RAMALLAH, Thursday, December 12, 2019 (WAFA) – The dissolution of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, following the failure to form a coalition government and subsequent move to hold third elections within a year dominated the front page headlines in Thursday’s issue of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies.
The dailies reported that the Knesset passed a motion dissolving itself, and setting March 2, 2020 as the date for holding new elections. Israel is scheduled to hold elections on March 2, 2020.
Israeli military raids and assaults against Palestinians also hit the front page headlines in the dailies.
Al-Quds said that Israeli settlers harassed and briefly held Palestinian students on a field trip to the archaeological site of Sebastia in the northern West Bank.
Al-Ayyam also reported settlers’ attacks against Palestinians in the southern West Bank district of Bethlehem.
Settlers threw rocks at Palestinian vehicles and caused damage to some of them near the village of Za‘atara, west of Bethlehem.
Al-Quds said that several Palestinians were injured from Israeli military gunfire in the West Bank city of al-Bireh and Beit Duqqu village, located to the northwest of Jerusalem.
Al-Ayyam elaborated that two Palestinians; one from Arraba town, southwest of Jenin, and the other from Qaffin town, northeast of Tulkarem, were injured from Israeli military gunfire.
Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that Israeli forces detained 12 Palestinians, including two girls, in multiple West Bank raids.
The dailies said that scores of Israeli settlers along with police and intelligence officers barged their way to Jerusalem flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Bab al-Rahma prayer area.
According to al-Quds, Fatah Central Committee is scheduled to convene following President Mahmoud Abbas’ return from his official trip aborad.
Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida highlighted the launching of a US$ 348 million plan to address the critical humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people.
The Humanitarian Response Plan 2020 was launched by Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and the Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick.
Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit was reported in al-Quds stating that the families of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem in Israeli custody are not entitled to income security.
Al-Quds said that the Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO), a private Palestinian shareholding power distribution company, issued a table of the concession areas where forced Israeli blackouts will resume starting Sunday.
The Higher National Commission for the Great March of Return was reported in al-Quds and al-Ayyam calling on Palestinians to en masse participate in the borderline protests, dubbed Renewal the UNRWA Mandate Protests, tomorrow.
According to al-Quds, Brazil is set to open a trade office in Jerusalem.
Likud leadership challenger Gideon Sa‘ar was reported in al-Quds calling for the expansion of the construction of Israeli colonial settlements in West Bank Area C and the forcible transfer of Palestinians from Khan al-Ahmar.
Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida stating that Palestine safeguards the common interests of the Group of 77 and China.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida published a feature story about the crackdown of Hamas-run security forces on a Palestinian who protested against setting up the Israeli-US field hospital in the northern besieged Gaza Strip.
Internationally, al-Quds said that US President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
According to al-Ayyam, Trump signed an executive order designating Judaism as a nationality under the pretext of fighting anti-Semitism.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida said that the Palestinian community in Spain and BDS activists foiled an economic forum aimed to normalize relations with Israel in Madrid.
K.F.
