RAMALLAH, August 11, 2011 (WAFA) – As September approaches, when the Palestinians are expected to address the United Nations and ask for formal recognition as a state with full membership, the United States and Israel are increasing their coordinated efforts to block this Palestinian step.

Two of the three local dailies highlighted this issue on their front page. The main headlines in Al-Quds and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida touched on a telephone conversation between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which both leaders sent warnings to the Palestinians against approaching the UN in September.

“Netanyahu: Peace chances will diminish if the UN recognizes the Palestinian state in September,” was the main headline in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida. “Israel, US warn Palestinians against proceeding with plans to approach the UN in September,” said the main headline in Al-Quds.

Al-Ayyam chose to ignore this subject, even though it did have a story lower down on the front page about Netanyahu’s warnings after his meeting with the US Congressional delegation visiting Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The main headline in Al-Ayyam related to the Palestinian cabinet meeting and its statements  following its Tuesday session, regarding steps to eliminate reliance on foreign aid to finance recurrent expenditure.

Al-Ayyam and Al-Quds also had a story from Jordan quoting a Fatah leader and representative in the reconciliation talks with Hamas, Azzam Al-Ahmad, as giving members of the Palestinian National Council a progress report on the last Fatah-Hamas meeting in Cairo.

Al-Ahmad said the two sides agreed on many points, mainly the release of prisoners held by both sides before the end of this month, issuing passports for Gaza residents, Hamas ending the ban on travel for those wishing to leave the Strip, and a broad meeting for all the factions in Ramallah in two weeks to discuss how to deal with issues caused by the four-year split between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reported on statements made by incarcerated Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi who told the Egyptian Middle East News Agency (MENA), through his lawyer, that a US veto in the UN Security Council against a Palestinian state would provoke widespread and violent protests and would end the US role in the region.

The three papers continued to report on the developments in the Arab world, particularly in Syria.

M.A./F.J.