RAMALLAH, Thursday, March 18, 2021 (WAFA) – The three Palestinian Arabic dailies highlighted on their front page today the outcome of the talks of the Palestinian political factions held in Cairo over the past two days and which focused on preparation for the upcoming elections planned to start on May 22 with the legislative elections to be followed on July 31 with presidential elections and on August 31 with elections for the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the highest decision making body.
Al-Ayyam daily said in the headline of its main front-page story that the Cairo talks stressed national partnership and decided on the outstanding issues related to the elections.
It quoted Fatah's leader to the talks, Jibril Rjoub, saying that the elections will be held on time as planned.
It also said in another sidebar that Fatah and Hamas have agreed on forming a united list for the legislative elections.
Al-Quds daily said the Cairo talks concluded on an agreement on the unity of the land and on holding elections in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
It quoted Rjoub saying that the Fatah Central Committee is going to meet tomorrow, Friday, to decide on the form of its future alliances.
It also quoted the secretary general of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Nayef Hawatmeh, saying that his movement has decided to take part in the elections because they are a constitutional, legal, and political merit.
The second important item on the front page of the three dailies highlighted the latest with the coronavirus pandemic in Palestine and the world.
The third Palestinian Arabic daily, al-Hayat al-Jadida, said the first batch of the corona vaccines has arrived in Palestine and that the vaccination rollout will start on Sunday.
Al-Ayyam also said that 29 people have died of the disease in Palestine yesterday while 2193 new cases were recorded.
It said three people have died of coronavirus in East Jerusalem and 234 new cases were recorded over two days.
Al-Quds said 44 percent of the corona patients getting treatment in hospitals are on ventilators.
On the Israeli occupation measures against the Palestinian people, al-Quds daily said the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem asked the courts to allow the immediate demolition of 100 Palestinian-owned homes in al-Bustan area of Silwan neighborhood.
Al-Ayyam said 1550 people live in the homes threatened with demolition in al-Bustan.
It also said a delegation of dozens of diplomats toured Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem where Israel intends to uproot several Palestinian households from their homes in order to give them to Israeli settlers.
Al-Quds said the delegation expressed concern over this decision by Israel.
It also said that an Israeli court fined a Palestinian man around $18,000 for preventing an Israeli settler leader from entering a mourning house for a Palestinian with autism killed by Israeli police in East Jerusalem.
Al-Ayyam said Israel carried out land leveling and uprooting of trees in various areas of the occupied Palestinian territories as youths confronted what it said was an Israeli settlement project in Kufr Aqab neighborhood of East Jerusalem located beyond the separation barrier.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida said the Israeli occupation authorities dismantled and seized five tent shelters in Khirbet Tana, in the northeast of the West Bank.
It also quoted Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, condemning Israeli unilateral measures that destroy the two-state solution.
M.K.
