RAMALLAH, April 15, 2017 (WAFA) – The three Palestinian Arabic dailies highlighted in their Saturday issue the back and forth accusations between the government and Hamas over who is responsible for Gaza electricity predicament.
The three papers highlighted in their front page headlines statements by government officials holding Hamas responsible for the power crisis with al-Hayat al-Jadida saying “Hamas cuts power off the Gaza Strip.”
Al-Quds had the headline: “Government says Hamas did not pay for electricity from money it had collected.”
Al-Ayyam, which also said the government was holding Hamas “fully responsible” for any power cut in Gaza, quoted in a shorter story Fatah as saying “Hamas was punishing our people in the Gaza Strip.”
It also said that the Fatah delegation that is supposed to travel to Gaza next week is going to give Hamas the choice: “Either assume full charge (of Gaza) or give it all up.”
It said Hamas said that it was going to dissolve the new administration it had established to run Gaza affairs “once the conciliation government takes over responsibility.”
The three dailies reported on the weekly anti-settlements, anti-wall protests in the occupied West Bank and said many people were injured and arrested in the confrontation between the Palestinian civilians and Israeli army forces.
They also reported on the stabbing in Jerusalem that left one Israeli woman dead and the attacker apprehended.
On another subject, al-Quds said tens of thousands have attended Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City “in spite of heavy Israeli restrictions.”
It, along with al-Hayat al-Jadida and al-Ayyam, said thousands of pilgrims from all over the world participated in the Easter Good Friday procession in the Old City as Christians prepare to celebrate Holy Fire on Saturday and Easter on Sunday.
Al-Ayyam said the Israeli military informed Palestinian residents in Al-Bireh, Ramallah’s twin city, that a two-story building they live in near the illegal Jewish settlement of Pasgot, built on expropriated Al-Bireh land, is going to be demolished due to its proximity to the settlement.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida said the Israel Prison Services had stopped broadcast of Palestine Direct TV to prisoners, who are on the verge of leading a massive open-ended hunger strike planned to start on Monday, the Palestinian Prisoner Day.
An estimated 1500 prisoners from all political factions, including Hamas and led by incarcerated Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, are expected to take part in the strike said to be the largest since the 2012 prisoners’ strike.
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