RAMALLAH, May 10, 2012 (WAFA) – The three Palestinian Arabic dailies Thursday highlighted President Mahmoud Abbas’ statements following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of a an expanded coalition government.

The dailies reported on Abbas speaking to Reuters that he is ready to discuss with Netanyahu a peace agreement in the Middle East if he proposes “anything promising or positive.”

The headline on the front page of Al-Ayyam quoted Abbas saying: 'No return to negotiations without freezing settlement activities. We are ready to go to the United Nations again.'

Al-Hayat al-Jadida focused on Abbas telling Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority Yasser Othman that the Palestinian prisoners’ issue is a priority to the Palestinian leadership.

The striking prisoners’ issue continued to dominate the front page stories in the three dailies as the health of prisoners on hunger strike continue to deteriorate.

While five prisoners were reported to have stopped drinking liquids, Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon called on Israel to either put the prisoners on trial or release them.

The three papers printed photos of demonstrations in solidarity with the striking prisoners across the West Bank and a photo of Palestinian residents of Gaza looking at the largest map of Palestine during a festival marking the start of Palestinian dispersion, the Nakba, in 1948 and the establishment of Israel in Palestinian homes and on their land.

M.H./M.S.