RAMALLAH, March 3, 2012 (WAFA) – Saturday’s issue of Al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper focused on a report that claimed that President Mahmoud Abbas had sent the much-anticipated letter to the Israeli government regarding Palestinian conditions to resume negotiations.

The paper was the only one to report on news from the Saudi al-Arabiya television station that Abbas had already handed the letter to Jordan in order to pass it on to the United States and Israel. It said the letter said if negotiations are supposed to resume, Israel should accept 1967 borders, halt all settlement activities, and release prisoners, especially those arrested before 1994.

The other main front page focus of Al-Hayat al-Jadida, as in the remaining two other Arabic dailies, was the polar air mass that hit the Palestinian Territory leading to snowfall in Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem and Ramallah.

The newspapers reported on the damage caused by floods in the West Bank and Gaza due to heavy rain, as well as uprooting trees due to high winds.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida printed a picture of snow-covered al-Haram al-Sharif compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, and another of children playing in snow in Ramallah. Meanwhile, al-Ayyam printed a picture of a man warming hands over fire in a barrel at the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron.

The main focus point in al-Quds was the Israeli assaults against the weekly non-violent demonstrations against settlements and the wall, causing injuries among Palestinians and international activists due to tear gas inhalation.

The daily printed a picture, dominating its front page, of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists protesting in solidarity with Palestinian residents of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, who lost their homes to Jewish settlers with government consent and active support.

Al-Ayyam highlighted on its front page statements by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh accusing Egypt of causing the current power crisis in the Gaza Strip in order to push the Palestinians to buy power from Israel.

Al-Quds was the only newspaper to report that the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem is using the military intelligence to monitor new buildings in East Jerusalem and collect property tax from its Palestinian residents.

Al-Quds editorial called for an immediate Muslim, Arab and Palestinian action to end the Israeli administrative detention policy and to save the life of Hana Shalabi, the Palestinian prisoner held in administrative detention and who has been on an open-ended hunger strike for 17 days protesting her arrest without charge or trial.

R.Q./M.S.