RAMALLAH, Friday, March 06, 2020 (WAFA) – Declaring a state of emergency in the occupied Palestinian territories to fight the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) dominated the front page headlines in Friday’s issue of the dailies.
The dailies reported that President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree declaring a state of emergency across the occupied territories for a month.
Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida elaborated that the state of emergency was declared after seven Palestinians tested positive for the virus in Bethlehem.
Al-Ayyam also reported that the Palestinian Authority has launched a series of emergency procedures to contain the outbreak of the virus.
As part of the emergency state, the dailies added, academic facilities (schools, universities, and institutes), as well as tourist areas are closed.
Premier Mohammad Shtayyeh was reported in al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida urging citizens not to travel between the various districts.
He was also reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida announcing that the government was considering closing bridges and crossings as precautionary measures, and that security forces were deployed across all districts.
Al-Quds printed a photo for the Church of the Nativity, showing it closed indefinitely over fears of the virus, while al-Ayyam printed a photo showing a bearded priest walking outside the closed church.
According to al-Quds and al-Ayyam, Israeli occupation authorities have placed Bethlehem under lockdown indefinitely.
Al-Ayyam said that a Palestinian from Jerusalem, who works as a tourist bus driver, tested positive with the virus.
According to al-Quds, Israeli occupation authorities seek to deny Muslim worshipers access to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, citing fear of coronavirus as a pretext.
Al-Ayyam reported the mosque director Sheikh Omar Kiswani announcing that the mosque compound will remain open for Friday prayer.
Highlighting the spread of the virus worldwide, al-Quds said that the death toll and number of casualties from the virus have climbed, causing a state of public alert and prompting exceptional procedures in 84 countries.
Al-Quds said that Saudi Arabia has ordered a closure of the two holy mosques of Mecca and Medina as well as Mount Safa and Mount Marwa inside the Great Mosque until a ban on Umrah pilgrimages is lifted.
Furthermore, the dailies said that ten Palestinians were killed and some 60 others were injured when a fire tore through a packed market in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central besieged Gaza Strip, with al-Ayyam dubbing yesterday as “Black Thursday”.
The dailies added in this regard that President Abbas was following-up on developments related to the fire breakout.
They highlighted the demolition of the family houses of two Palestinian prisoners in Ramallah district.
They said that Israeli forces demolished the family house of Walid Hanatsheh in al-Tireh neighborhood and that of Yazan Maghames in Birzeit town.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that a number of Palestinians were injured from Israeli military gunfire in Ramallah and Qalqilia districts.
Al-Quds added in this regard that Israeli occupation authorities ordered a halt on the construction of agricultural structures in Azzun Atma village, south of Qalqilia city.
According to al-Hayat al-Jadida, Israeli forces rounded up 11 Palestinians, including several former prisoners, in multiple West Bank raids.
Al-Ayyam said that Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund came under criticism over investing in businesses that operate in Israeli colonial settlements.
Finally, al-Hayat al-Jadida reported Arab League secretary-general Ahmad Aboul Gheit urging donor countries to fill in the large funding gap of the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
K.F.
