RAMALLAH, March 12, 2017 (WAFA) – The protests against the Israeli parliament’s bill to shut down loudspeakers of mosques (which call for prayer) in Israel hit the headlines of the front pages in the three Palestinian Arabic dailies on Sunday.
Al-Quds, al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that hundreds of Palestinians living in Israel held rallies in the northern Arab town of Kabul in Israel, in protest against the bill which aims to mute mosques’ loudspeakers in Israel and East Jerusalem. The bill was given an approval by the Israel parliament on Wednesday.
The three dailies also highlighted the news of the Israeli closure of the West Bank and Gaza for another 24 hours over the Purim Jewish holiday weekend.
On a different topic, al-Quds highlighted Israel’s plans to build 1600 settlement housing units in Shufat in East Jerusalem, the town of Beit Jala and the village of al-Walja in the district of Bethlehem. It also said in a minor headline that the central and eastern Israeli settlements of the West Bank will soon be linked to each other through a road net.
US-Palestinian talks were highlighted in al-Ayyam. It said that Palestinians feel comfortable about the telephone call between President Mahmoud Abbas and US President Donald Trump. It also reported a statement by presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh who said that it is a message that emphasizes the centrality of the Palestinian cause.
Abu Rudeineh’s statement was also reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida. He said that the upcoming Arab Summit as well as Trump and the challenges of the next period are an opportunity that must be seized.
Commenting on the US-Palestinian recent talks, al-Quds reported a statement by Nabil Amro, central PLO member, who said that the call between Trump and Abbas removed the ambiguity of the new US policy against the Palestinians.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida, al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that Abbas and Jordan King Abdulla II held a second telephone call together in 24 hours, where they discussed the upcoming Arab Summit, scheduled to be held later this month in Amman, Jordan.
Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat al-Jadida said that Abbas met with the US Consulate General Donald Blome in the presidential headquarters in the city of Ramallah. Abbas also met with a delegation of the Palestinian-Tunisian medical society.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that the UN called on Israel to respect religious rights, in response to the legalization of the bill that aims to mosques’ loudspeakers in Israel and Jerusalem.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that Palestinians were attacked and assaulted by Jewish Israeli settlers in the town of Yatta, Hebron, the occupied West Bank, and the village of Hizma, Jerusalem.
Al-Quds also reported that an agreement is expected between Fatah and Islamic forces in the Ain al-Hilweh, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.
K.T/M.N
