RAMALLAH, April 23, 2012 (WAFA) – News of Egypt terminating its natural gas supply deal with Israel dominated Monday’s Palestinian Arabic newspapers.

Al-Ayyam highlighted in red the Egyptian gas companies’ decision to terminate the gas purchase agreement with Israeli companies, adding that the Israeli government expressed concern and said the termination casts a shadow on the peace agreements and the peaceful atmosphere between Egypt and Israel.

Al-Quds focused on its front page on the Jordanian government’s new instructions regarding withdrawal of Jordanian nationality and citizenship from Palestinian holders of Palestinian, Israeli or Arab travel documents and employees of the Palestinian Authority.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida featured President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah awarding head of the Jordanian public security forces, Hussein al-Majali, the Order of Excellence. The daily printed a picture of Abbas handing the award to Majali.

Al-Quds reported on its front page on an Israeli court order to evict Israeli settlers from a Palestinian-owned house they forcibly took over in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

The three dailies said there was a rise in the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who have joined the open hunger strike hundreds of prisoners had started on Tuesday. They said the Israeli Prison Service is threatening to punish the striking prisoners.

al-Hayat al-Jadida printed a photo of a built-up area in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, near Ramallah, and said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was searching for a solution to avoid evicting the settlers living in that area in accordance with an Israeli Supreme Court eviction ruling.

Al-Quds editorial slammed Netanyahu’s decision to legalize three illegal outposts on the West Bank. It said the decision indicates Israel’s intentions to block the road to achieve peace through its settlements de-facto policy.

R.Q./M.S.