RAMALLAH, August 10, 2011 (WAFA) – The developments in Syria dominated the front page of Wednesday’s three local dailies.
The papers highlighted the number of people killed during army raids on various Syrian cities, but mainly in Deir al-Zour, as well as Turkey’s attempts to put an end to the trouble there.
The main headline in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida focused on statements by Saeb Erekat, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, who denied reports that the Palestinian Authority may postpone its request for recognition and membership from the United Nations in September. He also denied reports that the United States has a plan to resume Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.
Two of the papers had a front page picture from Amman, Jordan, of President Mahmoud Abbas handing King Abdullah of Jordan an honorary doctorate degree from Al-Quds University. The two papers, Al-Quds and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, highlighted statements each leader had made regarding the strong relations between the two people.
The riots in Britain received front page coverage of the three dailies, as well as the provocative tour by Jewish extremists of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem, one of Islam’s holiest sites.
The editorial in Al-Quds took a position in support of Palestinian drive to get UN recognition in September. It said that contrary to the Israeli propaganda that seeking UN recognition would start trouble in the region, the Palestinian Authority made sure to stress that this move would only enhance peace efforts and it does not aim to replace negotiations.
“By going to the UN,” said the paper, “the Palestinians are opening a new door to peace and serious negotiations, not to close the door to peace as Israel and its allies claim.”
Under the headline “Hamas is expected to protect the Israeli ‘tent protests,’” opinion writer Hani Habib said in Al-Ayyam that “the tent protests are mainly a revolt against settlements, settlers and the Netanyahu government which was the backbone of the fascist, right-wing settlement movement while the regular person in the street was suffering from deterioration in living standard in the Israeli society.”
He said the protesters are against increase in defense budget while they cannot find decent housing or functioning economy. He said absences of a peace process had cost the Israeli citizen a great deal.
The writer said that the pressure put on the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which some call on him to resign, may lead him to start a new war against Gaza to fend off pressure. He, therefore, urged Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, not to allow firing of missiles into Israel, which would give Netanyahu and the extremists in Israel a pretext to start the war in order to divert attention from local issues to security matters.
M.A.
