Frustration with Netanyahu mounts as Gaza talks falter

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing anger in Israel and abroad over his handling of talks on a Gaza ceasefire that have faltered, just as fears have grown that the crisis could spiral into war with Iran, three Israeli officials said.

Divisions between Netanyahu and the defence establishment over a deal, which could help defuse the escalating crisis that risks engulfing the Middle East, have also surfaced in public remarks and behind closed doors, in angry exchanges leaked on Saturday to the Israeli press.

Over the past four weeks three Israeli officials, one on the negotiating team and two with close knowledge of the talks, have voiced concern that politics was undermining the chances of a deal.

"The feeling is that the prime minister is avoiding making a decision about the deal and is not pushing for it full force," one of the officials told Reuters on Sunday.

Some of Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners have threatened government stability should the war end before Hamas is defeated.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said the release of the remaining 115 hostages held in Gaza was a top priority.

But the issue has become more urgent as the war in Gaza threatens to spill out into a wider regional conflict following a dramatic ratcheting up of tensions between Israel and Iran over the past week.

Tensions between Netanyahu - who insists he is safeguarding Israel's security - and some in his negotiating team were laid bare in his public remarks on Sunday.

"I am prepared to go very far to release all of our hostages, while maintaining the security of Israel," Netanyahu said in televised remarks at his cabinet meeting.

"Our commitment stands in complete contrast to the leaks and mendacious briefings on the issue of our hostages."

Efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas had gained momentum over July but have since ground to a near halt after new terms were introduced to an agreed framework presented by Washington in May.

The killing on Wednesday of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran has further complicated matters, though the militant group has not shut the door entirely on negotiators.

Netanyahu's remarks came in response to a flurry of reports over the weekend.

A second N12 report cited Israeli security chiefs, including Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and the head of the Shin Bet domestic security service Ronen Bar, casting doubt during a Wednesday meeting on Netanyahu's commitment to a hostage deal.

Gallant, according to the report, told Netanyahu that the new terms he introduced have made a deal impossible.

Israel returns bodies of 89 Palestinians; airstrikes kill 18

Israel returned the bodies of 89 Palestinians killed in its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 more people Monday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.
A Gaza official said it was unclear whether the bodies had been dug up from cemeteries by the army during the ground offensive, or whether they were "detainees who had been tortured and killed."
"The occupation provided us with no information about the names, or ages, or anything. This is a war crime, a crime against humanity," Abu Suleiman said.
He said the bodies would be examined in an attempt to determine the causes of death and to identify them, before being buried in a mass grave at a cemetery.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said Israel had sent 89 bodies as "bones and decomposed bodies in an inhumane manner."
It said Israeli forces had "stolen" 2,000 bodies since Oct 7 from dozens of cemeteries, which they bulldozed during their ongoing military offensive.

The courses cover the legal protection of intellectual property in Qatari legislation and international conventions, along with the legal provisions regulating expert work in Qatari Law, and provisions of the Qatari civil human resources law.

The course of legal protection of intellectual property in Qatari legislation and International conventions chiefly intends to familiarize participants with intellectual property rights and their legal protection under the Qatari law, through highlighting the general provisions of intellectual property rights in Qatari legislation, the legal provisions for protecting individual intellectual property in Qatari legislation, as well as the role of international conventions in protecting intellectual property rights, along with the role performed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) accordingly.

To intensify briefing on the course themes, the course approach involves six-prong themes that have been identified by referring to Law No. 7 of 2002, on protection of copyright and neighboring rights, including the decree No. 50 of 1986, approving Qatar's accession to the Arab Convention on the Protection of Copyright, decree No. 33 of 2001, approving Qatar's accession to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the TRIPS Agreement of 1994, the WIPO Copyright Treaty of 1996, the Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms, and Broadcasting Organizations of 1961, and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty of 1996.

The aforementioned course comprises practical applications on classifications that are subject to protection under the law, and the rights of producers of sound recordings, including a presentation of judicial applications related to copyright and neighboring rights, a review of resolved disputes, and a presentation of topics and cases related to copyright that are currently before the WIPO.

Additionally, the provisions of the Qatari civil human resources law aims to advance knowledge and legal capabilities of the participants in this field, through illustrating the general provisions and principles of the law, alongside the provisions and regulation concerning appointment to public office, duties and prohibitions related to the job, disciplinary responsibility provisions contrary to legal provisions, the most important rights and privileges enjoyed by public employees, and the rules and regulations for evaluation, training, and development.

On the other hand, the course of the legal provisions regulating expert work in Qatari Law, and provisions of the Qatari civil human resources law intends to imbue participants with the knowledge and legal skills to enforce the provisions that regulate the experts' work in the Qatari law, in addition to getting them familiarized with the rules and requirements of practicing this profession, as per purviews of the Experts Department at the Ministry of Justice.

On this occasion, Director of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Ministry of Justice, Dr. Saleh Ali Al Fadala, affirmed the importance of these professional training courses to upgrade the legal researchers and practitioners capabilities and advance their legal skills, so as to gain maximum benefits for the interest of government ministries and institutions which have designed these courses to meet their training needs.

Dr. Al Fadala added that the courses primarily aim to advance legal professions in keeping abreast of modernization in the state legal sector, pointing out that the center, and under directive of HE Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi, strives to meet the state training needs in accordance with the third National Development Strategy, and in alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030 in its pillar related to human development.

Therefore, the center lays out qualitative programmes and courses that observe the practical aspect to focus on preparing national qualified talents in a multitude of professions and legal fields, as well as the areas that are relevant to the professional technical expertise of legal practitioners in multiple government bodies. (QNA)



Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Receives Phone Call from US Secretary of State


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MoL's employment platform 'Ouqoul' to provide AI-powered services

QNA/Doha

The Ministry of Labour, in collaboration with Google Cloud and Mannai InfoTech, has announced the launch of its new initiative, the innovative 'Ouqoul' platform, powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

This platform aims to provide exceptional services for graduates from universities in Qatar and companies in the private sector.

The advanced platform relies on the power of Google Cloud and AI technologies to streamline the recruitment process, making it easier for students to find jobs that match their skills and career aspirations.

Commenting on the announcement of this new initiative, Assistant Undersecretary for Migrant Labour Affairs at the Ministry of Labour Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman al-Thani said, "Qatar offers the opportunity to graduates from world-class universities, and the 'Ouqoul' platform aims to harness the talents of those university graduates, ensuring the retention of highly skilled individuals in the local labour market and recognising the hard work and dedication of graduates from universities in Qatar.

"By linking these skilled individuals with local opportunities, we seek to achieve a better match between the supply of qualified graduates and the demand in our labour market. This initiative not only supports local universities but also strengthens a more robust and resilient local economy."

The launch of the 'Ouqoul' platform is part of the ministry's wider strategy to enhance workforce productivity and leverage competencies, complementing efforts to promote and employ the national workforce in the private sector, in alignment with Qatar National Vision 2030, she added.

For his part, Google Cloud Regional Director at Qatar Ghassan Costa said that "this groundbreaking platform showcases the transformative power of AI in facilitating the recruitment process and enabling graduates and businesses to connect and thrive," adding that "Google's advanced cloud technologies are designed to enable innovation and growth, and we are committed to driving positive change in the digital landscape in Qatar."

Senior Vice President at Mannai InfoTech Benno MR said, "This project represents a major step towards supporting the career ambitions of Qatar's ambitious workforce and underscores Mannai InfoTech's commitment to driving innovation and fostering partnerships that benefit the local community."

The main objectives of 'Ouqoul' are to create a user-friendly platform, increase employment opportunities for expatriate graduates from universities in Qatar, and improve the efficiency of their overall recruitment processes. The platform will include features such as identity verification systems, job posting capabilities, search functions, and an advanced dashboard for administrators. Additionally, enhanced AI features will be integrated to automatically process candidates' resumes, match them with available jobs, and provide chatbots for inquiries and support.

The ''Ouqoul" platform will feature three distinct interfaces designed to meet the needs of different user groups: expatriate university graduates in Qatar, private companies, and universities. The platform enables expatriate students graduating from local universities to create personal profiles using their university IDs, generate skill-based resumes using the platform's AI tools, search for job opportunities in Qatar's private sector that match their skills, and apply directly through the platform.

AI tools will also support candidates in achieving their career goals by suggesting courses needed to develop the required skills.
The personality test on the platform will help identify the most suitable career paths for them. The entire journey takes place on the platform, allowing candidates to use unique tools to connect with companies, learn new skills in the platform's learning center, conduct online interviews, negotiate, and sign contracts through the integrated Ministry of Labour's unified portal. Graduates can also evaluate companies.

The platform will allow private sector companies to publish job opportunities, search for suitable candidates, and manage rapid recruitment processes all in one place, supporting companies in reaching the best candidates.

Ouqoul is also a valuable source of information for universities in Qatar, as it will be connected to the Labour Market Information System. Universities will have a list of skills in demand in Qatar, to support their strategies to boost the employment rate of their graduates and can improve their curricula to suit market demands. Moreover, university supervisors will play a vital role in monitoring the platform's activity and ensuring its safety and public functionality. They will also receive fast e-services from the Ministry of Labour.
The Ministry of Labour has recently launched a number of electronic services and platforms such as the Istamer platform and Basher services to facilitate the procedures for employing Qataris and children of Qatari women in private sector companies. This is in line with the ministry's priority of nationalisation in the private sector and providing smart electronic services.