RAMALLAH, September 18, 2011 (WAFA) – The three Palestinian Arabic dailies Sunday focused on the Quartet’s meeting later today, as the last attempt to resume Palestinian-Israeli negotiations before the Palestinian application to gain full United Nations membership of a Palestinian state later this week.
The three papers also featured the European Union’s call for a “constructive solution” that allows the resumption of negotiations, noting that the EU has taken note of President Mahmoud Abbas' intention to seek full membership of a Palestinian state at the UN.
A picture of the women’s demonstration Saturday in support of the UN bid, at Qalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, dominated more than half of al-Hayat al-Jadida’s front page.
The daily reported on Israeli isolation of East Jerusalem from the Palestinian Territory as a precaution before Abbas applies for membership on September 23. The news piece also featured Jewish calls to break into al-Aqsa compound on Sunday, coinciding with a Jewish conference to discuss ways to hasten building the alleged Jewish Temple on the site of al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Quds’ front page featured an Israeli official’s statement of Israel’s failure to stop the Palestinians from heading to the UN. A subtitle reported on 500 Israeli intellects’ support of the Palestinian bid, in a letter addressed to Abbas.
Quoting PLO Central Committee Member Nabil Shaath in a press conference on Saturday, al-Ayyam’s front page story headline read: “The quartet’s failure to find a formula to resume negotiations resolved the decision to head to the UN.”
An opinion piece in al-Ayyam by Hani Habib questioned the possible aftermath if Abbas’ retreats from requesting full UN membership of a Palestinian state, noting that Abbas would certainly be accused of treason, at least.
Habib praised the Palestinian leadership’s persistence in heading to the UN, saying that, regardless of the outcome, this Palestinian movement has restored the role of political thinking in the Palestinian cause.
R.Q./F.J.
