RAMALLAH, November 14, 2012 (WAFA) – The front page of Wednesday’s issue of al-Hayat al-Jadida daily focused on planned youth activities marking National Youth Week, which coincides with the declaration of independence.

“The youth control the land today,” was the main headline in the newspaper.

Al-Ayyam focused on an Israeli plan to build 772 new housing units in settlements in the West Bank. It said the Israeli Peace Now movement said the government is going to approve on Wednesday the construction of these settlements located in isolated areas of the West Bank.

Al-Quds daily reported in its top front page story on the situation in the Gaza Strip and said one Palestinian died in Gaza from wounds sustained earlier when hit by Israeli shells. The paper and the other two dailies said calm has returned to the Gaza Strip following Egyptian mediation that ended three days of exchange of gunfire.

The visit of President Mahmoud Abbas to Cairo and his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Mohammad Morsi was covered by the three dailies, focusing on the statements Abbas made in the press conference with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Amr.

Abbas will travel to Switzerland on Wednesday and then France in efforts to win their support for Palestine’s bid to become a non-member state in the United Nations General Assembly.

The papers also reported that work has started in digging the grave of the late president, Yasser Arafat, in preparation to exhume the body to take samples for tests by Swiss, French and Russian forensic experts, who are expected in Ramallah on November 26.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida said that Vera Baboon has become the first woman to be mayor of Bethlehem. Baboon ran on a Fatah-backed list.

M.S./F.R.