RAMALLAH, January 26, 2017 (WAFA) – The Israeli army killing of a young Palestinian man following an alleged car-ramming attack near the Israeli Kochav Yaakov settlement, southeast of Ramallah, hit the front page headlines in the Palestinian Arabic dailies on Thursday.
The three dailies said Hussein Abu Ghoush, 24, from the Qalandya refugee camp north of Jerusalem, was left bleeding on the ground until his death.
The dailies also reported that Israeli forces shot and critically injured another young Palestinian man at the entrance to Aboud village, northwest of Ramallah. He was identified as Omar Natheer Barghouthi, 24.
The army claimed Barghouthi opened fire at an Israeli military roadblock in a drive-by shooting without causing any harm. He was reportedly taken to an Israeli hospital for treatment.
Highlighting demolition raids, al-Quds said Israeli forces demolished Palestinian property in East Jerusalem and Jericho districts. Al-Hayat al-Jadida explained Israeli bulldozers demolished a Palestinian-owned storage and two shops in East Jerusalem.
Highlighting planned demolitions in Hebron district, al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported the Israeli High Court decided to allow the so-called Israeli Civil Administration to demolish eight Palestinian villages south of Hebron.
Al-Ayyam reported in this regard Palestinian residents of the eight villages were at risk of eviction under the pretext of Israeli military drills in the area.
Al-Quds also reported as part of its main front page news item that Israeli military raided Bethlehem and crossed the border fence with the Gaza Strip into Palestinian lands, east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
It added Israeli forces conducted overnight detention raids across the West Bank, detaining at least 34 Palestinians.
The dailies spotlighted official Palestinian statements in response to Israeli government approval of plans to construct 2,500 new settler units in illegal Jewish-only settlements across the West Bank.
The dailies reported President Mahmoud Abbas as warning during a Fatah Revolutionary Council’s session in Ramallah the announcement of the construction of thousands of new housing units in West Bank settlements “would have grave consequences.”
Abbas was also reported in al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida as stating Palestinian leadership is talking to Arab and foreign countries in order to address the settlement construction issue and pledging to take steps to prevent it.
Al-Quds also reported in this regard that Palestinian Foreign Ministry and the secretariat of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee have called upon the UN Security Council to implement its resolutions pertaining to settlement construction.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida spotlighted official German, French, Qatari, Japanese, Swiss and Egyptian statements condemning settlement construction plans.
Furthermore, Al-Quds reported Minister of Local Government Hussein al-Araj as announcing that government plans to hold local municipal elections in May 2017.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said the US State Department is reviewing a decision made by former US President Barack Obama’s administration to release $221 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said Israel has commenced planning phase for a train that would connect Tel Aviv to al-Buraq plaza, also known to Jews as the Western Wall, in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida said a Gaza military court sentenced eight Palestinians affiliated to the Fatah party, including three to life in prison for gathering information about Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza for the PA’s intelligence service in Ramallah.
K.F./M.K.
