RAMALLAH, February 8, 2017 (WAFA) – Official international condemnation of the Israeli law that retroactively legalizes expropriation of private Palestinian land across the West Bank hit the front page headlines in the Palestinian dailies on Wednesday.
Al-Ayyam said the international community widely condemned the new Israeli law, while al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida said the law was met with Palestinian, Arab and international condemnation.
The dailies highlighted condemnations from the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as well as European Union’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini, British Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood and many others.
On the other hand, al-Quds quoted well-informed sources close to US administration as stating Washington has asked Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu to prepare specific ideas to be raised during the upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump in relation to progress toward the two-state solution.
President Mahmoud Abbas’ meeting with his French counterpart Francois Hollande in Paris also hit the front page headlines in the dailies.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said Israeli forces demolished residential tents and barns in Kardala village and Khirbet al-Ras al-Ahmar, east and southeast of Tubas, in the northern Jordan Valley.
Al-Ayyam added Israeli bulldozers demolished a Palestinian-owned building that was under construction in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina.
Al-Quds reported Palestinian government warning that the European Union’s decision to modify its financial aid policy would exacerbate the budget deficit, while al-Hayat al-Jadida said the government was going to continue to pay its Gaza-based employees even though the EU said it was not going anymore to contribute toward their salaries but instead it is going to direct that share to the money to the poor in Gaza.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida said Israeli Jewish settlers assaulted Palestinian photojournalist Zaher Abu Hussein with rocks and batons while he was driving near the Israeli settlement of Ofra, east of Ramallah.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah demanding that Israel immediately release incarcerated Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi.
Hamdallah made his statements during the opening of the film “Marwan”, which tells the story of the Fatah leader who entered his 16th year in Israeli prison.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said a committee investigating the recent events in Nablus between gunmen and the security forces has completed its work and recommended an end to chaos in the city.
Al-Ayyam said police arrested robbers who broke into an Arab Bank ATM in Beir Nabala, near Ramallah, on Friday and stole 450,000 Israeli shekels (app. $120,000).
The paper also raised a question about who fired the rocket from Gaza at Israel on Monday that prompted strong Israeli military reaction. It said it was not clear who fired it because none of the factions had taken responsibility for it.
It also said that Hamas, which controls Gaza, said it has beefed security measures on the borders with Egypt.
K.F./M.K.
