RAMALLAH, Sunday, December 29, 2019 (WAFA) – Palestinian Arabic dailies focused today on reports circulated across the Israeli media, that the Israeli government is going to freeze $43 million from the tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinians, the amount the Palestinian government pays monthly to the families of those killed by Israeli forces.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said the Israeli government is expected to approve the request of the Defense Minister Naftali Bennett freeze $43 million from the tax revenues Israel transfers to the Palestinians Authority every month, the amount paid to the families of Palestinian martyrs in 2018.

In its main news story, al-Hayat al-Jadida quoted Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, as saying that President Mahmoud Abbas and the leadership are determined to hold legislative and presidential elections as soon as possible, but not at any price.

His statement came in response to calls by parties on President Mahmoud Abbas to issue a decree on holding legislative and presidential elections, irrespective of whether Israel would allow them in occupied Jerusalem, the city Palestinians consider as capital of their de jure state.

Al-Quds said Israeli occupation forces assaulted and detained four Palestinian civilians on Saturday evening in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Issawiya.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida said that according to UN-OCHA, Israeli occupation authorities demolished 617 residential structures in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the year.

Al-Ayyam said President Mahmoud Abbas offered his condolences to the government and people of Somalia over the victims of the terrorist attack that took place in Mogadishu yesterday.

The same daily said Malaysia announced that it will appoint to honorary consuls accredited to Palestine in Gaza and Ramallah.

M.N