RAMALLAH, September 6, 2011 (WAFA) – The arson of a mosque by Jewish settlers in the West Bank on Monday dominated Tuesday’s issue of the three Arabic Palestinian dailies.
Al-Ayyam, Al-Quds and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida’s front pages reported at length on the arson of Al-Noreen mosque in Qusra, southeast of Nablus in the northern West Bank. Settlers destroyed the mosque’s contents and wrote offensive messages against Prophet Mohammad on the mosque’s wall, explained the newspapers.
Al-Quds printed a picture of the burnt tires and the damage inside the mosque, whereas Al-Hayat Al-Jadida’s front page picture featured the vandalism on the mosque’s wall.
Al-Ayyam daily highlighted the extensive talks between President Mahmoud Abbas and international officials in anticipation of the Palestinian bid to seek full United Nations membership of a Palestinian state within 1967 borders later this month.
The paper reported that Abbas received a phone call from US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton on Monday and that he reiterated the Palestinian stance on the bid. Abbas will also meet with special quartet envoy Tony Blair on Tuesday and US envoys for Middle East peace, David Hale and Dennis Ross on Wednesday.
A headline in Al-Quds newspaper quoted Abbas as saying, “We want to legitimize Palestinian existence, without delegitimizing anyone else.” The story featured Abbas’ meeting with a delegation of Israeli intellects in his headquarters in Ramallah, where he blamed the Israeli government for the failure of negotiations after refusing to stop settlement activities and accept clear terms of reference for the peace process.
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reported on the rising diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel after the Israeli paper Haaretz had reported that the Turkish foreign ministry summoned the Israeli deputy-ambassador in Istanbul and asked her, along with every other Israeli diplomat above the level of second secretary, to leave Turkey within 48 hours in line with Turkey’s decision to downgrade diplomatic relations to the level of second secretary.
The daily also featured Haaretz report that Israeli tourists were separated from the rest of the passengers upon arrival in Istanbul on Monday and were questioned at length by Turkish police.
Al-Quds editorial praised Turkey for the way it dealt with Israel after the deterioration in the Turkish-Israeli relations that led to the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Ankara. The daily compared Turkey’s response to the death of nine Turks in Freedom Flotilla in 2010 by Israeli navy to Egypt’s passive response to Israel’s killing of Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai last month.
The editorial called the Arab countries to follow Turkey’s method in dealing with Israel politically and diplomatically to condemn Israeli intolerable actions.
R.Q./M.A.
