RAMALLAH, Friday, January 24, 2020 (WAFA) -  Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Palestine and meeting with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas dominated the front page headlines in Friday’s issue of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies.

The dailies reported that President Abbas received his Russian counterpart in Bethlehem, where they discussed issues of mutual concern.

Abbas was reported in al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida expressing his gratitude to Russia for its political, economic, cultural and security support to the Palestinian people.

Putin was reported in al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida describing the Russian-Palestinian relations as deep-rooted and historical, and noting that he understands Abbas’ concern regarding the settlement of the Palestinian question.

Spokesperson for the Palestinian Presidency Nabil Abu Rudeineh was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida describing Putin’s visit to Palestine as a proof of the evolving Palestinian-Russian relations.

He was also reported warning against any step by the US that would undermine international legitimacy.

Al-Quds said that Putin supports Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, demands Israel not to seize church property in Jerusalem.

The imminent roll-out of the US-touted Mideast plan, dubbed deal of the century, which is designed to force Palestinians into submission to perpetual Israeli dominance, hit the front page headlines.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said in this regard that the US administration will invite Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Benny Gantz to Washington on Tuesday to brief them about the details of the plan.

US President’s former envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt was reported in al-Quds hinting that his country okays the Israeli step to annex the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea.

The dailies highlighted Palestinian and regional leaders’ responses to the Israeli announcement on the annexation of the Jordan Valley.

Al-Quds reported Premier Mohammad Shtayyeh stressing the importance of addressing Israeli threat to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was reported in al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida denouncing Israel’s planned annexation of parts of the West Bank as a “serious violation of international law”.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi was reported in al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida warning that Israel’s planned annexation of the Jordan Valley would end all chances of achieving peace.

The dailies said that Israeli settlers chopped down olive trees in Kafr Ad-Dik town, west of Salfit city.

They added that Israeli occupation authorities delivered an order to demolish a Palestinian house in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya.

They reported that occupation authorities also delivered stop-construction orders for several structures in Birin village, located to the south of Hebron.

According to al-Quds, Israeli police detained 13 Palestinians and banned 26 others entry to Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the eve of the Dawn of Hope campaign.

Police stormed the complex, attempting to clear its grounds after the morning prayer as hundreds of Palestinians were performing the morning prayers at the site in response to the social media Dawn of Hope campaign to show their devotion to the mosque.

Jamal Amro, a specialist on Jerusalem affairs, slammed that latest round of Israeli practices restricting Palestinian access to the site as a holocaust.

Al-Quds reported that Gaza population received the World Holocaust Forum in Israel with staging protests against the Israeli occupation authorities.

According to al-Hayat al-Jadida, Israeli Prison Service stormed the cells of Palestinian detainees in Asqalan prison, and moved them to section three.

Al-Ayyam said that Israeli forces continue to target Gaza’s borderline zone and fishermen sailing off shore of Gaza, and to launch mock airstrikes on the besieged coastal enclave.

K.F.