RAMALLAH, Wednesday, September 09, 2020 (WAFA) – Israeli military detention raids, the largest since the beginning of 2020, across the West Bank and home demolitions dominated the front page headlines in today’s issue of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam reported that Israeli military carried out large-scale detention campaign, and released most of the detainees after interrogating and threatening them several hours later.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida added that scores of Palestinians, some 50, were rounded up in the round of the detention raids.

The spate of home demolitions and eviction orders in Jerusalem also dominated the front page headlines in the dailies.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported in this regard that the Israeli occupation authorities decided to evict the Rajabi family from their building in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, displacing 30 members of the family.

Al-Quds highlighted a press conference held by human rights group, particularly the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC), on the demolitions of Palestinian structures in Jerusalem.

JLAC Director Rami Saleh was reported in al-Quds calling for an immediate freeze on all demolition orders against home demolitions in Jerusalem.

Rasem Obeidat, a local researcher, was reported saying that the Israeli systematic policy of home demolitions is an integral part of Israel’s plan to decisively impose sovereignty on and annex the city of Jerusalem.

Al-Ayyam and al-Quds reported the European Union missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah urging Israel to halt demolitions of Palestinian structures.

Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq was reported in al-Quds warning that the Israeli occupation authorities were conducting demolitions of Palestinian structures at an unprecedented level.

Furthermore, the dailies reported the Health Ministry announcing that 717 Palestinians contracted the novel coronavirus and 10 others died of it in the occupied territories in the last 24 hours.

Among the 717 new confirmed cases, 118 cases were recorded in the besieged Gaza Strip, according to al-Ayyam.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida added in this regard that 718 recovery cases were recorded in the occupied territories in the last 24 hours.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that 140 new cases were recorded in Jerusalem district in the last 24 hours, and six Jerusalem neighborhoods were are now under nighttime lockdown.

The Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry was reported in al-Quds and al-Ayyam confirming 25 new COVID-19 cases among Palestinians in the diaspora.

According to al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida, 12 Palestinian detainees in Ofer, a notorious Israeli detention facility, west of Ramallah, tested positive for the virus.

This prompted the Palestine Prisoner’s Society (PPS) to hold the Israeli occupation authorities responsible for the detainees’ lives.

The dailies highlighted Israel’s decision to impose nighttime lockdown on 40 cities, towns and neighborhoods, mostly Arab, as some 4,000 new infections and 14 fatalities were confirmed in the last 24 hours.

Premier Mohammad Shtayyeh was reported in the dailies stressing that the Arab Peace Initiative is the primary reference to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, and that Arab countries’ retreat from it would weaken the Palestinian position.

The dailies said that Israeli military bulldozers razed Palestinian land in Salfit and Hebron districts to make room for settlement expansion.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida said that Israeli settlers attacked and injured three construction workers to the north of Nablus.

Al-Quds printed a news analysis highlighting Russia’s efforts to convene a meeting for the Palestinian factions in Moscow.

Hamas senior official Saleh Arouri was reported in al-Quds saying that Hamas was in daily contact with Fatah to ensure the success of the recent heads of factions’ meeting.

The dailies highlighted the ramifications of Palestinian criticism of the UAE-Israeli normalization agreement.

Al-Quds said that the Gulf Cooperation Council reproached Palestinian leaders for slamming UAE over normalization agreement with Israel.

Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh was reported in the dailies rejecting any offensive statements or actions against the national symbols of any Arab countries.

Member of Fatah Central Committee Hussein al-Sheikh was reported in al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida revealing that he had “important” and “fruitful” meetings with Qatari officials in Doha.

Al-Quds reported the Abu Qi‘an family pledging not to waive Ya‘akub’s right and to press with their legal battle to prosecute perpetrators.

Abu Al-Qi‘an, a 50-year-old math teacher from Atir-Umm al-Hiran in the Naqab, Israel‘s southern desert region, was killed on January 18, 2017 after Israeli police opened fire on his vehicle as he was driving through the Bedouin village during state preparations for a large-scale home demolition.

Al-Quds published an Arabic translation for Foreign Policy’s report The End of Hope in the Middle East.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida said that Jordan vehemently condemned Serbia and Kosovo’s decisions to relocate their Israeli embassies to Jerusalem.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida and al-Ayyam spotlighted the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report COVID-19 devastates Palestine’s shattered economy.

UNCTAD reported was quoted in al-Ayyam warning that “the looming de jure annexation of settlements by the occupying power, if it proceeds, would deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution and undermine prospects for peace in the region.”

According to al-Ayyam, Chad Foreign Ministry categorically denied any plan to open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.

K.F.