RAMALLAH, June 12, 2017 (WAFA) – Israeli police temporary shutdown of the gates to Al-Aqsa Mosque to Muslims under the pretext someone threw a rock at Israeli fanatics while touring the mosque compound was highlighted on the front page of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies on Monday.
This subject occupied the main front page story in al-Hayat al-Jadida, while al-Quds and al-Ayyam reported on the subject on their front page and also printed pictures of police deployed inside the Muslim holy place.
The papers quoted Muslim officials saying police closed the gates for one hour, as part of Israel’s collective punishment policy against the Palestinians for the act of one person.
The main front page story in al-Quds said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the dismantling of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) because it “eternalizes the Palestinian refugee problem,” according to the newspaper’s headline.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida said on this subject that Netanyahu was inciting against the UN organization, established in 1950 to take care of the Palestinian refugee problem created as a result of the establishment of Israel in 1948.
Al-Ayyam had the settlements as its main front page story quoting Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman as saying that a total of 8345 settlement units were approved for construction in the occupied Palestinian territories since the beginning of this year.
The three papers highlighted an Israeli decision to cut the amount the Palestinian Authority pays to families of Palestinian prisoners and those killed in action from the tax and customs money Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians at its ports.
They also focused on the situation in Gaza, particularly following the problems the Gulf country, Qatar, is having with is neighbors, particularly Saudi Arabia. Qatar is a main financier of humanitarian aid to the impoverished and besieged Gaza Strip.
The papers wondered if Israel is going to wage a new war against Gaza similar to the three wars it had waged since 2008.
Al-Quds said the Israeli cabinet has approved cutting down on electricity supply it provides to the Gaza Strip.
M.K.
