RAMALLAH, Wednesday, June 10, 2020 (WAFA) - The escalation of Israeli demolitions of Palestinian structures and land grab, which appear to be paving the way for Israel’s looming annexation move, besides to the threat to declare the Palestinian state dominated the front page headlines in the dailies.

The dailies reported that Israeli occupation authorities demolished a Palestinian house in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan and five structures in al-Sawahreh village, southeast of Jerusalem.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida added that Israeli forces demolished the structures in al-Sawahreh and seized their contents.

The dailies also reported that the occupation authorities delivered demolition orders for a number of houses and structures in al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem city.

The Palestinian government’s threat to declare the Palestinian state if Israel presses ahead with the annexation move also dominated the front page headlines in al-Quds and al-Ayyam.

Premier Mohammad Shtayyeh was reported in al-Quds threatening to declare the Palestinian state on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, should Israel presses ahead with the annexation move.

He was also reported in al-Ayyam threatening to move to the stage of “imposing fait accompli” on Israel should the latter implements the annexation plan.

Regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus in the occupied territories, the dailies reported Health Minister Mai al-Kaileh confirming that nine more Palestinians tested positive for the virus in Adh-Dhahiriya city, southwest of Hebron, Jericho and Jerusalem.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported the Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry announcing that five Palestinians died due to the virus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, and 28 others in the diaspora contracted the virus.

Furthermore, al-Quds and al-Ayyam highlighted Israel’s Supreme Court’s ruling striking down as “unconstitutional” a law allowing Israel to seize Palestinian land and retroactively legalize colonial settlements on private Palestinian land in the West Bank.

According to al-Quds, a number of Palestinians suffocated from tear gas fired by Israeli military forces in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

It said that Israeli forces rounded up 25 Palestinians in multiple raids across the West Bank. Al-Ayyam said that the detainees totaled 22.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that Israeli police cracked down on a Palestinian rally protesting the recent killing of Iyad Hallaq, an unarmed autistic Palestinian man, by Israeli police in Jerusalem.

They also reported that Palestinians also staged rallies protesting Hallaq’s killing besides to escalated police crimes against Palestinians in Nazareth, Jaffa, Haifa, Ramallah and Rafah.

According to al-Quds, 115 Israeli settlers, under heavy police protection, barged their way into Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The dailies reported the Palestinian presidency praising Saudi Arabia’s position of rejecting Israel’s illegal annexation move.

Al-Quds reported Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh calling on leaders of Arab and Islamic countries to take an immediate action to confront Israel’s illegal annexation move.

It reported that the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights has suspended service provision to Gaza patients.

It also reported Human Rights Watch saying that Israel has constructed some 900 colonial settlements since the Nakba.

It published Xinhua’s news analysis As Israel contemplates annexation, implications weighed amidst growing criticism.

According to al-Hayat al-Jadida, foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are scheduled to convene today to discuss developments of Israel’s annexation plan.

It said that Canada expressed rejection of Israel’s annexation plan, and South Africa affirmed that its stands by the side of Palestine in all international forums.

It also reported Sri Lankan Foreign Minister affirming that his country would stand by the side of Palestine in all international forums.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported Khaled Mahajna, an attorney representing the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, refuting Israeli allegations that Nathmi Abu Baker, a resident of Yabbad, was involved in the killing of a soldier on May 12.

According to al-Hayat al-Jadida, a Bulgarian official affirmed his country’s rejection of Israel’s illegal annexation move and settlement construction.

K.F.