver medalists Belarus’ Ina Sauchuk, Nadzeya Papok, Volha Khudzenka and Maryna Litvinchuk and bronze medalists Denmark’s Emma Aastrand Jorgensen, Julie Froelund Funch, Sara Corfixsen Milthers and Bolette Nyvang Iversen - Hungary )Reuters Photos(

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A WEEK IN THE MIDDLE EAST SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Arabia has provided a grant of about $20 million to help cover part of Sudan’s debt with the International Monetary Fund.

The decision was agreed to at the Paris conference to support Sudan and the Summit on Financing African Economies.

The kingdom announced it would transfer the account into the two emergency and deferred fees accounts with the IMF, adding that King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were keen to ease Sudan’s debt burden.

On behalf of Prince Mohammed, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the grant was an extension to previous support provided by Riyadh to Sudan.

The summit was attended by Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan and other of the kingdom's officials, and will end on Tuesday.

EGYPT A truce between Israel and Hamas took hold on Friday after the worst violence in years, with U.S. President Joe Biden pledging to salvage the devastated Gaza Strip and the United Nations urging renewed Israeli-Palestinian dialogue.

Israeli aerial bombardment of the densely populated enclave killed 243 Palestinians, including 66 children, wounded more than 1,900 and damaged critical infrastructure and thousands of homes. In Israel, 12 people were killed and hundreds treated for injuries in rocket attacks.

Palestinians who had spent 11 days huddled in fear of Israeli shelling poured into Gaza's streets, embracing one another in celebration in front of bombed-out buildings on streets covered in wreckage.

YEMEN

LEBANON Lebanon's president said on Tuesday that critical comments made by the foreign minister about Gulf states did not reflect official policy, seeking to avoid further strain on ties with countries that have been Lebanon's allies and donors.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe stoked tensions in a television interview on Monday, when he appeared to blame Gulf nations for the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

"Those countries of love, friendship and fraternity, they brought us Islamic State," he told Al Hurra without naming them.

The company provides around 370 megawatts — about a quarter of Lebanon’s supply - through two electricity barges that have been anchored off the Lebanese coast since 2013.

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The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two Houthi military officials, the U.S. Treasury Department said, taking action over the Iran-aligned movement's offensive to seize Yemen's gas-rich Marib region.

U.S. Special Envoy on Yemen Tim Lenderking earlier on Thursday urged the group battling a Saudi-led coalition for over six years to de-escalate and engage seriously with U.S. and U.N. efforts for a ceasefire needed to end the war, a top foreign policy priority for the Biden administration.

He also urged the Saudi-led military alliance to remove restrictions on all Yemeni ports and airports to ease what the United Nations says is the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

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GAZA Egypt will allocate $500 million for rebuilding efforts in the Gaza strip following Israeli air strikes, the Egyptian presidency said on Tuesday.

Israel bombarded Gaza with air strikes and Palestinian militants resumed cross-border rocket fire on Tuesday after a brief overnight lull.

Nearly 450 buildings in the Gaza strip have been destroyed or badly damaged, including six hospitals and nine primary care health centres, the United Nations humanitarian agency

UAE Dubai on Monday eased COVID-19 restrictions, allowing hotels in the regional tourism hub to operate at full capacity and permitting concerts and sports events where all attendees and participants have been vaccinated.

The United Arab Emirates ranks highly globally for COVID-19 testing and vaccination rates.

Social distancing and compulsory face masks will continue, Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management said. Capacities for restaurants and entertainment venues also increased.

Dubai has pushed to keep its economy, which relies on international trade and business, open through the pandemic after an initial lockdown. The emirate is due to host the Expo 2020 world fair from October, hoping to attract millions of overseas visitors.

IRAN Iran’s president said on Thursday that the United States was ready to lift sanctions on his country’s oil, banking and shipping sectors that were reimposed after former U.S. President Donald Trump exited a 2015 nuclear deal three years ago.

Iran and world powers have been in talks since April on reviving the deal and the EU official leading the discussions said on Wednesday he was confident a deal would be reached.

But European diplomats said success was not guaranteed and very difficult issues remained, while a senior Iranian official contradicted the president.

“The talks in Vienna are about minor issues. They have accepted to lift sanctions on Iran’s oil and shipping sectors as well as sanctions on the Central Bank and others,” President Hassan Rouhani said during a televised cabinet meeting.

Rouhani was speaking a few weeks ahead of Iran’s presidential election, in which the revival of the nuclear accord could boost moderate candidates close to him.

SYRIA Scuffles erupted on Thursday between Lebanese and Syrians, who were on their way to cast votes at their embassy in Lebanon in favour of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as polling abroad began before next week's presidential election.

The voters were driving in a convoy of cars and buses, waving Syrian flags and blasting pro-Assad songs on speakers, heading to the embassy on the outskirts of Beirut, when a group of Lebanese attacked their vehicles, witnesses said.

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US

A WEEK ACROSS THE WORLD

President Joe Biden on Thursday (May 20) pledged humanitarian and reconstruction aid for Gaza as he hailed a deal to end 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas that tested his negotiating skills and exposed him to criticism from fellow Democrats.

Biden, appearing briefly at the White House after news of the ceasefire agreement, also promised to replenish Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system, despite complaints from the Democratic left about a pending US arms sale to Israel.

Biden said the United States would work through the United Nations and other international stakeholders "to provid and to marshal international support for the people in Gaza and efforts".

GERMANY Amid fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups, Germany has banned three associations that are accused of donating to Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.

Police conducted early morning raids at several premises in seven German states, a spokesman for the ministry said on Twitter.

"Those who support terror will not be safe in Germany. No matter in what guise our supporters appear, they will not find a place of refuge in our country," the spokesman said.

Germany banned Hezbollah on its soil and designated it a terrorist organisation last year.

TUNISIA At least 57 migrants drowned in a shipwreck off Tunis as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy and 33 were rescued, humanitarian organisation Tunisian Red Crescent said on Tuesday.

In recent weeks, drowning incidents have occurred off the Tunisian coast, with an increase in the frequency of trips to Europe from Tunisia and Libya towards Italy as the weather has improved.

"Thirty-three Bengalis were rescued (and) 57 others drowned in a boat carrying about 90 migrants that set off from Libya towards Europe," Red Crescent official Mongi Slim told Reuters.

A security source confirmed that 57 migrants had drownedand 33 were rescued.

AFGHANISTAN The United States and its NATO allies are exploring a possible international effort to help secure the airport in Afghanistan's capital after American troops withdraw from the country, the top U.S. general said on Tuesday.

U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a secure airport would be essential to ensuring that the United States and European allies could maintain embassies in Afghanistan.

"We are working out the details of how to secure the airport, how to support the Afghan military securing the airport, and what countries are willing to contribute to do that," Milley told reporters shortly before landing in Washington after talks with NATO allies in Brussels.

President Joe Biden's April order to pull out all troops by Sept. 11 could inflame Afghanistan's internal conflict between the internationally backed Afghan government and the Taliban insurgency.

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INDIA

India said on Friday that it wa a rare fungal disease hitting C massive wave of coronavirus Cases of mucormycosis, or "b causes blurred or double visi mostly among COVID-19 pat At least 7,250 such cases hav reported.

"In this battle of ours, anothe days," Prime Minister Narend

de rapid humanitarian assistance d in the Gaza reconstruction

ETHIOPIA Ethiopia's twice-delayed national and regional elections will now take place on June 21, but security and logistical problems will delay voting still further in some areas, organisers said on Thursday.

The announcement that officials had been unable to hold voter registration in some hotspots thrusts a spotlight on the frequent outbreaks of unrest in parts of Africa's second most populous nation.

Voting will be delayed in the Metekel zone in the western Benishangul-Gumuz region bordering Sudan, the electoral board said. The region is host to Ethiopia's strategic $4 billion hydropower dam.

as working to alleviate a shortage of a medicine used to treat COVID-19 patients as its healthcare system reels under a infections. black fungus," a potentially serious complication which ion, chest pain and breathing difficulties, have surged in India, tients. ve been found across the country as of May 19, local media

er new challenge of black fungus has also emerged these dra Modi tweeted on Friday.

MOROCCO Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita on Thursday blamed Spain for the diplomatic spat between the two countries and said mass migrant crossings from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta this week were due to the weather and tired border guards.

Morocco had appeared to loosen its border controls with Ceuta on Monday as thousands of migrants poured into the enclave, a move widely interpreted as retaliation for Spain's hosting of a Western Sahara independence leader.

Speaking to Reuters, Spanish news agency Efe and Moroccan

MYANMAR Myanmar's junta-appointed election commission will dissolve Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party (NLD) because of what it said was fraud in a November election, news outlet Myanmar Now said on Friday, citing a commissioner.

Myanmar Now said the decision was made during a meeting with political parties that was boycotted by many parties including the NLD. Myanmar's army seized power on Feb.1, overthrowing and detaining the elected civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who fought for democracy for decades before tentative reforms began a decade ago.

The military justified the coup by accusing Suu Kyi's NLD of obtaining landslide victory through a manipulated vote, though the electoral commission at that time had rejected its complaints.

WORLDWIDE At least 6-8 million people may have died due to the COVID-19 pandemic so far versus the World Health Organization’s official toll of around 3.4 million, a WHO official said on Friday.

"We are likely facing a significant undercount of total deaths directly and indirectly attributed to COVID-19," it said.

The U.N. agency officially estimates that around 3.4 million people have died directly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic by May 2021.

“This number would truly be two to three times higher. So I think safely about 6 to 8 million deaths could be an estimate on a cautionary note," said Samira Asma, WHO's Assistant Director-General in its data and analytics division at a virtual press briefing.

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Palestinian Claim to Jerusalem Area Backed by Legal Docs and Human Rights

Sheikh Jarrah Eviction is a War Crime Under the Rome Statute – Residents’ Lawyer Amal Shahada - Tel Aviv While the Israeli operation of “Guardians of the Walls” is ongoing in full force against

Gaza, and despite no expectation that any de-escalation will take place between Israel and Hamas, the case of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood witnesses its residents’ resumption

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Palestinian and Israeli activists gather in front of Israeli settler’s house during a demonstration against the expulsion of Palestinian families from their homes, in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on April 16, 2021. (Getty)

of a legal struggle to gather more evidence to reinforce their right to their homes.

Some documents which were obtained by the residents from Jordan and Turkey proved that the documents submitted to the High Court by the Israeli organizations claiming to own the neighborhood were forged upon translation into Hebrew.

The residents’ lawyers do not rule out the possibility of taking the case to the International Court if the government’s Attorney General next week provides a legal explanation of the steps followed by the Israeli organization to legitimize the settlers’ right to take over Palestinian houses and seize more houses in which Palestinians have been living until now. The International Court’s session will then take place within three weeks.

On their part, the Israelis say that the neighborhood was home for Jews before 1948 but they had to leave after security escalations and clashes between Jews and Palestinians.

After that the land was vacant until 1956 when it was handed to the Palestinians.

The Israelis claim that the historical cave of “Simeon the Just” (Simeon Al-Saddiq) is located in Sheikh Jarrah and is frequently visited by the Jews.

Meantime, Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood is named after Prince Hossam Eddine Ben Sharif Eddine Eissa Al-Jarrahi, the physician of Salah Addine the Ayyubide, as he was buried in the area.

A Palestinian historian clarifies that according to an Ottoman map “Simeon the Just” is in fact an Islamic Shrine named “Al-Wali,” in which Saad Eddine Hijazi was buried 400 years ago.

Speaking to Majalla, Hosni Abu Hussein, the lawyer for some Sheikh Jarrah residents, said, “Any explanation provided by the Attorney General of the Israeli government will not legitimize the settlers’ attempt at seizing the houses and evicting their original owners. The same applies to the Israeli Supreme Court.”

Abu Hussein confirmed that “under the Rome Statute, Israel shall not move residents out of their homes by force, as this is

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Some documents which were obtained by the residents from Jordan and Turkey proved that the documents submitted to the High Court by the Israeli organizations claiming to own the neighborhood were forged upon translation into Hebrew a war crime and a crime against humanity under the Statute.”

“Based on the international agreements, in case neither an agreement is reached nor a decision is issued to legitimize the settlers’ claims that lead to eviction of 500 Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah, the Palestinian families will file the case at the International Court of Justice,” the lawyer added.

This step came after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued directions to move the case of Sheikh Jarrah to the ICJ based on the Rome Treaty and as the Israeli decision is violating the international law.

Thus, the case of Sheikh Jarrah will join other cases submitted to the ICJ against Israel in which Israeli military and political officials are accused of committing war crimes on the Palestinian lands. These cases are supposed to bring many officials before the ICJ. On their way to move the case to the international arena, Sheikh Jarrah residents have gained the support of many European councilors who confirmed the EU’s stance that considers the eviction of residents as a violation of international law.

The houses’ owners have expressed optimism that international and European stances will consolidate their right to stay in their homes and prevent their eviction.

Using another series of newly discovered evidence on the Palestinians’ rights to their

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lands and houses, lawyers have recently obtained documents from Jordan and UNRWA, which confirm the ownership of 28 Palestinian families of the houses and their right to stay and live in the neighborhood.

This document, signed by Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and handed to the residents, states that official papers in the archive of the Jordanian government prove that the Jordanian Ministry of Construction and Development had made an agreement with the UNRWA in

Abu Hussein confirmed that “under the Rome Statute, Israel shall not move residents out of their homes by force, as this is a war crime and a crime against humanity under the Statute.”

1954 to provide better living conditions for the residents by constructing 28 residential units in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, on plots of land nos. 54 and 66 of area 14, plot no. 2 of area 26 and plot no. 6 of area 27 in Jerusalem.

The documents confirm that individual agreements were signed with the families to build their houses on the aforementioned plots of land. Under these agreements, the Ministry of Construction and Development vowed to register the ownership of these residences in the name of the families, and appropriated the required money to implement article no. 11 of the agreements.

This article stipulates that “after the tenant implements all conditions of this agreement and helps in building the unit, the ownership of the property is transferred to the tenant for free.”

This document will be submitted to the higher Israeli court and the Attorney General of the Israeli government will contribute to the reconsideration of any decision to evacuate the Palestinians from the neighborhood.

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Israeli forces force a door of a Palestinian family to raid the house as Palestinians gather to stage a demonstration at Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood after Israeli government›s plan to force some Palestinian families out of their homes in East Jerusalem on May 06, 2021. (Getty)

Palestinians in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, stage a protest in solidarity with Palestinian residents of the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah who are facing eviction from their houses, on May 10, 2021. (Getty)

until 1956 when it was handed to the Palestinians.

The Israelis focus their defense on the existence of the Cave of Simeon the Just in the neighborhood which the Jews frequently visit, in addition to the Israeli law that enabled the Jews to reclaim the lands they were living in before 1948.

Eyal Benvenisti, an international law expert and professor of law, has provided a legal viewpoint on dealing with the ownership dilemma between two parties. He suggests DISPUTE OVER LEGAL DRAFTING that the international legal status of the property should be tackled with regards to It is not unlikely that the settlers come up two parties: the original owners, who are, in with a legal recommendation by interna- Benvenisti’s view, the Jews who had lived tional legal advisors that provide an oppo- there before 1948; and, the incumbent resisite view of the property’s ownership be- dents, who are the Palestinians living under fore the Jordanian appropriation. Israelis occupation. claim that the property was home for Jews He explains that, “The claim for eviction before ‘48, and was known as a small Jew- is based on the grounds that right-wing asish community. The settlers alleged to court sociations bought the property from these that the small community had to evacuate houses’ original owners, the Sephardic the neighborhood after security escalation Committee and the Knesset Committee of and clashes between the Jews and the Pal- Israel, who bought the land before 1984. estinians. Then the land remained vacant The Jordanian government then became the As Jordan and UNRWA are intervening again, and with regards to the violation of international law, residents of Sheikh Jarrah expect that the Israeli establishment will back down from supporting the settlers.

This will not be just out of fear that the ICJ will address the case as a crime against humanity, but also because Israel is concerned that the case which triggered security escalations will worsen the already deteriorating Israeli-Jordanian relations.

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owner of the land under the Jordanian law of “Enemy Property,” and leased the land to the heads of Palestinian families to end their status as refugees. Families who had lost their properties in the war with Israel have relinquished the status of refugees and built their homes on these lands where they have been living until now.”

According to Benvenisti, the control over the land has been transferred to the Israeli side by force of law which was enacted after unification of the city. Since then, the Israelis have tried to reach out to the Palestinian families.

Benvenisti pointed out that the deliberations which took place in Israeli courts focused on issues of private law, such as property rights and protected leases, but this narrow legal perspective does not enable the consideration of all rights involved in this prolonged case, given that the conflict over Sheikh Jarrah property rights is not a private conflict over ownership.

“On the side of right-wing associations, there have been claims of patriotic mission to save the land, and private judiciary is just a means to implement this political mission.

Legal expert confirms that both international and constitutional laws acknowledge the right of residents to stay in their property, as they in good faith bought a land according to the country’s laws that were applicable then, and built the houses in which they have been living for generations.

As for the Palestinian families, the talk is about family houses which were built and taken care of for years, and where family members were born and gave birth to their children. These homes have shaped their lives and formed their society,” Benvenisti explained, adding that “Beside the private aspect of ownership and the wide political aspect, there are human rights which are at the core of the legal conflict. The right to have a family and community life, is a personal and constitutional right arising from human dignity, freedom and right to property.”

“The constitutional right to property is one of the basic laws not just because of the im-

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A poster against Israeli eviction orders is seen hanging on the gate of a Palestinian house in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied east Jerusalem on May ,5 2021. (Getty)

Benvenisti pointed out that the deliberations which took place in Israeli courts focused on issues of private law, such as property rights and protected leases, but this narrow legal perspective does not enable the consideration of all rights involved in this prolonged case, given that the conflict over Sheikh Jarrah property rights is not a private conflict over ownership of Human Rights acknowledge the basic simple life fact, which states that people should manage their lives based on good faith under the applicable law in the country.

Such a principle is adopted even in the most difficult cases when original owners were evacuated and became refugees, according to Benvenisti. Sheikh Jarrah families bought their houses in good faith under applicable law in exchange for their status as refugees.

For generations, they built their houses and portance of protecting private property, but social community. Claims to make them also because in some cases, legislative au- pay for rent are no longer valid under the thority should protect the property rights.” Israeli law in which they had no vote and Therefore, Benvenisti regards concerns which didn’t take into consideration the over intervention in property rights to be negative consequences to these families. similar to concerns over intervention in Given such conflicting rights, the legal exthe constitution. He also confirms that both pert wonders which party has an advantage? international and constitutional laws ac- He answers, “the Israeli court didn’t highknowledge the right of residents to stay in light the constitutional side of the issue that their property, as they in good faith bought is relevant to human rights mentioned in a land according to the country’s laws that Israeli Basic Law. The right-wing associawere applicable then, and built the houses tions only succeeded in holding discussion in which they have been living for genera- about the narrow issue of ownership.” tions. Such right can exceed the right of the “The deeper and wider constitutional quesoriginal owner who wants to reclaim it, re- tion is posed before High Court, which will gardless of remuneration. consider the case by the middle of next Accordingly, courts in a number of Europe- month,” Benvenisti remarks. an countries as well as the European Court

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Fighting in Gaza Marks the Start of a More Violent Era Israelis Must Respect International Law and PA Needs to Restore Good Governance Khalil Shikaki

Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli cities, and rising intercommunal violence between Arabs and At some point soon, the current military conflict Jews—will be long-lasting and profound. Above between Israel and Hamas will end. But the rami- all, it will reinforce the sense among Israelis, fications of this latest round of Israeli-Palestinian Palestinians, and most of the international comconfrontation—Israeli military strikes in Gaza, munity that the search for a peaceful resolution

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to the conflict has come to an end for the foreseeable future.

The conflict that began in early May was not planned. It was the culmination of various small but important steps that, while linked, did not make violence inevitable. Yet a combination of domestic Israeli and Palestinian political dynamics, international failures, and worsening relations between the two sides created the right conditions for bloodshed.

Yet whatever its accidental quality, the latest round of violence will have enduring consequences. Hamas will emerge from the conflict stronger and the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its president weaker. Violence between Israeli Arabs and Jews will eventually abate, but Arab perceptions of systemic discrimination will grow—as will a belief that a search for equality within Israel is inherently futile. Jerusalem’s symbolic role will also expand, deepening the conflict’s religious dimensions. Among many Israelis and Palestinians, these developments mark the return to an older phase of the conflict.

The last two weeks have reinforced a belief that their relationship is again existential and zerosum, that diplomacy to resolve the conflict is futile and violence inevitable.

Two boys sit inside a damaged building in AlSaftawi street northern Gaza City on May 20, 2021 in Gaza City, Gaza. Civilian casualties continue to rise as IsraelGaza violence entered a tenth day. (Getty)

Two weeks ago, these conflicting Israeli-Palestinian and intra-Palestinian dynamics finally collided.

The earliest and most obvious trigger was Israel’s policies toward Muslim holy places in Jerusalem’s Old City and its demographic battle against Palestinians in the rest of occupied East Jerusalem.

of any real hope of striking a deal to end the conflict, as then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had been working to do. After 2014, relations between both sides worsened and the prospect of a two-state solution gradually diminished.

With the realization that a peaceful outcome was impossible in the short to medium term, the IsAN EVOLVING CRISIS raeli right began to assert itself—especially after the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president in The current confrontation is unfolding across four 2016. Trump’s policies emboldened many Israeli theaters. The Gaza-Israeli military bombardment conservatives and cleared the way for extreme has destroyed civilian infrastructure and killed anti-Palestinian policies. Israeli settlers began more than 200 Palestinians, 30 percent of them expanding into new areas of the West Bank, and children, and ten Israelis. Ethnonational tensions Israel began routinely confiscating Palestinian within Israel have sparked unprecedented inter- land and demolishing homes along the way. By communal riots and violence between Arabs and 2019–20, many Israelis had begun to demand the Jews. Palestinians and Israeli police, extreme annexation of wide swaths of new territory withJewish nationalist-religious groups, and settlers out granting equal rights to Palestinian citizens. are in a standoff in East Jerusalem over access to Adding insult to injury, several Arab states also Muslim holy places and the planned evictions of began to normalize relations with Israel, eventuArab families from the Shaikh Jarrah neighbor- ally concluding the so-called Abraham Accords hood. And in the West Bank, tensions are high in 2020. As Arab states’ solidarity with the Palafter Israeli forces killed four Palestinian dem- estinian cause receded, Palestinians themselves onstrators and injured dozens more on May 18, a felt increasingly abandoned. day of protest that engulfed major Palestinian cit- These pressures were particularly apparent in Jeies. Nonetheless, tensions there remain contained rusalem. After Washington’s 2017 recognition by joint PA and Israeli efforts. of the city as Israel’s capital, Israel increased the These dynamics have been building since Israel pace of illegal annexation and stepped up its efinvaded Gaza in 2014. That war marked the end forts to change the status quo in the Old City’s

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holy places. Israeli police restricted Palestinian access to the al Aqsa compound, attempted to silence the call for prayer, and began granting access to larger numbers of Jewish Israelis. Authorities also moved to evict Arab East Jerusalemites from their homes and began to assert a more dominant Jewish nationalist-religious agenda throughout the city.

Inside Israel itself, the emboldened right wing

-Violence between Israeli Arabs and Jews will eventually abate, but Arab perceptions of systemic discrimination will grow—as will a belief that a search for equality within Israel is inherently futile.

Jerusalem’s symbolic role will also expand, deepening the conflict’s religious dimensions.

also took steps to marginalize Israeli Arab citizens. Many among this latter group saw the 2018 so-called nation-state bill—which declares Israel the historic homeland of the Jewish people, establishes Hebrew as the only official language, and asserts that Jewish settlements are a “national value”—as yet another means of discriminating against Israeli Arabs to the benefit of Israeli Jews. Two years later, an amendment that would have added equality for minorities to the law, reducing the chance that it might be used to legitimize legal discrimination against Israeli Arabs, was voted down in the Knesset—Israel’s parliament. Right-wing politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also routinely incite hatred and fear against Israeli Arabs and their representatives in the Knesset. A dramatic rise in crime rates in Arab communities, moreover, compounds already existing socioeconomic problems.

Palestinian politics has been plagued by its own series of setbacks. Over the past several years, the PA has severely undermined the public’s faith in its ability to govern. Having held no general elections since 2006, the Palestinian Authority has damaged the rule of law, weakened the judiciary, curtailed media freedoms, and shrunk

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Israeli forces intervene in a protest against Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, in Ramallah, West Bank on May 2021 ,18. (Getty)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas makes a speech during a press conference on Israeli attacks to Gaza and Jerusalem, at Prime Ministry Office in Ramallah, West Bank on May 2021 ,12. (Getty)

the space for civil society as organizations lost much of their independence from the government. The result is increasing public discontent and overwhelming demands for PA President Mahmoud Abbas to resign. Hamas’s behavior in the Gaza Strip has been no better. Unbothered by constitutional principles, norms, and rule of law, it has grown increasingly ruthless.

COLLISION COURSE Two weeks ago, these conflicting Israeli-Palestinian and intra-Palestinian dynamics finally collided. The earliest and most obvious trigger was Israel’s policies toward Muslim holy places in Jerusalem’s Old City and its demographic battle against Palestinians in the rest of occupied East Jerusalem. This set the stage for small confrontations during Ramadan between Palestinians, Israeli police, and right-wing extremists in the Old City over the changes at Haram al-Sharif (the Temple Mount) and access to the Damascus Gate.

Another flash point was the Shaikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. In a pattern repeated throughout the occupied city, many Palestinian residents faced imminent eviction from their

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The final trigger for the current round of violence was Hamas’s inability to forge a joint alliance against Abbas’s election cancellation, despite widespread opposition to it. own homes by Jewish settlers. East Jerusalemites, other Palestinians, and many Israeli Arabs mobilized in response—launching a series of limited and essentially nonviolent protests.

A separate trigger was the Israeli decision to prevent Palestinian elections, planned for May 22, from taking place in East Jerusalem—despite its obligation to facilitate them under the terms of the Oslo accords struck in 1993. The Israeli decision was apparently unrelated to the elections themselves (Israel declared it had no intention of interfering in the process as a whole). Instead, the move was seen as an attempt to deny Palestinian claims to occupied East Jerusalem, even

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though Israel had already acknowledged such claims in three previous elections. It was this Israeli move that proved most relevant to the timing of the current confrontation.

Ostensibly in response to Israel’s decision, Abbas decided to cancel the May PA elections entirely‚ promising to hold them only once Israel agreed to walk back its original plan. This only multiplied internal Palestinian tensions, however. Almost all other Palestinian electoral lists and candidates rejected the decision, including Hamas. Most parties suspected that the real motive was Abbas’s realization that he would lose the race and be forced to share control of parliament with three prominent Fatah defectors: Muhammad Dahlan, Marwan Barghouti, and Nasser al-Qudwa. Abbas’s opponents argued that Palestinians should not grant Israel veto power over their elections. They instead favored forcing Israel to accept a vote in East Jerusalem through nonviolent electoral campaigns and voting drives in al Aqsa and other mosques, churches, and UN and diplomatic missions.

The final trigger for the current round of violence was Hamas’s inability to forge a joint alliance against Abbas’s election cancellation, despite widespread opposition to it. Although the group reached out to other electoral lists seeking their support, none wanted to be seen as Hamas’s allies. This dealt a heavy blow to Hamas’s longterm strategy. By reintegrating itself into the PA

A separate trigger was the Israeli decision to prevent Palestinian elections, planned for May 22, from taking place in East Jerusalem— despite its obligation to facilitate them under the terms of the Oslo accords struck in 1993.

political process through elections, the group had sought to restore its legitimacy and free itself from the burden of governing the Gaza Strip.

With that strategy in tatters, a more militant Hamas leadership took the lead. The Israeli police escalation at al Aqsa and imminent evictions in Shaikh Jarrah provided the opportunity to achieve two goals: The first was to punish Abbas and make him politically irrelevant. The second was to punish Israel for its anti-Palestinian policies in East Jerusalem and its decision to halt elections in the city. In achieving those two goals, Hamas sought to demonstrate to Palestinians and others that while Abbas ran away from a battle over Jerusalem, Hamas would stand with its residents. Indeed, the group was willing to risk war in Gaza to defend the city and the al Aqsa mosque. Eventually, on May 10, Hamas issued an ultimatum: if Israel did not withdraw its police and military personnel from the mosque and Shaikh Jarrah, the group would attack. Minutes after the deadline passed, Hamas began targeting Israeli towns with rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, triggering retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.

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Protesters march through Street while holding a banner and flags during the demonstration. Palestinians staged rallies across Gaza to protest the postponement of the parliamentary elections.

The parliamentary polls were expected to be held on May 22, presidential polls on July 31 and Palestinian national council polls on August 31. (Getty)

Abbas will manage to stay in office only as long as he can prevent elections from taking place. Yet with rising popular discontent, the PA security services’ ability to maintain control and quell discontent is diminishing. dination between Israel and the PA will not be enough to contain the rising flames. And given the rhetoric around annexation, no right-wing Israeli government will be willing or able to renew a political process that would require negotiations with the PA leadership, even for small incremental steps.

Domestically, Abbas will manage to stay in office only as long as he can prevent elections from taking place. Yet with rising popular discontent, the PA security services’ ability to maintain control and quell discontent is diminishing. The PA might find itself the target of an angry public. Abbas, the PA, and the Palestinian national movement will lose what little public trust they still hold. Elections and political reforms are the only means of making the system legitimate and accountable again. Those who reject elections because Abbas will lose or because the process might legitimize Hamas should consider the consequences. Ignoring the problem and keeping Hamas cornered in the Gaza Strip is no solution.

There should be no illusion about the role of the international community here. At best, Arab states and others, including Washington, can help manage the conflict only by making the status quo sustainable. They do not, however, have the capacity or political will to force Israel to respect international law or Abbas and the PA to respect the norms of good governance. As hard as it may be, Israelis and Palestinians must do that themselves.

PROSPECTS FOR PEACE

Hamas did not unleash the current confrontation.

It merely capitalized on rising tensions to make the case for replacing Abbas. Israel’s decision to cancel the election in East Jerusalem and Abbas’s subsequent move to cancel the entire process set off a chain reaction that neither side anticipated. If elections had gone ahead as planned, confrontations in East Jerusalem would have intensified but likely remained nonviolent. Hamas, Fatah, and other electoral lists would have been too busy mobilizing their electoral constituencies against the Israeli police and extremist settlers; Hamas would not have risked a war in Gaza that might have halted electoral preparations, thereby destroying its opportunity to reintegrate itself into the formal political process. Without elections, however, the stage was set for violence.

How will the current confrontation affect the prospects for a long-term peace? On the IsraeliPalestinian front, the two-state solution might have received a mortal blow. Given Israeli efforts to marginalize Abbas and the PA, it will not This article was originally published on ForeignAfbe easy to keep the West Bank out of the next fairs.com. conflict or even the current one. Security coor-

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Why do Turks Want to Leave Their Country?

European Statistics Office: Number of Turkish Asylum Seekers Multiplied by 5 Over Past Years Jiwan Soz - Istanbul The European Statistics Office “Eurostat” revealed in its latest statistics that the number of asylum seekers with Turkish nationality in the European Union countries increased by 5 times during the past five years,

which are the years that followed the failed coup attempt against the rule of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan which took place in mid-July 2016.

The number of Turkish citizens who applied for asylum in the European Union countries reached 18,145 in 2020, while the number of asylum seekers with

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Refugees wait to be identified on April 2021 ,01 in Salerno, Italy. The cargo ship Rachel Borchard docked carrying 32 migrants on board, 30 Turkish citizens and 2 Belarusians, saved in Greece. (Getty)

Turkish citizenship in the European Union countries was 2,995 in 2015, about a year before the failed coup attempt took place against Erdogan rule. After that, thousands fled abroad because of the suppression of those accused of participating in the military coup.

Informed Turkish sources considered that “these figures of the number of Turkish refugees in European countries do not reflect the reality, as they are greater than those published by Eurostat.” Thousands of Turks had already arrived in Europe but had not applied for asylum in their countries as they did not have any proof of their escape from the security authorities in Turkey.

European asylum offices usually reject asylum applications from people who cannot produce documents proving that there is a real risk to their lives, and also reject asylum applications for people who fled Turkey for economic reasons. This makes knowing the exact number of Turkish refugees in Europe a “difficult thing,” as described by a Turkish lawyer who deals with refugee issues.

Enes Kabadayı, a Turkish lawyer, said that the European states are well aware of the dire position of judicial independence in Turkey, but they can never take a clear stance towards Turkey due to both the refugee problem and commercial agreements.

“European states examining the situation of danger facing these people who have come to Europe and sought asylum must be shown how their situation poses a threat to fundamental rights, such as the right to life, liberty and security of fair trial. They want you to present your concrete arguments on this. Some people seek asylum for economic reasons, but this is not considered a valid reason,” Kabadayı explained.

“Sometimes, although the asylum seeker tries to conceal his economic purpose, as soon as the authorities of the relevant states understand this situation they reject the asylum application. Of course, some people are in real danger but they may have difficulty proving this with a document,” he added.

“Although I am a lawyer, I was arrested for political reasons and stayed in Silivri Prison for 14.5 months (June, 2017-August, 2018). After I was released from prison, I did not want to live any longer in the pressurized environment in Turkey and came to Europe.”

“I am only 28 years old. At this age, I am trying to fight against human rights violations in Turkey. Nobody should have such an obligation. Therefore, for whatever reason I left Turkey, thousands of people want to leave Turkey for the same reasons. I know hundreds of people my age who have been forced to leave their country. These people are leaving Turkey forever. If there is a political power in your country that does not respect human rights, oppresses dissidents and sends pregnant women and children to pris-

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Despite the difficulty of obtaining European visas, hundreds of Turks entered European territory through “service” passports which are documents that Ankara grants to those who receive assignments abroad. This document holder has the right to enter Europe without a visa. on, you can no longer breathe. Nobody can live without breath. Freedom is also the breath of our soul,” Kabadayı indicated.

Kabadayı also added that in a country where there are no freedoms, everything is negatively affected.

The Turkish economy is one of the areas that gets the biggest impact in this regard. People commit suicide due to economic difficulties. There is no prosperity in lands where there are no human rights. That is why people dream of leaving Turkey, whether for political or economic reasons.

Not all Turks can obtain European travel visas—they use illegal land or sea routes to enter Europe and then apply for asylum.

Although ethnic Kurds from Turkey used to be the majority of those who fled Turkey because of the oppression to which they were subjected, today the native Turks also flee, especially since the failed coup attempt was followed by the dismissal of tens of thousands from their jobs after being accused of participating in it. The Turkish authorities’ repression of journalists in particular also led to hundreds of them fleeing to Europe.

Despite the difficulty of obtaining European visas, hundreds of Turks entered European territory through “service” passports which are documents that Ankara grants to those who receive assignments abroad. This document holder has the right to enter Europe without a visa.

Last April, 43 out of 45 Turks refused to return to their country after arriving in Europe with “service” passports, also known as “gray” passports, due to their gray cover.

Ankara stopped dealing with these passports weeks ago after Germany opened investigations of hundreds of Turks who had paid thousands of dollars to obtain gray passports to enter its land.

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Zapad 2021 Exercises

A New Phase of Russia’s Military Cooperation with Belarus

exercise, which it had completed successfully and was preparing to wrap up. But Moscow’s saber-rattling In early May, Russia announced it would be drawing in Europe’s eastern neighborhood is far from over. down its forces near Ukraine after carrying out a In September 2021 Russia will carry out its massive large-scale military exercise. The event had caused military exercises called “Zapad 2021”. “Zapad” is a deep concern in Ukraine as it looked like a sign of long-standing Russian strategic and military exercise coming massive Russian invasion. It drew in European that has been taking place since 1977. This time the and American leadership who called on Russia to exercises will be jointly organized with Belarus and withdraw the forces. At the end of April Russia’s will take place in Belarus with the latter’s troubled Ministry of Defense explained that this was a military authoritarian leader Lukashenko’s blessing. While the Maia Otarashvili

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military exercise itself is not a surprise, its location and timing are highly significant and tell an important story about the future of Russia-West relations.

BRINGING BELARUS CLOSER INTO MOSCOW’S ORBIT While Minsk has held a generally pro-Russian geopolitical orientation since the 90s, there are several areas where Russia had not yet fully succeeded with Belarus. In 1999 the two sides signed a Treaty on the Creation of a Union State of Russia and Belarus.

As Arseny Sivitsky has explained, ”This Union is largely symbolic. Based on the principle of equality between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, it has yet to be realized due to conflicting intentions. However, unlike other post-Soviet states, Belarus would renounce its Euro-Atlantic aspirations and proclaim integration with Russia its main foreign policy priority. In addition, Belarus would provide Russia with security from the West as the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization expanded Eastward. In return, Moscow would guarantee preferential energy supplies, privileged access of Belarusian goods to the Russian market, and financial resources. Thus, the deal was an exchange of Russian economic assistance, so-called integration subsidies, for Belarus’ geopolitical loyalty.”

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko hold a meeting at the Moscow Kremlin. (Getty)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014 changed the geopolitical calculus of each - Moscow and Minsk – in different ways. While Moscow now controls the Crimean Peninsula and the separatist region of Donbas, Russia has essentially lost its longstanding special relationship with Ukraine which kept the country firmly in the Russian orbit. Ukraine’s chances of joining NATO and the EU may still be slim, but it has become a much closer ally to the two western organizations in view of continued Russian aggression. Minsk has refused to support Russia’s actions in Ukraine and has seen it as a cautionary tale. Since 2015 Moscow has worked tirelessly to push Belarus into a more tangible Union State where Belarus would become asymmetrically dependent on Russia in terms of its economics, politics, and security. This would help ensure Belarus’s permanent place in Russia’s orbit and thus keep it as a significant bastion against NATO and EU expansion closer to Russia’s borders. Of particular importance to Russia is the idea of establishing a strong military presence

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Moscow will not go to war with NATO – it’s a battle Russia could never win. But Mr. Putin fully understands the anxiety Moscow can cause among NATO’s post-communist members by making mere innuendos about potential military confrontation. in Belarus – a way to “deter” NATO’s enhanced eastward presence in the Baltic Sea region.

However, President Lukashenko has chosen to keep his country relatively autonomous by not supporting Moscow’s Union State ultimatum. But in May 2020, exactly a year ago, Lukashenko’s standing in Belarus became rather precarious. The president was seeking his sixth term in office in an election that became widely considered as unfree and unfair. Mass protests broke out against Lukashenko, seeking to overthrow the leader and install Svitlana Tsikhanuskaya, his main opposition candidate, as the new president.

Lukashenko has refused to step down despite nationwide strikes and mass protests. Instead, he has used violent force to disperse the protests, arresting them by the thousands. In September he held a private inauguration ceremony taking the office for another five years. With the support of US and EU governments Tsikhanuskaya formed a government in exile and her supporters continue to protest against Lukashenko. As of this writing, the series of unrests continue, and Lukashenko’s regime is far from stable.

Now that he has accused the US and the EU of plotting his overthrow and attempting to take over Belarus, Lukashenko desperately needs Moscow’s support – Putin is one of his very few remaining allies. This situation has presented President Putin with plenty of leverage over Lukashenko, and the military integration with Belarus now seems to be well underway. Russia and Belarus already plan to deploy joint SIGINT and ELINT posts (intelligence-

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gathering posts) on Belarussian border with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine. Lukashenko has also spoken about forming a joint air force with Russia.

Moscow is now actively setting up the infrastructure needed in Belarus to successfully carry out the Zapad exercises in September.

Tsikhanuskaya’s supporters succeed in overthrowing Lukashenko, her administration may not fully alienate Russia but she is unlikely to uphold the recent deals and concessions made by the troubled authoritarian leader during his desperate struggle to hold on to power.

Some experts believe that all of this means that the Zapad 2021 exercises are likely to “support Putin’s efforts to establish a continuous Russian military presence in Belarus, especially in aviation, special forces, electronic warfare, SIGINT, ELINT, missiles.”

If this is indeed the case, Moscow will have to keep supporting and even propping up the Lukashenko regime to guarantee long-term stability of its military and geopolitical strategy in Belarus. Should Ms.

SABER-RATTLING NEAR THE BALTICS – A MESSAGE FOR NATO

While the military exercise itself is not a surprise, its location and timing are highly significant and tell an important story about the future of Russia-West relations.

Since Russia began its military aggression in Ukraine in 2014, many have speculated that the Baltic states are the next natural target for Moscow’s military adventures. However, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as well as Poland are members of both, NATO and the EU. Moscow will not go to war with NATO – it’s a battle Russia could never win. But Mr. Putin fully understands the anxiety Moscow can cause among NATO’s post-communist members by making mere innuendos about potential military confrontation.

This, in turn, makes NATO’s western members question their own commitment to the Article V, and causes regular debates within the organization about its identity and long-term mission.

Moscow, in turn, continues to see NATO as an adversary and speaks of it in terms of deterrence.

Although NATO leadership keeps insisting that the

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Servicemen take part in the joint RussianBelarusian military exercises Zapad-2017 (West-2017) at a training ground near the town of Borisov on September 20, 2017.

(Getty)

Belarusian exiles in the center of Kiev, Ukraine, on April 18, 2021 during a demonstration against the Lukashenko repression in Belarus after the protests because the fraud in the presidential elections in 2020. Many Belarusians were exiled in other countries to escape from government punishment during the civilian dem)onstrations. (Getty

organization is no threat to Russia, that is a narrative Moscow is unwilling to take up – after all, deterrence against NATO is what Moscow has used to justify its military adventures in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea regions for decades now.

Thus, leading up to the Zapad 2021 exercises and in hopes of keeping NATO’s Baltic members on their toes, Moscow is making use of its Kaliningrad exclave. According to recent reports Russia has created a new motorized rifle division in Kaliningrad. “The 18th division will be ready for action by this autumn, and its three motorized rifle regiments and one tank regiment will be re-equipped.

The reinforcement of the Russian grouping in the Kaliningrad Region is ahead of schedule. According to earlier plans, the process it was supposed to be completed in the exclave by the end of 2021.”

Russian news agency TASS also added that “Experts say the creation of a fully equipped division in the region is an effective response to NATO’s maneuvers near Russia’s borders.” TASS has also reported that Russian Baltic Fleet will carry out seven long-distance missions this year in preparation for the Zapad exercises. The Russian Baltic Fleet will visit Tartus (Syria), Limassol (Cyprus), Port Sudan (Sudan) and Muskat (Oman). The Fleet’s Commander Admiral Alexander Nosatov has also announced that the

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Unlike other post-Soviet states, Belarus would renounce its EuroAtlantic aspirations and proclaim integration with Russia its main foreign policy priority.

Baltic Fleet has 34 drills planned in 2021, and “The Russian-Belarusian exercise Zapad2021-, which will involve the Baltic Fleet, is going to be the focus of the summer training season and a major exercise.”

At the moment, the biggest question among Russia watchers is whether or not all this military activity around the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea regions is a sign of a coming military confrontation between Russia and one or more of its neighbors. So far Moscow’s activities look more like saber-rattling and showing of force to NATO, the US, and the EU. Afterall, there are major shifts expected in the postTrump US and NATO foreign policy posturing, and Moscow must work hard to make sure its strategic gains over the past few years are protected.

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U.S. Defending or Abandoning Afghan Women Is a False Choice

Their Future Will Almost Entirely Depend on the Afghan State Rina Amiri When U.S. policymakers debate the future of Afghan women, they often frame a binary choice. The United States can either abandon them—as collateral damage of a foolhardy Western experiment imposed on an archaic society—or fight a forever war to protect them. But the notion that Afghan women must be either forsaken or

defended in perpetuity is based on an antiquated view of Afghan society and on a misunderstanding of the path that Afghan women envision will sustain and protect their rights.

As the United States prepares to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by September 11, it must strive to better understand what Afghan women have worked for and what they will need in order to secure their future. The U.S.

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pullout casts a dark shadow over the prospect of protecting Afghan women’s rights. But military disengagement does not have to mean relinquishing women’s gains.

Washington and its allies still have tools at their disposal to help Afghan women defend their rights and to ensure that the state and security forces that Afghan women depend on remain intact.

HOMEGROWN REFORMS

Afghan women, youths, activists and elders gather at a rally to support peace talks and the republic government in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 29, 2021. According to the reports, Turkey will host the Afghanistan peace-talks summit in the upcoming days. (Getty)

The United States did not bring women’s rights to Afghanistan. The country’s reform and women’s rights agenda are deeply rooted and date as far back as the 1920s. By the 1970s, Afghanistan’s monarchy had gradually instituted policies advancing universal women’s and girls’ education and supporting their participation in virtually every sector of the workforce, particularly in urban centers. But in 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, plunging the country into a decadeslong conflict that continues today. The Soviet-backed government imposed harsh radical reforms that unraveled the country’s indigenous modernization efforts and intensified conservative opposition to women’s rights. The Taliban regime’s draconian policies were the culmination of this radicalization. When they assumed power in 1996, they imposed national decrees that denied women and girls the right to education and work and severely restricted their mobility and access to health care.

In 2001, the United States and its coalition partners helped restore women’s rights—but Afghan women built for themselves a nationwide network of grassroots support.

They ran for office, braving intimidation and violence on the campaign trail; established local radio programs to engage with the community on women’s rights and human rights; and won over religious authorities by gaining expertise in Islamic jurisprudence. Through such efforts, Afghan women won the goodwill of traditional religious leaders and communities.

Afghan women never asked for an indefinite U.S. troop presence to protect their rights. Long before support for Afghan peace gained traction among U.S. policymakers, women carried out rallies calling for an end to the conflict, conducted peace education in the provinces, engaged local Taliban leaders in informal dialogue, and called on world leaders to support a durable Afghan peace. In the last year, the Taliban have advanced a brutal assassination campaign, targeting and killing women’s rights advocates, journalists, and civil servants. Still, women activists continue to press for an end to war—on terms that include earnest negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan Republic, establishing a cease-fire, and protecting women’s fundamental rights.

Many believed that the presence of U.S. troops could help secure these conditions by providing the United States with

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The United States and other donors have already tied future aid to strict conditions, threatening to cut off aid if the Taliban rolls back women’s rights and human rights. the leverage to demand them. Instead, in February 2020, the United States and the Taliban reached an agreement that did not involve the Afghan government or include any reference to Afghan women. Moreover, the Taliban failed to live up even to the terms of that agreement—but then U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intention to draw down U.S. troops anyway, thus emboldening the Taliban and reinforcing its perception that the peace agreement was little more than a cover for a U.S. exit strategy.

On April 2021 ,14, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the United States would withdraw its troops from Afghanistan without having the Taliban meet any conditions. That decision further stripped Washington of leverage. Sure enough, in the days that followed, the Taliban withdrew its participation from a scheduled, U.S.backed peace conference in Istanbul.

LEAVING WITHOUT LEAVING WOMEN BEHIND A group that won’t sit down to negotiate is unlikely to cede ground on the status of women. And women and girls will bear the brunt of whatever follows, whether it is the Taliban’s return, the fragmentation of the political order, or a civil war. Women who are their families’ sole breadwinners—including war widows—will likely pay the highest price for either instability or repression.

Policymakers such as Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the top U.S. envoy to Afghanistan, hope that Taliban leaders, who have essentially been absent from Afghanistan for two decades, will take stock of the changed social landscape and adapt their policies accordingly. Polls show that more than half of Afghans support the right of women to run for president, and the vast majority are unwilling to accept a peace agreement that deprives women and girls of education. The Taliban will see that women in Afghanistan today serve as cabinet ministers, ambassadors, and legislators and participate in virtually every sector of the workforce.

But the evidence on the ground belies such hopes. In territories that the Taliban currently controls, women and

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girls have seen their schools closed, their movements curtailed, and other rights trampled. The Taliban continues to threaten and assassinate educated women, journalists, and rights activists.

The United States can still influence this course of events.

Even after withdrawal, the United States and other allies will have potent diplomatic and economic tools at their disposal. Washington can start by supporting the United Nations, which it has pushed to lead peace efforts. The United States should prompt the UN Security Council to give the UN personal envoy and the United Nations

By the 1970s, Afghanistan’s monarchy had gradually instituted policies advancing universal women’s and girls’ education and supporting their participation in virtually every sector of the workforce, particularly in urban centers.

Assistance Mission in Afghanistan the mandate and resources for an inclusive peace process.

Washington also has sway over the Taliban. Furious over long being treated as an international pariah, the Taliban values the status it gets from participating in U.S. peace negotiations and seeks to gain legitimacy from formal recognition. Washington and its allies should treat highlevel meetings, invitations to international conferences, and other forms of diplomatic engagement as valuable assets to extend only if the Taliban respects the fundamental rights of women and the population.

Sanctions provide leverage of another kind. The Taliban are highly invested in seeing economic strictures removed.

Washington and its allies must keep their sanctions firmly in place until the Taliban and Afghan government observe a sustainable cease-fire and reach a settlement that protects the fundamental rights of women and minorities. Moreover, Taliban leaders, convinced that they will be at the helm, have made their interest in receiving development aid clear. The United States and other donors have already tied future aid to strict conditions, threatening to cut off aid if the Taliban rolls back women’s rights and human rights.

Washington must continue to impose targeted sanctions that penalize leaders, rather than more comprehensive ones that could hurt Afghan women and the general population who desperately need development and humanitarian support.

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Girls attend their class at a school in Herat, Afghanistan, on May ,9 2021. (Getty)

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) talks about women in Afghanistan, including the seven pictured women who were killed in Afghanistan, as she questions Zalmay Khalilzad, special envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation, while he testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April ,27 2021 in Washington, DC. (Getty)

Ultimately, the future of Afghan women will depend almost entirely on the Afghan state, which must remain intact if it is to extend security and constitutional protection to women. After U.S. and NATO troops leave, the government and the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces will be the primary bulwarks defending Afghanistan’s institutions until a political settlement becomes possible. Washington must make sure that the Afghan government and the ANDSF have the funding and support they will need to withstand the Taliban’s coming military and political assault.

WASHINGTON’S IMPERATIVE The United States has not only a moral but also a strategic imperative to continue supporting Afghan women. After the United States’ withdrawal, women will be forces of moderation that can stave off the country’s return to extremism and terrorism. They are leading efforts to push back extremist interpretations of Islam through arguments grounded in Islamic jurisprudence. Moreover, research shows that women are essential to securing a durable peace, fighting corruption, and fostering economic growth and stability.

On a visit to Kabul the day after the withdrawal announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent Afghan government leaders an encouraging signal in this regard, saying that “even when our troops come home,

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The future of Afghan women will depend almost entirely on the Afghan state, which must remain intact if it is to extend security and constitutional protection to women our partnership with Afghanistan will continue…. We’ll continue to support civil society and to advocate for equal rights for women, including their meaningful participation in the ongoing negotiations and their equal representation throughout society.”

The Biden administration must make sure that those words are more than empty rhetoric. The United States might be closing the military chapter of its relationship with Afghanistan, but it cannot close the book altogether— especially after helping Afghan women and youth to connect with the world and internalize the value of democracy and the possibility of choosing their future.

This article was originally published on ForeignAffairs.com.

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From Bitcoin to Dogecoin What’s Driving Cryptocurrencies’ Rise Peter Santilli, Caitlin Ostroff and Paul Vigna Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, ether and dogecoin have surged to highs that few investors would have predicted a year ago. The furious run has even the most optimistic traders asking: Can it last?

The forces underpinning the crypto mania

mirror those that saw GameStop Corp. shares tear higher earlier this year.

Excess money from stimulus checks aimed at helping the most vulnerable make rent has also found its way to brokerage accounts that offer free trading.

Meanwhile, people globally have spent more time at home and in front of screens as the pandemic shut businesses.

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Limitations on stock trading by brokerage firms earlier in the year might have pushed some Reddit day traders to crypto, investors say.

Tesla Inc. chief executive Elon Musk›s embrace of bitcoin and other digital currencies and the U.S. listing of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc. added further fuel to the rally.

BEYOND BITCOIN The craze in NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, has led to a burst of activity on Ethereum, the blockchain-based computer network that backs most NFTs. Ether, the in-house currency on the platform, has risen to record levels as more people adopt the technology.

NFTs are bitcoin-like tokens connected to a digital work of art or other real-world item and sold as a unique digital property.

This picture taken on April 7, 2021 shows blockchain entrepreneur Vignesh Sundaresan, also known by his pseudonym MetaKovan, showing the digital artwork non-fungible token (NFT) «Everydays: The First 5,000 Days» by artist Beeple in his home in Singapore. - Last month the programmer bought the world›s most expensive NFT for $69.3 million, highlighting how virtual work is establishing itself as a new creative genre.

(Getty)

Dogecoin›s wild swings are a warning to bitcoin investors as well.

While the first cryptocurrency›s backers point to its utility as an inflation hedge or store of value, it has no long-term history as either, and its value is closely tied to sentiment and momentum.

That can leave investors more vulnerable to losses and sharp price swings when the hype fades.

Dogecoin›s wild swings are a warning to bitcoin investors as well. While the first cryptocurrency›s backers point to its utility as an inflation hedge or store of value, it THE POWER OF SOCIAL has no long-term history as either, and MEDIA its value is closely tied to sentiment and momentum.

In a year when individual investors have If sentiment turns against it, the price used social media to send asset prices can tumble, and a rising price is bitcoin›s soaring, no move in digital-currency biggest draw for new investors. markets has defined the power of memes Although bitcoin bulls like to point to more than the rise of dogecoin. It is a widening acceptance among institutional cryptocurrency that was created as a joke investors as a key driver of the rally, there but has risen more than %10,000 in 2021 are signs that institutional demand has as of Friday. flagged in recent months even as the price Dogecoin›s total market value ballooned has soared. to more than 80$ billion at its 2021 peak The number of large bitcoin transactions, reached earlier this month, up from less which are typically made by professional than 600$ million at the end of last year. money managers, dropped slightly in Heightened attention on the joke crypto the first quarter from the fourth quarter, from Mr. Musk and rapper Snoop Dogg, according to a report from crypto exchange among others, has turned social-media OKEx. users into day traders who have encouraged And flows into crypto exchange-traded new buyers to enter the fray with the goal products have declined from a peak in of pushing it to 1$. It is trading around 50 January, according to London-based cents now. asset-management firm CoinShares.

Dogecoin›s creators never intended for it to have any meaningful value. FUTURES AND OPTIONS Traders instead are speculating that it TRADING can keep climbing solely on social-media momentum.

Trading volume has climbed during the

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pandemic as a growing pool of investors have gained access to crypto markets through a variety of platforms. Notably, the value of derivatives volume has overtaken spot trading, with investors placing more than 200$ billion in bets on digital assets on the heaviest days this year.

The growing use of cryptocurrency derivatives is significant because investors can use such markets to place outsize bets with only a small amount of money upfront, effectively taking on leverage, the practice of borrowing to amplify returns.

Much of the increase in futures and

Excess money from stimulus checks aimed at helping the most vulnerable make rent has also found its way to brokerage accounts that offer free trading.

options trading has occurred on lightly regulated cryptocurrency-derivatives exchanges that allow a higher degree of leverage than a U.S. exchange such as CME Group. The use of highly leveraged bets can accelerate losses for traders when prices decline.

CRYPTO IN CONTEXT Thanks to the prolific rise of bitcoin, ether and dogecoin, the value of the total cryptocurrency market has swelled to more than 2$ trillion, up from 260$ billion a year ago.

Dogecoin alone — with a market value of about 67$ billion — is worth more than %75 of the companies listed in the S&P 500.

Although the digital currencies have surged in recent months, as an asset class, they remain a fraction of global markets for stocks, bonds and gold.

OBSTACLES AHEAD Despite making inroads, bitcoin has

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A worker inspects hardware devices as illuminated mining rigs operate inside racks at the CryptoUniverse cryptocurrency mining farm in Nadvoitsy, Russia, on Thursday, March 18, 2021. The rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has prompted the greatest push yet among central banks to develop their own digital currencies. (Getty)

The Dogecoin website on a smartphone arranged in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., on Friday, May 7, 2021.

(Getty)

struggled to find a use beyond serving as a tool for speculators.

Some industry watchers say it must gain traction as a form of payment to become more ubiquitous. Spending it isn›t easy, and its use is generally limited to highend purchases.

One of the stumbling blocks: transaction fees built into the network›s code, which change depending upon traffic.

Users paying higher fees get to move their transactions to the front of the processing queue. The fees have skyrocketed as cryptocurrencies have exploded in popularity, limiting the rationale for using bitcoin for small transactions.

Many of the companies over the years that unveiled plans to accept bitcoin as a form of payment later quietly dropped them.

Even Mr. Musk said on Twitter last Wednesday that Tesla would suspend accepting bitcoin for electric-vehicle purchases.

He pointed to another challenge facing the industry: worries about the environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining.

Bitcoin relies on different computers

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Bitcoin relies on different computers competing to unlock new coins by solving mathematical puzzles to secure the network, a process known as mining. competing to unlock new coins by solving mathematical puzzles to secure the network, a process known as mining.

A byproduct of bitcoin›s tear higher is that more computers are vying to gain new coins, and the profitability of mining has doubled since the start of the year.

That has led to concerns that bitcoin›s rise could have a larger environmental impact than other cryptocurrencies as more computers are deployed to find bitcoin, using more electricity than previously.

This article originally appeared in the Bangkok Post.

S

ociety

Want to Raise Successful Kids?

Largest Study in History Reveals 7 Secrets That Aren’t So Secret Jeff Haden All parents want their kids to be successful -- however you (and eventually they) choose to define «success» -- but there are many paths.

Often, success stems from lessons learned.

Experience taught Steve Jobs the power of asking

for help. Over time, Oprah Winfrey realized success required learning which bridges to cross and which to burn. Making thousands of decisions helped Jeff Bezos realize he should stop wasting time deliberating over easily reversible decisions.

Billions of dollars later, Warren Buffett decided ultimate success is when the people you hope will

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High angle view of father reading book to children while sitting on sofa at home.

(Getty)

love you do, in fact, love you. But those were lessons learned as adults. How can you help your kids be successful and happy?

How can you help your kids take their first steps toward success in whatever pursuits they choose?

As a parent, how can you help your kids to someday thrive?

Those are questions British researchers set out to answer starting 75 years ago through a series of longitudinal studies collectively known as the British birth cohorts. Over 70,000 sets of parents and children have been followed throughout their lives, generating data on education, employment, cognitive abilities, physical and mental health, and family and parenting.

Five generations of children later, it›s become the longest-running study of human development in the world.

The goal? To determine why some kids thrive, while others don›t -- and what role their parents played in their overall «success.

«While individual differences certainly come into play, Helen Pearson, the author of The Life Project, a book based on those studies, as well as a very popular TED Talk, says seven parenting behaviors make the biggest difference.

Surprisingly, the list includes no, um, surprises: talking to and listening to them, responding to them warmly, sharing your ambitions for their future, teaching them numbers and letters, taking them on trips and visits, reading to them, and encouraging them to read for pleasure (my italics), and establishing and sticking to a regular bedtime.

Obvious insights? Absolutely.

Yet also very powerful. Take talking to -- and listening to -- your kids. According to a classic study by Stewart Friedman and Jeff Greenhaus, the number of hours busy professionals spend with their kids each day does not predict their children›s physical and emotional health. The best predictor is whether parents are distracted when they are with their kids.

In short, time is good. But quality time is better.

The same is true for reading to your kids when they›re young, and later encouraging them to read for pleasure. A 2018 study of over 160,000 adults in 31 countries found that the more books were present in participants› childhood homes, the more proficient they became as adults in three important areas: literacy, math, and using technology to both

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Fortunately, good parenting also matters. No matter what the circumstances. And being the kind of parents who prime their children for success may be simpler - not easier, but simpler - than you might have thought. communicate and gather and analyze information.

(Eighty books resulted in «average» levels, with proficiency increasingly improving up to around 350 books, after which performance leveled off.) Data from the British cohort also shows that children who read for pleasure by the age of 10 are more likely to do better in school -- not just in English, but also in subjects like math -throughout the remainder of their education.

And then there›s bedtime.

The study shows that children who go to bed at different times are more likely to have behavioral problems -- yet when they switch to a regular bedtime, many show behavioral improvements.

Why? A 2011 study published in Sleep Medicine found that irregular bedtimes could disrupt natural body rhythms and cause sleep deprivation, undermining brain maturation and the ability to regulate certain behaviors. (Eek.) But there is one caveat to all those findings.

Children born into poverty or disadvantage tend to be less likely to thrive. And while «good parenting» can sometimes help them overcome early disadvantages and beat the odds, the study shows that good parenting reduces the educational gap between affluent and poor children by only about 50 percent.

Where you start, unfortunately, matters.

Fortunately, good parenting also matters. No matter what the circumstances. And being the kind of parents who prime their children for success may be simpler --- not easier, but simpler -- than you might have thought.

Which is the best news of all.

This was originally published on the Inc. magazine.

A Weekly Political News Magazine

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Adel Imam: The Icon of Egyptian Art and Actor Nonpareil www.majalla.com

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The Making of Ma’adi A History of Exclusive Cairo Suburb Mohammad Ali Salih Recently, Annalise DeVries, an American university professor who has been studying and writing about “Al-Ma’adi” as part of her interest in Egyptian history, society and culture, published a book about this Cairo suburb: “Ma’adi: The Making and Unmaking of a Cairo Suburb, 1878–1962.” In 2013, she had finished her PhD dissertation, “In Ma’adi, Near Cairo: Locating Global History in British-Occupied Egypt, 1878-1962.”

In 2015, she published “Utopia in the Suburbs: Cosmopolitan Society, Class Privilege, and the Making of Ma’adi Garden City in Twentieth Century Cairo” in the Journal of Social History that was published by Oxford

University. The following year, in the same journal, she reviewed a book, “Modernizing Marriage: Family, Ideology, and Law in Nineteenth- and Early TwentiethCentury Egypt.”

Currently a professor at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, she taught at the University of Alabama and Birmingham-Southern College. However, all along she had been writing about comparative history, imperialism, past and modern Egypt, and the modern Middle East.

Her recent book is not the only one that was published about Al-Ma’adi’s history. In 1995, Egyptian Samir Raafat, published “Maadi 1904-1962: Society and History in a Cairo Suburb.” DeVries’ book, obviously,

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digs deeper into the past.

According to DeVries’ book, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Egyptian Delta Land and Investment Company (Delta Land) broke ground in Ma’adi, a new residential development a few miles south of Cairo, on the eastern bank of the Nile, using the latest in community planning that was designed by a Canadian army general and keeping the name of an ancient village that had been there.

It was reported that “Al-Maa’di” referred to the presence, in the past, of boat ferries (“ma’adiyat” in Arabic) that carried people across the Nile. But recent archaeological diggings discovered building and artifacts that belonged to around 3500 BC. Raafat’s book, “Maadi 1904-1962,” was in reference to the year when the railway between Cairo and Helwan was built.

“Over the fifty years that followed, this new, modern Ma’adi would be associated with what many believed to be the best of modern Egypt- spacious villas, lush gardens, popular athleticism, and, most of all, profitability.” And that “(w)hile Ma’adi became home to influential Egyptians, including nationalists and royalty, it always remained exclusive’too exclusive to appeal to

A side street in the suburb of Ma’adi, Cairo, Egypt.

The neighborhood is famous for its spacious villas, lush gardens and long history of elite residents

Book Cover

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“While Ma’adi became home to influential Egyptians, including nationalists and royalty, it always remained exclusivetoo exclusive to appeal to the growing number of lower-income Egyptians making homes in the capital.” the growing number of lower-income Egyptians making homes in the capital.”

According to the PhD dissertation, Al-Ma’adi “became home to a mixture of former British colonial civil servants, European commercial expatriates, influential Egypt-born Jews, and upper middle-class Egyptians.”

During the Second World War, Al-Ma’adi had its share of defending Egypt, as about 70,000 soldiers from New Zealand established a base there in alliance with the British forces who were getting ready to face the advancing Nazi troops led by the German General Erwin Rommel who was known as the “Desert Fox.” In 1942 at Al-Alamein, near the Libyan border, the Nazis were finally defeated.

But the 1952 Revolution that toppled King Farouk and ended his centuries-old dynasty of foreign origin, abolished many financial and social privileges.

And Al-Ma’adi “appeared more and more as a figure of the country’s past.” As Egypt “embraced a socialist Pan-Arab ideology, Ma’adi could not abide in its earlier form. With Egypt’s place in the world changing, Ma’adi was absorbed into the sprawl of greater Cairo and increasingly appeared as the relic of a former elite who had lost their place of influence.”

But, compared to many other sections of Cairo, AlMa’adi continues to be unique. Many foreign embassies, homes of international expatriates, rich Arabs and prominent Egyptians are located there. Also situated in Al-Ma’adi are major international schools, sporting clubs and cultural institutions, for example, the Supreme Constitutional Court and the National Egyptian Geological Museum.

“Al-Ma’adi” gave birth to “Al-Ma’adi Al-Jadeeda” (New Ma’adi), three Metro stops were built, and companies from the Gulf established their headquarters.

The “Al-Ma’adi Sporting and Yacht Club was founded by the British in 1921, exactly a hundred years ago.

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Netflix’s ‘Woman in the Window’ is a Psychological Non-thriller Even with Amy Adams Intelligent Acting Justin Chang

be “Hitchcocky,” which comes closer to capturing its brand of swaggering, self-con“The Woman in the Window,” an over- scious homage. A meticulously controlled stuffed, floridly preposterous psycho- frenzy of a movie, it’s less interested in rethriller starring Amy Adams, is the kind producing Hitch’s mastery of suspense than of movie that would love to be described in repurposing his most famous twists and as Hitchcockian. But the resemblances are tropes, pelting you with strenuously clever cosmetic at best; really, a better term might parallels to “Vertigo,” “Psycho” and the

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Amy Adams stars as Anna Fox in “Woman in the Window,” on Netflix. (TNS)

like — and that’s not even mentioning the lodger, the vanishing lady or one hell of a family plot.

Busily directed by Joe Wright and adapted from the controversy-stirring 2018 bestseller (more on that later), “The Woman in the Window” is most obviously indebted to “Rear Window,” cheekily updating that Hitchcock classic for an era of smartphones, intercoms and antidepressants. The shut-in turned amateur sleuth here is Dr. Anna Fox (Adams), a child psychologist waiting out a severe case of agoraphobia in her multi-story New York brownstone.

Anna has a husband (Anthony Mackie) and a young daughter (Mariah Bozeman) who no longer live with her, though we do hear them on the phone and see them in flashbacks. For company she has only her cat, Punch; a basement tenant, David (Wyatt Russell); and a therapist who occasionally pops in. (He’s played by Tracy Letts, who also wrote the script.)

For entertainment Anna has a shelf full of glorious old movies that she watches and rewatches obsessively, including “Laura” and “Dark Passage” — two sly meta-warnings to the audience to be on the lookout for red herrings and mistaken identities. I should note that, as a lover of vintage Hollywood crime pictures myself, I’m generally sympathetic to any movie that geeks out over them too. The danger of dropping a few frames of Lauren Bacall or Gene Tierney into a patently inferior entertainment, of course, is that the pleasure of seeing their faces might well inspire more resentment than gratitude. It’s never a good idea to risk asking the audience: Wouldn’t you rather be watching something else?

Anna, as it happens, is soon distracted by alternate entertainment sources of her own.

A much more dangerous kind of thriller begins playing out in the house across the street, where the Russells, a family of three, have just moved in. The first Russell she meets is 15-year-old Ethan (Fred Hechinger), who comes over for a visit and gives off awkward-sensitive Norman Bates vibes.

Fittingly, his mother (a breezily insinuat-

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The most fascinating aspect of the production may be Anna’s ramshackle house itself, whose dimly lit, sparsely furnished spaces become a sort of artificial playground for Bruno Delbonnel’s camera to wander. ing Julianne Moore) is the next one to stop by, and like Ethan, she seems friendly if slightly off at first. There’s something particularly dodgy yet revealing about the way she describes Ethan’s over-controlling father, Alistair (a belligerent Gary Oldman), as if she were trying to both confess and suppress a guilty secret.

That something sinister is afoot becomes frighteningly clear when Anna peers out her window one night and sees a ghastly crime being committed in the Russells’ home. But is she really seeing what she thinks she is?

The abundance of unsubtle off-her-rocker imagery — which includes a shot of her peering intently through the slats of an actual rocking chair — suggests otherwise.

Once Anna screams bloody murder and the police show up (Brian Tyree Henry plays a friendly detective), their toughest questions are directed not at Alistair, but rather at Anna’s increasingly tenuous grip on reality. This surprises Anna but will surprise no one else, given her general dishevelment, increasingly rattled air and alarming habit of mixing wine with prescription meds.

Like the female protagonists of “Gone Girl” and “The Girl on the Train,” two earlier thrillers that also made the leap from page to screen, Anna is a classic unreliable narrator. She might also be an unwitting (and more sympathetic) stand-in for her scandalridden creator, Dan Mallory, who wrote “The Woman in the Window” under the pseudonym A.J. Finn and whose history of lies about his life and career was brought to

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light in early 2019. That’s a lot of baggage to saddle any movie with, even one that’s been sitting around as long as this one, which was delayed first for reshoots and again by the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the circumstances, the postponements may have been a blessing. If you find yourself thinking about tortured literary controversies during “The Woman in the Window,” it can only be because they’re rather more interesting than the movie itself.

Really, the most interesting thing here may be the marshaling of so many smart people in service of a misfire that probably seemed like an intuitive showcase for their talents.

In the scripts he’s adapted from his own plays (“Bug,” “Killer Joe”), Letts has demonstrated his facility for staging psychological breakdowns in close quarters. And Wright, in his own previous literary adaptations — including “Atonement,” speaking of unreliable narrators — has proven admirably willing to treat the camera as an active participant in the telling, using the formal resources of cinema to liberate his stories as much as possible from the printed page. It hasn’t always worked, but the results have never been dull.

Until now. In “The Woman in the Window” the director tries — oh, how he tries — to approximate the boozy, bleary-eyed treme close-ups of Anna’s eyes popping experience of Anna’s day-to-day. There open (echoing the Salvador Dali dream are “Vertigo”-style winding staircases, ex- sequence from Hitchcock’s “Spellbound”) and a relentless Danny Elfman score that, when it’s not humping Bernard Herrmann’s grave, seems to be channeling the singsong voices in Anna’s head. The most fascinating aspect of the production may be Anna’s ramshackle house itself, whose dimly lit, sparsely furnished spaces become a sort of artificial playground for Bruno Delbonnel’s camera to wander. Here, as in Wright’s vividly stylized “Anna Karenina,” the blatantly theatrical staging and deep-focus widescreen images create an almost Brechtian

Really, the most interesting thing here may be the marshaling of so many smart people in service of a misfire that probably seemed like an intuitive showcase for their talents.

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Julianne Moore as Jane in “Woman in the Window.” (TNS)

detachment, as if to suggest that Anna (Fox or Karenina) is caught up in the theater of her life.

That’s an intriguing conceit. It also has the effect of draining any real suspense or tension from the material and keeping Anna’s demons entirely on the surface. That’s a shame, given how effortlessly deep Adams can go when left to her own devices. Having already played an intrepid crime solver staring down alcoholism and personal trauma in the 2018 miniseries “Sharp Objects,” Adams tries, as always, to make intelligent choices, to underplay the intensity and avoid the obvious. She works against the

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freneticism of the filmmaking, emphasizing Anna’s moments of groundedness and lucidity as well as the instinctive empathy that likely made her a good psychologist to begin with. By rights she should be the centerpiece of a great and genuinely Hitchcockian thriller. This one is for the birds.

‘THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW’ Rated: R (for violence and language) Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes Playing: Now streaming on Netflix This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

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eature

Pandemic hits Egypt’s Oldest Snake Business Tolba Family’s Reptilian Inheritance in Danger Menna A. Farouk In the Haram neighborhood of Abu Rawash village in Giza, the Tolba family is known for a peculiar skill: for over a century, generations of the family have dedicated thenselves to the art of hunting and catching reptiles and snakes in the desert for researchers and specialized scientific centers.

Indeed, the family home is a destination for collectors and researchers as the Tolba go about their business, not bothering about its dangers and difficulties.

“We have been doing this for decades out of love for the profession,” Hajj Salah Tolba, the owner of the business, told Majalla.

Tolba, 54, inherited the profession from his father and is teaching it to his children and grandchildren. The family sells reptiles, especially snakes, to research centers who use its venoms in manufacturing medicine.

Tolba said that there are up to 36 species of indigenous Egyptian snakes, of which only 9 are poisonous, including in the foremost among them, the Egyptian cobra.

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HUNTING TRIPS The Tolba family begins its seasonal hunting trip, with the beginning of the summer season each year and continues from April until October. In recent years, the family began to extend its hunting activities beyond the pyramid area.

“Sometimes we go on hunting trips to the Sinai desert, which is filled with many types of reptiles, and the journey may extend to the south of the country to the Egyptian-Sudanese borders, at the Toshka and Shalateen areas,” Tolba said.

He added that this region is full of many of the rarest types of animals and wild reptiles that come out of their holes at the beginning of the summer, to enjoy the warmth of the sun after the end of the winter hibernation period.

A REPTILIAN ZOO

Salah Tolba, 54, is seen playing with a snake in his zoo in Abu Rawash village, Giza city. (Photo

by Menna A. Farouk)

Tolba and his family have built a zoo in Abu Rawash village where they display various types of snakes and reptiles as well as monkeys and a lion.

“Many tourists love to come here to see the zoo and the snakes,” Tolba said.

However, after the 2011 revolution that scared many tourists away, Tolba said that they have barely seen tourists in their place over the past 10 years.

According to data released by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), tourism revenues dropped by 2.7$ billion in the fiscal year of 2020/2019, recording 9.9$ billion. At its peak before the revolution, tourism revenues reached 12.5$ billion from the 14.7 million tourists who visited Egypt and employed 12 percent of Egypt’s workforce in 2010.

The coronavirus has also hit the business of the Tolba family as they used to export snakes and reptiles abroad.

Nasr added that reptiles are exported for various reasons whether for producing medicine or for experiments as well as for decorations.

According to official government data last year, total non-oil exports during the period from January to the end of April 2020 amounted to 1.7$ billion, compared to 8.8$ billion during the same period last year, a decrease of %1.8.

“We used to have a good amount of exports before the coronavirus pandemic, but after the lockdowns and the flight suspensions in many Tolba seen countries across the world our Salah playing with a exports slowed significantly,” snake along with his Tolba’s son Nasr said. grandson in his zoo in At his zoo, Tolba takes all the safety Abu Rawash village, precautions needed to protect his Giza city. (by Menna family as well as the animals. These )A. Farouk

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Tolba said that the reptile export industry can support the national economy as for him it is a “national treasure”. He added that in Egypt a cobra costs 50 Egyptian pounds (3.2$) but the same reptile would fetch a price of 200$ abroad. include regularly conducting medical check-ups, cleaning cages, doing maintenance and providing enough food for the animals.

Tolba said that the reptile export industry can support the national economy as for him it is a “national treasure”. He added that in Egypt a cobra costs 50 Egyptian pounds (3.2$) but the same reptile would fetch a price of 200$ abroad.

Similarly, a crocodile that is sold in Egypt for about 100 Egyptian pounds could fetch 900$ abroad.

“The government is putting restrictions on exporting these reptiles and putting much custom fees on them although if these restrictions were eased the country would make billions of dollars from their export,” he said.

Tolba said that he hopes to open a large zoo in Giza that can compete internationally as a tourist attraction by having rare species living in swimming pools and with football fields and a large entertainment park.

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Meet the Five Arab Athletes Who Rose to Fame Outside the Middle East Majalla After Mo Salah gained international fame in football as he played with Liverpool FC,

followers became familiar with Egypt. But it is not only Mo Salah who rose to fame as an Arab athlete. Many athletes of Arab origins have nailed it abroad and here is

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more news on five of them.

1. RIYAD MAHREZ Mahrez is an Algerian player who plays for Manchester City.

“It feels like the ball is sticking to his feet like a magnet.» This is how Mahrez’s childhood friend, Majid, described his skills in football.

British House of Commons as the Sports Personality of the Year for the year 2016.

Mahrez started his football career as a professional player with Quimper in France in 2009 and then he moved to Le Havre a year later.

2. SARAH ESSAM Being the first Arab woman to play football in a European League, Sarah Essam strives to be “The Egyptian Queen” in the English stadiums just like Mo Salah.

In 2014, Mahrez began to play in the English Premier League with Leicester City Club and his next stop was Manchester City In July 2018.

Manchester City›s Riyad Mahrez in action during training at Manchester City Football Academy on May 2021 ,13 in Manchester, England. (Getty)

Essam, 22, became the first Arab soccer female player to play in England after signing for Stoke City.

Essam played a distinguished season in 2018 after she scored 27 goals for her team that year, which made her receive the «Best Arab Female Athlete» award presented by the London Arab Organization.

He participated with his country’s national team in the 2014 World Cup in Germany and reached the semi-finals with them.

Mahrez won the English Premier League championship with Leicester City in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, the FA Cup in 2018 with Manchester City and the Best African Player award in 2016 from the Confederation of African Football.

It is not only Mo Salah who rose to fame as an Arab athlete. Many athletes of Arab origins have nailed it abroad and here is more news on five of them.

During her stay in Britain, Essam managed to juggle between playing football with Stoke City and obtaining a degree in civil engineering from the University of Derby.

3. ABDEL NADER ABDEL NADER )Twitter(

He was also selected by the

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Abdel Nader is an EgyptianAmerican professional basketball player who plays in the NBA for the

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Oklahoma City Thunder. He played in college basketball for Northern Illinois and Iowa State, before signing for the Boston Celtics.

“It’s cool to see Abdel Nader, how he’s growing. He’s shooting it with confidence,” Nader’s team-mate Chris Paul said of the Egyptian. “He just hoops.

He takes whatever responsibility there is – defensively, offensively, runs, plays the right way.”

many refugees, and she finally settled in Germany.

She has become a powerful voice for forcibly displaced people around the world and an example of their determination to rebuild their lives. She was appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in April 2017.

4. YUSRA MARDINI

Mardini was forced to leave Damascus with her sister and headed to Europe through Lebanon and Turkey before trying to reach Greece by boat.

The Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini surprised everyone who watched the 2016 Olympic Games. Mardini emigrated from her homeland after the civil war, like

When the boat’s engine broke down, Yusra and her sister, along with two other people, jumped into the water and swam for three hours in the sea to prevent their

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Sarah Attar of Saudi Arabia competes in the women’s 800 meters.

Attar is the first Saudi female athlete to compete in a track event at the Olympics during the 2012 London Olympic Summer Games at the Olympic Stadium, London, UK on August 8th 2012. (Getty)

Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini reacts after competing in a women›s 100m butterfly heat during the swimming competition at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, on July ,23 2017.(Getty)

boat from capsizing, saving 20 lives until she was the first woman to represent they reached the Greek island of Lesvos.

Saudi Arabia in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London along with Wajdan Yusra now lives in Berlin, but most of her Shahrakhani. family members are still in Damascus.

Although she was born in the United States Since her participation in the Olympic to an American mother, her father is Saudi, Games in 2016, Yusra has spoken to and she holds both Saudi and American world leaders, meeting the Pope, and being nationalities. honored with many awards.

Attar started her sports career at school, Her autobiography, «Butterfly: From participating in a running competition Refugee to Olympian - My Story of Rescue, during high school.

Hope, and Triumph,» was also published in 2018.

Although she loves sports, it seems Sarah has other hobbies. She studied at a university in California State, obtaining 5. SARAH ATTAR a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in studio She is an American-Saudi runner and arts.

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ealth

Weight-loss Diets That Keep Your Heart Happy Be Cautious About Diets that Restrict Specific Categories

Harvard Heart Letter Many diets can help you shed pounds. Choose one you can stick with forever that features plenty of heart-healthy foods.

Most people who’ve lost weight and kept it off for

years will tell you that sticking to your new eating pattern is key for long-term success. Yes, you can still have a cheat meal of your old favorites once in a while. But unless you make a permanent shift away from the habits that led to your weight gain in the first place, you’ll probably end up regain-

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ing the weight you’ve lost. It’s an all-too-common problem, as evidenced by the rising trend of overweight and obesity in this country.

But with so many weight-loss diets to choose from, how do you decide which eating strategy may work best for you, without harming your cardiovascular health? Dr. Deirdre Tobias, assistant professor of nutrition at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, says people should be cautious about diets that restrict a specific category of food (such as carbohydrates, fats, or even animal products) without focusing on the overall quality of the foods.

Unless you make a permanent shift away from the habits that led to your weight gain in the first place, you’ll probably end up regaining the weight you’ve lost. It’s an alltoo-common problem.

PROCESSING THE PROBLEM

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phasized high-quality fats and carbs. The people who did best filled their plates with whole grains, “In theory, any of those diets can be healthy. But non-starchy vegetables, whole fruits, and nuts. In you can get off track if you simply make a lat- contrast, those who ate more refined carbs, animal eral move to a new version of a processed food, protein, and saturated fat tended to die younger. like fat-free cookies or low-carb chips,” says Dr. (See “The tried-and-true diets that are good for Tobias. Food manufacturers are smart and will re- your waistline and your heart” for two diets that formulate their products to fit the latest diet craze. focus on high-quality fats and carbs.)

But that doesn’t mean their products are healthy -- If you’re making drastic changes to your diet, conespecially if you end up gorging yourself on those sult a registered dietitian who can offer targeted snacks. These and other ultra-processed foods advice and make sure that you’re not missing out (packaged and instant soups, noodles, and des- on crucial nutrients. Dr. Tobias also recommends serts and the like) often contain lots of additives, getting an annual wellness visit so you can keep such as artificial colors, flavorings, and preserva- tabs on your blood pressure, blood sugar, and chotives, notes Dr. Tobias. Growing evidence sug- lesterol, all of which can be influenced by your gests that people who eat lots of these foods face weight. “Remember that it’s not so much about the number on the scale, but how your weight afa higher risk of both obesity and heart disease. fects your health,” says Dr. Tobias.

LOW-CARB CAUTION

THE TRIED-AND-TRUE DIETS For people paying attention to their heart health- THAT ARE GOOD FOR YOUR -which should include all older adults -- certain WAISTLINE AND YOUR HEART low-carb diets may also be worrisome, says Dr. Tobias. For example, some people who gravitate toward the Atkins or the keto diet (both of which strictly limit carbohydrates) end up eating lots of red meat and processed meat such as bacon. Processed meat in particular isn’t good for heart health. However, people can lose weight on less-extreme versions of either low-carb or lowfat diets, as long as they focus mostly on eating unprocessed or minimally processed food.

Last year, a study involving 32,700 adults in JAMA Internal Medicine found that both lowcarb and low-fat diets may lower the risk of premature death by 27%, but only if those diets em-

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They’re not new or trendy, but these two diets have the best evidence for promoting cardiovascular health -- and they can be just as effective as other popular diets for fostering weight loss.

Mediterranean diet. This eating pattern features an abundance of vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and whole or minimally processed grains, along with modest amounts of cheese, yogurt, fish, and poultry, and red meat only infrequently in small amounts. Olive oil is the main source of fat. Here are some sample meals:

Breakfast

Plain Greek yogurt topped with nuts and fresh

berries Whole-grain bread topped with a small amount of low-fat cheese and slices of fresh tomato, drizzled with a little extra-virgin olive oil Vegetable omelet made with mushrooms, spinach, and onions cooked in olive oil, with crusty whole-grain bread

Lunch

Vegetarian pizza topped with part-skim mozzarella cheese, roasted broccoli, onions, green peppers, and carrots Greek salad made with chopped mixed greens, kalamata olives, tomatoes, fresh parsley, feta

Dr. Tobias, assistant professor of nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health, says people should be cautious about diets that restrict a specific category of food (such as carbs, fats, or even animal products) without focusing on the overall quality of the foods.

cheese, dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice Chickpea and farro salad with red peppers, spring onions, and fresh oregano, dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice

Dinner

Grilled vegetable kabobs with shrimp, toasted quinoa salad, and mixed green salad with pine nuts Chicken stir-fried in olive oil with broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, and yellow peppers, served over brown rice Steamed mussels with spinach-orzo salad and minestrone soup DASH diet. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) plan was originally developed to lower blood pressure without medication, so it aims to cut back on sodium. Like the Mediterranean diet, the DASH plan includes lots of vegetables, fruits, and grains, with an emphasis on whole grains. Low-fat or nonfat dairy foods, beans, nuts, seeds, lean meats, poultry, and seafood are also allowed, along with limited amounts of added fats and sweets. Sample menus are available at www.health.harvard.edu/ dashmenu.

For more information, see The Diet Review, a Special Health Report from Harvard Health Publishing, which details the science and evidence (or lack thereof) of 39 popular nutrition and weightloss plans. To order, go to www.health.harvard. edu/tdr.

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Adel Imam: The Icon of Egyptian Art and Actor Nonpareil

Majalla Illustration by Ali Mandalawi

Adel Imam is the most famous actor in Egypt and the Arab world. Throughout his rich career in theatre, cinema and television, he played comedic roles that have been mixed with political, romantic and social issues and was called the modern-day Arab Charlie Chaplin.

On the occasion of his 81st birthday this month, we go through his personal and artistic life, documenting his important lifetime phases and his most outstanding career achievements.

Imam was born on May 17, 1940, in the village of Sheha, Mansoura, Dakahlia Governorate in Egypt, and graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at Cairo University. His father, Muhammad Imam, was a great comedian, although he worked in the Ministry of the Interior, and Adel inherited his comic genius from him.

The Egyptian star had been in love with acting since his childhood. In high school, he joined the school’s acting team. Though Adel Imam did not study theater or cinema, he developed his talent and bought many books on theater and art history to know more about the field he loved. Imam began his artistic career at the university theater and in 1962, he presented his first play, “I, he, and she “.

His fame started in the seventies after per-

forming in more plays and reached a high in 1973 when he starred in the play “School of the rioters” which is one of the most famous Arab plays among different generations.

This was followed by his roles in successful plays such as “A witness who has not seen anything” in 1975, “Al-Wad Sayed AlShaghal” in 1984, “Al-Zaeem” in 1993 and “Body Guard” in 1999 in which presented dictatorial rule of governments humorously.

In the eighties, he went from theater to cinema to introduce more than 100 films that combine drama, politics, comedy and romance and became one of the actors who people bought tickets to watch.

In the beginning of the nineties, his films took on the social and political theme that reflects the interests of the ordinary man in the street in the Egyptian and Arab society in a comic manner.

Through his famous movies, “Terrorism and the Kebab” in 1992 and “The Terrorist” in 1994 he denounced religious extremism and terrorism. Because of these roles, he was subjected to lawsuits and was sentenced twice to prison, but he was acquitted by paying bail more than once because of some claim that his roles contain insulting and incorrect insinuations to Islam.

Adel Imam continued to present successful movies such as “The Embassy in the building” 2005, “The Jacobian Building” in 2006, which is the highest budget film in the history of Egyptian cinema that depicts contemporary

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Egyptian life in an old residential building.

Then, he returned to television with a social comedy series, which met with great popularity such as “Nagy Atallah Squad” in 2012, “Saheb El Saa’da” in 2014, “Hidden Worlds” in 2018 and the last one “Valentino” in 2020.

Imam was appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in January 2000. He also expressed his solidarity with the refugees, addressing a wide audience in North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf region.

The Egyptian actor has won many Egyptian, Arab and international awards such as The Best Actor Award for the year 1995 for “The Terrorist” from the Cairo Film Festival, Award from the International Jury for Best Actor for the year 2006 for the film “The Jacobian Building” from the São Paulo International Film Festival, Lifetime Achievement Award from the 2008 Dubai International Film Festival and Creative Achievement Award in the first edition of the El Gouna Festival for the year 2017.

Imam is married to Hala Shalakani, the sister of the late artist Mustafa Metwally. They have a daughter, Sarah, and two sons, Rami and Mohammed. Rami Imam is a director and producer, and Mohamed Imam is an actor.

From his most famous sayings: “I am not a star, nor a leader of any kind, there are no leaders in art, and all I want is to use my talent to make people’s lives better, even a small measure.”