RAMALLAH, March 29, 2012 (WAFA) – The three Palestinian Arabic dailies Thursday focused on the Arab summit which convenes this year in the Iraqi capital Baghdad after more than 20 years.
The papers discussed the meeting of the Arab foreign ministers, who convened on Wednesday to plan out the agenda for the meeting of the Arab leaders.
News from Baghdad on the Arab summit dominated al-Ayyam’s front page, reporting that the anticipated Baghdad declaration will support the Palestinian leadership’s political position and will call on the Arab countries to uphold their financial obligations toward the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The daily’s reporters covering the summit detailed accounts of the events taking place in Baghdad on the front page, printing a picture of the foreign ministers meeting.
While the three dailies featured and printed pictures of President Mahmoud Abbas’ participation in the summit, al-Ayyam published an exclusive interview with Abbas during which he said the reconciliation talks have stopped because of objections by some Hamas leaders, adding that the ball is in Hamas’ court.
Al-Quds’ main article on its front page reported that the Israeli government and municipality of Jerusalem confiscate Arab-owned archeological areas in East Jerusalem and turn them over to radical Jewish organizations, according to an Israeli professor at Tel Aviv University.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida and al-Quds reported that around 100 Israeli soldiers in full army uniform took a tour of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, and Jewish settlers have also joined the tour and held provocative religious rituals in an area considered one of Islam’s holiest sites.
Al-Quds editorial tackled the arrest of Palestinian journalist Yousef al-Shayeb at orders from the attorney general following a complaint of slander and deformation filed against him for publishing a story accusing the Palestinian ambassador to France of corruption and the foreign minister of covering up for him.
The daily condemned Shayeb’s arrest and the Palestinian court order to extend his arrest for 15 days pending investigation, and called on the government to immediately release him.
R.Q./M.S.
