RAMALLAH, Wednesday, May 13, 2020 (WAFA) – Israeli army badgering of the northern West Bank town of Yabad following the killing of a soldier after he was hit on the head by a rock thrown at him during an army operation was highlighted on the front page of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies published today.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam led with this story while al-Hayat al-Jadida had it lower on the front page and said soldiers injured and detained many town residents following the incident.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida printed a picture of several children left alone in Yabad and crying after the army detained their parents and all the adult members of their family who lived in the house where the rock was thrown from.
The three papers also said in the same news story that Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian man at Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah and arrested him after he was suspected of attempting to attack soldiers with a knife.
The top front-page story in al-Hayat al-Jadida highlighted activities and remarks by President Mahmoud Abbas and said he listened to reports from several ministers and stressed the importance of the anti-corona measures.
It said people in occupied East Jerusalem held a protest in support of Palestine TV after Israel extended the closure order of its office in the occupied city for six more months.
It also quoted Fatah movement saying that Israeli annexation of occupied Palestinian territory will take the region to a cycle of violence that will not come to a quick end.
Al-Quds said in a report from its Washington correspondent that Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told the Middle East Institute via video conference that the Palestinian Authority would not dissolve itself but that it will take decisive measures regarding freezing all agreements signed with Israel if the latter goes ahead and annexes occupied Palestinian territory.
It also said that France is going to call for a strong positon from the European Union if Israel goes ahead with the annexation plan and that diplomats from Belgium, Ireland and Luxembourg said they also want to discuss economic sanctions during the Friday meeting of the EU foreign ministers.
The paper also said Israel issued an order seizing land near the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron and it quoted a Palestinian official saying that this means Israel has annulled the Hebron protocol.
The paper also reported on the Human Rights Watch report on the situation of Palestinian towns in Israel in comparison to Jewish towns.
Al-Ayyam said Shtayyeh called on the EU’s foreign policy chief to take action against Israel if it annexes Palestinian land.
It also quoted US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is expected in Israel today, saying that President Donald Trump’s vision for peace is realistic and answers Israeli and Palestinian demands.
The paper quoted a Saudi news site saying that Hamas and Israel are going to carry out a prisoners’ exchange deal with Egyptian mediation by Eid al-Fitr, in 10 days.
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