RAMALLAH, Wednesday, August 5, 2020 (WAFA) – The powerful explosion that rocked Beirut besides to the extension of the state of emergency in the occupied Palestinian territories dominated the front page headlines in Wednesday’s issue of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies.
Al-Quds reported that 50 people were killed and 2,750 others were injured as a huge explosion rocked Beirut Seaport.
Al-Ayyam said that a massive explosion at Beirut Seaport rocked the capital, Beirut, killing dozens and injuring thousands and inflicting substantial destruction.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida printed Fairuz’s song From my heart a greeting of peace to Beirut in bold red.
Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida added that President Mahmoud Abbas expressed his solidarity with the Lebanese leadership and people following the massive explosions.
Premier Mohammad Shtayyeh was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida stating that Palestine was ready to provide any needed assistance immediately to Lebanon.
The extension of the state of emergency for a month over coronavirus in the occupied Palestinian territories also hit the front page headlines.
The dailies said that President Abbas issued a presidential decree extending the state of emergency for 30 days as of August 4 to counteract the pandemic outbreak.
The move came, al-Quds and al-Ayyam added, as the Palestinian government announced further relaxation of the lockdown restrictions.
They added that as part of the lockdown relaxation, cafes, restaurants and gyms will be allowed to reopen under certain conditions.
Al-Ayyam added that businesses and transportation are allowed to operate on weekdays from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Besides, the dailies highlighted the latest statistics on the spread of the pandemic in the occupied territories.
They said that 229 Palestinians contracted the highly contagious virus and two others died of it in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam elaborated that among the 229 new cases, 58 cases were recorded in Jerusalem district.
Al-Ayyam added in this regard that 375 Palestinians tested positive for the virus during the recent Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha in Jerusalem.
Moreover, al-Quds said that Israel offered to pay NIS 670,000 in compensation to the family of Aisha al-Rabi, but the family refused compensation and called for the demolition of the assailant’s house.
The dailies said that Israeli occupation authorities released Jerusalem Governor Adnan Ghaith together with chief of the general intelligence for Jerusalem district Jihad al-Faqeeh and Secretary-General of Fatah branch in al-Eizzariya Sami Abu Ghalieh.
Spotlighting settlers attacks, al-Quds said that Israeli settlers torched two Palestinian vehicles in Faraata village, east of Qalqiliya city.
The dailies said that Israeli occupation authorities seized hundreds of dunams of Palestinian farmland from Kisan village, east of Bethlehem city.
They added that the occupation authorities demolished several structures and houses and served demolition orders against other structures in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem.
According to al-Hayat al-Jadida, the Palestinina cabinet condemned the systematic incitement of some US lawmakers against President Abbas.
AlHayat al-Jadida said that an Israeli military court issued a ruling stripping the Hebron Municipality of its powers and allowing the construction of an elevator at Hebron’s flashpoint site of the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Al-Ayyam added in this regard that the Israeli occupation authorities consolidated their grip on the site by allowing settlers to construct an elevator inside the site.
According to al-Quds, US President Donald Trump administration accepts Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement to annex all colonial settlements across the West Bank.
Highlighting OCHA situation report on the coronavirus disease in the occupied territories, al-Ayyam reported the United Nations agency revealing that home demolitions and Israeli settler violence have compounded the impact of the pandemic.
K.F.
