RAMALLAH, May 19, 2016 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas’ remarks at the inauguration of the Palestinian Museum coupled with Israeli detention raids across the West Bank hit the front page headlines in Palestinian dailies.

The three dailies reported that Abbas inaugurated the Palestinian Museum.

Abbas was quoted in al-Ayyam as stating during the inauguration ceremony that museum would “preserve the Palestinian people’s memory”.

He was also reported in the three dailies as stating that the museum would convey the message that the Palestinian people has been living here ]in Palestine[ “since antiquity” and would remain here to build the independent Palestinian state.

Israeli detention raids across the West Bank also hit the front page headlines in Palestinian dailies.

The dailies reported that Israeli forces carried out a large-scale detention campaign across the West Bank, detaining an estimated 25 Palestinians, including a Hamas-affiliated ex-minister. Al-Ayyam estimated the number of detainees at 22.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida added that forces shot and injured a Palestinian farmer to the east of al-Shaja‘iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza city.

The dailies also reported that Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian house in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shu‘fat. Al-Quds explained that the house was demolished to build a new road connecting the Ramat Shlomo and Pisgat Zeev settlements.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that Israeli forces delivered four demolition notices for four water tanks in Beit Ummar town in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.

It is worth noting that the tanks are being used for irrigation of over 30 dunums of land in the northern and eastern areas of the town. The tanks were set up earlier in 2016 as part of a UN-funded project for the development of water sources and marginalized lands across the West Bank.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered head of Israel Beitenu, Avigdor Lieberman, the position of ‘Defense’ Minister during negotiations to join his ruling coalition.

The three dailies highlighted US Secretary of State John Kerry’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.

The three dailies reported Kerry as stressing the importance of Egypt as an important regional partner. According to al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida, Kerry commended al-Sisi’s bid to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that members of Belgium’s parliament nominated Marwan Barghouthi for the Nobel Peace Prize.

K.F.