RAMALLAH, February 24, 2017 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas’ remarks affirming the commitment of Palestinian factions to preserving security and stability in refugee camps across Lebanon hit the front page headlines in local Palestinian dailies.

Abbas was reported in al-Quds and al-Ayyam as stating: “We are committed that our people ]Palestinian refugees[ stay away from regional conflicts.”

He was also quoted in the al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida as stating: “Palestinian refugees are guests in Lebanon until their return ]to their homeland, Palestine[.

On the other hand, al-Quds reported the Israeli government has allocated ILS 700 million ($190 million) to support settlement construction projects in East Jerusalem.  

It said Palestinians protested in front of the British Council in Ramallah, demanding that the UK apologize for the Balfour Declaration and cancel the centennial anniversary of the declaration.

Highlighting demolitions, al-Quds and al-Ayyam said Israeli bulldozers demolished a water well in Khirbet Khashm al-Daraj, east of Yatta, to the south of Hebron.

They said hundreds of Israeli Jewish settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, stormed Joseph Tomb, east of Nablus.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida said Israeli forces detained 21 Palestinians in predawn raids across the West Bank.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida said Israeli forces manning al-Jalama checkpoint, north of Jenin, withdrew military-issued permits for 110 Palestinians when they attempted to cross the checkpoint.

It added Israeli forces revoked the entry permits of 15 Palestinians during a raid into Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron.

Moreover, the dailies said Israeli occupation authorities closed the Palestinian elementary boys school of AlNkhba in the East Jerusalem town of Sur Baher.

They added the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in favor of the punitive demolition of the family home of Fadi al-Qunbar in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukabbir.

Al-Qunbar, 28, was shot dead by Israeli police after he rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers at a bus stop in the illegal Israeli settlement of East Talpiyyot in Jerusalem on January 8, killing four and injuring 15 others.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam reported the spokesperson for Egyptian president Alaa Youssef categorically denying reports that Egypt has proposed giving up part of Sinai Peninsula for Palestinians to set up an independent state.

Warning against backtracking on the two-state solution, the dailies reported Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abo Al Ghait as stating: “The exploration of alternative tracks for the settlement of the Palestinian question is a waste of time and efforts.”

Al-Hayat al-Jadida said a delegation of United Nations (UN) officials visited the Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar, threatened with demolition and forcible displacement, and called on Israel to respect international law.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said the European Union (EU) missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah urged the EU and its member states to recognize the Palestinian state  in order to protect the two state solution.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported Vice President of the Fatah party Mahmoud al-Aloul as stating: “Israeli facts on the ground pose a real danger that Palestinians should confront through their national unity.”

Finally, al-Hayat al-Jadida said a crowded march set off in Sydney to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Australia.

K.F.