RAMALLAH, Wednesday, December 30, 2020 (WAFA) – The unabated demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied territories dominated the front page headlines in Wednesday’s issue of the three mainstream Palestinian Arabic dailies.
Al-Quds reported that the Israeli occupation authorities demolished 12 Palestinian-owned homes and structures across the West Bank and embarked on razing the bus station in downtown Hebron city to make room for colonial settlement construction.
Al-Ayyam said in this regard that the occupation authorities conducted a large-scale “campaign” across the occupied West Bank, tearing down structures, razing tracts of land, uprooting trees, and serving demolition and stop-construction notices.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that the occupation authorities perpetrated attacks and settlers rampaged against Palestinians, injuring a Palestinian, tearing down houses and structures, and uprooting trees across the West Bank.
According to al-Quds, a construction worker and a journalist were shot and injured with Israeli military gunfire in the West Bank.
It added that Israeli forces conducted multiple raids across the West Bank, rounding up 25 Palestinians.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that 12 Palestinian armed groups carried out their first-ever joint military maneuver, dubbed the Hard Corner, using live ammunition in the Gaza Strip.
Health Minister Mai al-Kaileh was reported in the dailies announcing that 1,149 Palestinians contracted Covid-19 and 19 others died of it in the occupied territories.
Al-Quds also reported al-Kaileh saying that 2,155 covid-19 patients recovered.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that 262 Palestinians contracted the virus and another died of it in Jerusalem in the last two days.
The Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry was reported in al-Quds and al-Ayyam confirming 17 new Covid-19 cases among Palestinians in the diaspora.
The new cases were confirmed as the Palestinian competent health authorities recommended extending the precautionary measures intended to rein in the pandemic outbreak for two weeks, as reported in the dailies.
Director of the Jerusalem Center for Economic and Social Rights Ziad Hammouri was reported in al-Quds saying that the Israeli occupation authorities carried out 171 demolitions of Palestinian houses and structures in Jerusalem in 2020.
According to al-Quds, Israeli settlers forced their way into Al-Aqsa compound despite the coronavirus general lockdown.
Palestinian permanent envoy to the United Nations Riyad Masnour was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida stating that with the absence of holding Israel accountable ]for its violations and crimes[, the injustice ]inflicted upon the Palestinian people[ will continue unabated and Israel would continue to act with impunity.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida published a report highlighting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the downfall of the exchange rate of the US dollar on the Palestinian construction sector.
It said that the administration of the Israeli Gilboa Prison informed Palestinian detainees its decision to postpone giving them the Covid-19 vaccine.
It also reported that Hatem Ali, an award-winning Syrian actor and director who directed al-Taghreba al-Falastenya (The Palestinian Exodus), died of a heart attack in Egypt.
According to al-Ayyam, the Palestinian government disbursed the salaries of the families of detainees and slain Palestinians for December, January and February.
K.F.
