RAMALLAH, February 11, 2017 (WAFA) – The death of a wounded Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli hospital and US President Donald Trump’s statements on settlements were the focus of the front page headlines of the three Palestinian dailies on Saturday.

Al Quds, al-Hayat al-Jadida and al-Ayyam said Mohammad Jallad, from Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank, died in Belinson hospital in Israel, three months after he was shot and critically injured by Israeli soldiers during an alleged stabbing attack near Nablus.

Al-Quds said the Palestinian government holds Israel responsible for his death.

On Trump’s statement to an Israeli daily, al-Quds said that Trump stated that settlements are not good for peace.

The paper quoted “informed sources” as saying that Trump is going to talk to President Mahmoud Abbas right after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 15.

It also said in a report from Washington that the Trump administration has been consulting with Arab officials and Israeli officials close to Netanyahu to come up with a peace proposal.

Reporting on the same subject, al-Ayyam said that Trump said the Israeli settlement growth is not good for peace and that he’s seriously considering moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

However, the headline in al-Hayat al-Jadida quoted Trump saying that moving the US embassy to Jerusalem is not an easy decision.

The three dailies also gave extensive coverage to settlers’ takeover of properties, including storages and a yard in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, while demolition orders were issued to Palestinian homes in the same neighborhood.

Other headlines in the three dailies said Israel issued confiscation orders against 274 dunums of land west of the city of Ramallah.

Al-Quds included news about 88 housing units being promoted and up for sale in Ma‘ale Adumim and Pisgat Ze’ev settlements, both in the West Bank but close to Jerusalem.

It also included a feature article about the Samaritan bath, calling it one of the most important and ancient landmarks in the city of Nablus.

News of Israeli forces cracking down on the weekly protests in several West Bank locations also made the front page headlines.

Al-Ayyam and al-Quds said that dozens were injured during those weekly marches, while al-Hayat al-Jadida said that protestors were injured during marches in Madama, Bilin, Nilin, Kufr Qaddum and Bethlehem.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported a statement by Mary Le Pen, French National Front (FN) political party leader and candidate for the French 2017 presidential election, who said that French Jews will have to give up on their Israeli citizenship. She also said that French people shouldn’t be allowed to own any other citizenship unless it is European.

Another statement by Fatah Central Committee member, Azzam al-Ahmad, who praised the international parliament ’s stance that strongly criticized the Israeli parliament’s legalization of the West Bank settlements, was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that the UN delayed release of a list of businesses linked to Israeli settlements.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida included a sub headline that said that settlers from Amona settlement, who were evicted two weeks ago, are now demanding a new settlement near Turmus Ayya, a town near Ramallah.

As reported by al-Quds, the Israeli municipality is planning to build a tunnel and a bypass to link Ma’ale Adumim settlement to Jerusalem.

Corruption investigation against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still ongoing. According to al-Hayat al-Jadida, Netanyahu is likely to be indicted in Case 1000, which will be concluded in four to six weeks.

On the same subject, al-Ayyam said that Israeli police is likely to indict Netanyahu of corruption and abuse of office.

The Portuguese parliament condemned the Israeli “settlement law,” which legalized settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as reported in al-Ayyam, which also reported that Trump will announce new security measures in light of “big threats” against his country.

The paper said 45,000 worshippers attended the Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. It quoted the Mufti saying during the sermon that the Umayyad Palaces, which Israel is trying to turn into Jewish sites, are “purely Islamic remains.”

Al-Quds had a headline that said: “Who is going to be the head of Hamas’ politburo?” It answered that with a kicker that read: “Haniyeh is the most likely person.” Haniyeh is Hamas leader in Gaza and deputy to the current leader, Khaled Meshaal.

The papers reported about the fire in Beit Hanina, an East Jerusalem neighborhood, focusing on the sacrifice of the mother, Fatima Siaj, who died in the fire while rescuing her four children.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida said children in Beit Hanina were searching for their belongings through the rubble of their homes, demolished by the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem.

The paper also said in a report from Gaza that livestock was hard hit due to spread of FMD and the Plague.

K.T./M.K.