RAMALLAH, Wednesday, October 14, 2020 (WAFA) – Ongoing Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian olive harvesters across the West Bank dominated the front page headlines in Wednesday’s issue of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies.

Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida said that Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers harvesting their olive crops and stole their harvest across the West Bank.

Al-Quds said that three Palestinian farmers picking their olives were injured in the settler attacks.

Two farmers were injured when settlers attacked olive harvesters in Burqa village, east of Ramallah, and another in a similar attack in Nilin village, west of Ramallah.

Al-Quds added that settlers consolidated a colonial settlement outpost in Kisan village, east of Bethlehem.

Al-Ayyam elaborated that the settlers fenced off dozens of dunams of Palestinian land, east of Bethlehem, as a prelude to consolidate the colonial settlement outpost.

Moreover, al-Quds said that Israeli forces seized a road grader as it was working on flattening a rural road intended to facilitate the movement of farmers during the olive harvest in Az-Zawiya town, west of Salfit.

It added that Israeli forces rounded up 11 Palestinians in multiple overnight raids across the West Bank.

According to al-Ayyam, Israeli military bulldozers infiltrated Gaza border, east of Khan Younes city, leveling farmland and destroying crops.

It highlighted Peace Now’s report A new proceeding reveals that Elad is using the JNF’s name to conduct the eviction proceedings of the Sumarin family.

The dailies covered the latest statistics on the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the occupied Palestinian territories.

They said that 516 Palestinians tested positive for the highly contagious virus and four others died of it in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida added in this regard that 613 recovery cases were recorded in the territories.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that 74 new coronavirus infections and two fatalities were recorded in East Jerusalem in the last two days.

Al-Ayyam also reported that eight new coronavirus cases were discovered in al-Buriej refugee camp in the central strip, without being able to identify the source of the infections.

The dailies highlighted the health deterioration of Maher al-Akhras, who has been on hunger strike for 79 days in protest against his administrative detention by Israel.

Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida said that over 30 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention facilities started a open-ended hunger strike in solidarity with al-Akhras as Palestinians staged large-scale solidarity rallies across various cities.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida added that Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations expressed concern over al-Akhras’ health given amidst growing calls for his release.

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh was reported in al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida stating that the Israeli occupation violates the Palestinian people’s rights and targets land, trees and humans.

He was also reported in al-Ayyam saying that the government honors international treaties to which Palestine has acceded.

Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk was reported in al-Quds saying that Hamas stands by Fatah movement in order to overcome the current stage.

Furthermore, Jordanian Foreign Affairs Minister Ayman Safadi was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida stressing that the Palestinian question remains the foremost central issue and that the ongoing ‘Palestinian-Israeli conflict’ is a threat to the whole regional.

Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida said that a United Nations committee has submitted 17 applications to Israel on the need to protect the Palestinian people’s rights since 1967.

The committee is the United Nations Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and other Arabs of the Occupied Territories.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) was reported in al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida warning against the consequences of its funding gap of USD$ 130 million amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

K.F.