RAMALLAH, Wednesday, February 03, 2021 (WAFA) -  Launching the Covid-19 vaccination in the occupied West Bank dominated the front page headlines in Wednesday’s issue of the mainstream Palestinian Arabic dailies.

 The dailies reported that the Health Ministry launched the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, inoculating first medical workers.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida printed a photo for Health Minister Mai al-Kaileh receiving the vaccine, while al-Ayyam printed another photo showing her vaccinating a health worker at the Hugo Chazev Hospital in Ramallah.

The dailies added that 513 Palestinians tested positive for the virus and nine others died of it in the occupied territories.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam added in this regard that 200 Palestinians contracted the virus and two others died of it in the city of East Jerusalem within the last two days.

According to al-Ayyam, nine new Covid-19 cases were confirmed among Palestinians in Italy.

According to al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida, two Palestinians were injured by Israeli military gunfire in Kafr Malek town, northeast of Ramallah city.

They added that Israeli forces handed demolition notices against three houses and an animal shed in Um al-Amad community, west of Yatta town in the southern West Bank.

Al-Quds also reported that Israeli forces handed a military order to remove the fence surrounding a plot of farmland in Sebastia town, northwest of Nablus city.

According to al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida, Israeli military forces raided Khirbet Humsa al-Fouqa in the northern Jordan Valley and prevented activists from rebuilding demolished structures there.

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh was reported in the dailies denouncing the forced displacement of the Palestinian community of Khirbet Humsa al-Fouqa.

He was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida and al-Quds slamming their forced displacement as an act of “organized state terrorism”.

Al-Ayyam reported violent confrontations with Israeli forces in the vicinity of Jenin refugee camp.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida said that Israeli forces rounded up scores of Palestinians in multiple West Bank raids.

Al-Quds said that Israeli police targeted Waqf-appointed staff and the Murabitun, worshippers barricading themselves at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to protect it against settler intrusions.

It added that police banned two Waqf-appointed guards entry to the holy site for three months.

The killing of two Palestinian citizens of Israel by Israeli police gunfire in the Israeli city of Tamra also hit the front page headlines in the dailies.

Al-Quds said that two Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed in a crime committed by the Israeli police in Tamra.

Al-Ayyam elaborated that two Palestinians were slain and two others were wounded by Israeli police gunfire in the town.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida added that the killing triggered mass protests in the Arab towns in Israel over Israeli police crimes against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The upcoming Palestinian general elections to take place for the first time in 15 years was highlighted in the dailies.

The Central Elections Committee was reported in al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida announcing that voters on the electoral register totaled 2,900,000.

It was also reported saying that 90,000 new voters were added to the electoral register.

Chairman of the Qatari Committee for Gaza Reconstruction Mohammad al-Emadi was reported in al-Quds affirming ongoing Qatari support to the Palestinian people in Gaza.

According to al-Quds, a delegation of Islamic Jihad, headed by the Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad Nakhaleh, had an expanded meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow.

Al-Quds highlighted a report by Israeli human right organization B’Tselem titled Occupation routine: Four soldiers abuse residents of Silwad for three weeks.

Another report for the same organization was spotlighted in al-Ayyam.

It is titled under the title of Israel continues policy of forcibly transferring Palestinians: Yesterday, another massive demolition at Khirbet Humsah; today, troops began extensive training among homes and fields of Masafer Yatta residents.

The US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price was reported in al-Quds stating that the US intends to restore US assistance to the Palestinian people, noting that this will be done “because it’s in the interest of the US to do so”.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida highlighted AFP’s report Belgrade Upset Over Israel’s recognition of Kosovo.

Al-Ayyam said that the European Union expressed regret over Kosovo’s decision to open its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem and affirmed its commitment to longstanding stance on Jerusalem.

K.F.