RAMALLAH, May 12, 2017 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas’ meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi besides to the situation of Palestinian prisoners who have been on a hunger strike for 26 days hit the front page headlines in Palestinian dailies
Abbas was reported in al-Quds reiterating his commitment to the establishment of a just peace and in al-Ayyam and al-Hayat reiterating his willingness to undertake efforts to strike a historical peace deal to end the Palestinian-Israeli ‘conflict’.
He was also reported in al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida calling on the Israeli government to comply with hunger strikers’ demands.
Al-Quds also reported the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs warning the hunger strikers’ health conditions have reached a tragic level of extreme danger on the 26th day of hunger strike.
It also reported the committee stating a total of 46 hunger strikers were transferred to field hospitals.
Highlighting their severe health deterioration, al-Ayyam said some hunger strikers have lost consciousness and started to vomit blood.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida said representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Marwan Barghouthi, imprisoned Fatah figure and main leader of the mass indefinite hunger strike, in his solitary confinement in Israel’s Kishon prison.
On the other hand, al-Quds reported Israel was ]purportedly[ concerned about an upcoming summit between Arab and Muslim leaders and US President Donald Trump in Riyadh.
It added Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ]purportedly[ concerned that Trump would adopt and impose the Arab Peace Initiative as a solution.
The three dailies said Israeli forces shot and injured a number of Palestinians with live rounds and rubber-coated steel bullets during a solidarity march with hunger strikers at the northern entrance to al-Bireh city.
Al-Ayyam said at least nine Palestinians were shot and injured in this march, while al-Hayat al-Jadida said they totaled 20.
The three dailies reported head of Hamas’ political bureau Ismail Haniyeh announcing that the Hamas movement has detained the suspected assassin of Hamas leader Mazen Fuqahaa, who was shot dead in March.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said the international football governing body FIFA would take a decision on Israeli clubs based in settlements across the occupied West Bank in October 2017.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported the Palestinian Football Association expressing disappointment at the FIFA Congress’ decision to back down from banning settlements’ clubs and affirming the issue was still on FIFA’s table of discussion.
Spotlighting Palestinian local municipal elections, al-Quds and al-Ayyam said Palestinians are scheduled to cast their ballots in 145 local committees across the West Bank on Saturday May 13.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida added the members of security forces casted their ballots with a voter turnout of 80.8 percent.
Al-Quds reported the cabinet calling upon Palestinians to participate at the largest scale possible in the activities commemorating the 69th anniversary of the Nakba and local municipal elections.
Al-Ayyam reported the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) announcing the number of Palestinians has increased nine-fold since the Nakba in 1948.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported the Swiss Federal Council affirming the Swiss Embassy in Israel would not be relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian Territories.
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