RAMALLAH, April 4, 2017 (WAFA) – The new bill submitted to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, that would deduct payments to detainees and families of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces hit the front page headlines in local Palestinian dailies.
Al-Ayyam said a new bill was submitted to the Knesset that would deduct NIS 1.1 billion (US$ 303million) from the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) tax revenues.
Al-Quds explained the bill seeks to withhold allocations for Palestinian detainees and families of Palestinian martyrs (Palestinians killed by Israeli forces) from the tax revenues Israel is required to transfer to the PA.
On the other hand, al-Quds opted to highlight an Israeli tender for the construction of 3,607 new settler units in Modi‘in-Maccabim-Re‘ut settlement, west of Jerusalem.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida spotlighted President Mahmoud Abbas’ remarks condemning St. Petersburg metro blast.
It also reported him announcing the Palestinian National Council would convene soon and should intra-Palestinian reconciliation be achieved, a new session for the council would be held.
He was also reported pledging to resort to international forums if the UK does not desist from celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.
Furthermore, al-Quds and al-Ayyam said Israeli forces delivered notices to Palestinian families, ordering them to evict their homes to make room for military drills near Tubas in the northern Jordan Valley.
They reported a number of Palestinians suffocated as Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters during separate raids into the Qalqiliya district town of Jayyous and East Jerusalem district camp of Shufat.
Al-Ayyam added Israeli forces uprooted 135 olive trees in the Wadi Qana valley in the central West Bank district of Salfit.
The dailies also covered the meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the Washington, DC.
Al-Quds said Trump and al-Sisi addressed bilateral relations, counter-terrorism and the Palestinian question.
Al-Ayyam said Trump expressed his backing to Egypt in fighting terrorism, while al-Sisi stressed efforts to solve the Palestinian question.
The dailies reported Palestinian Intelligence Service arrested a ring of Palestinians involved in the forgery of Palestinian land ownership deeds.
Al-Ayyam reported Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri stating the new charter of Hamas was the result of internal reviews and would be announced soon.
It also reported a Hamas security source announcing a number of collaborators were arrested during a campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Finally, al-Hayat al-Jadida said the Palestinian flag would be flown over Dublin City Council’s City Hall ]in solidarity with the Palestinian people living under “brutal Israeli occupation”[.
K.F.
