RAMALLAH, Thursday, May 21, 2020 (WAFA) – The aftermath of the speech by President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday in which he announced that Palestine is now absolved of all agreements with Israel and the United States has dominated the news on the front page of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies published today.
Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida highlighted the Palestinian cabinet meeting in which Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh gave instructions to his cabinet members to start implementing the leadership’s decision.
Al-Ayyam quoted European countries saying that they will not recognize any change on the ground in the occupied territories and quoted UN official Mladenov calling for reviving the Quartet.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida said President Abbas received two phone calls from the UN Secretary General, who said he called for a meeting for the Quartet to discuss the Palestinian issue, and his Turkish counterpart, who said Turkey stands behind the decision of President Abbas.
It also quoted member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Saeb Erekat, saying that the decision of the leadership went into effect once the president ended his speech.
It said Fatah Central Committee is going to discuss today the implications of the latest decisions and that the Islamic Cooperation group at the UN are discussing the serious situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Al-Ayyam quoted western diplomats saying that Russia is proposing a meeting with Palestinian, American and international participation in Geneva.
It said that in response to the Palestinian decision to end agreements with Israel, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed hope that security cooperation will stay the same.
Al-Quds said Israel claims it discovered caves and a mosaic floor under al-Buraq wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
It said the European Union, Finland and Italy contributed 17 million euros to Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem.
It quoted Palestinian and Israeli rights organizations calling on Israel to stop targeting Gaza fishermen.
It said movement in the West Bank will be restricted during Eid al-Fitr holiday, staring Friday at night until Monday midnight.
The paper said seven new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Gaza.
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