RAMALLAH, June 21, 2017 (WAFA) – The killing of a Palestinian by Israeli forces near the Qalandiya military checkpoint and starting the construction works of the first new illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank in 25 years hit the front page headlines in Palestinian dailies.

The dailies reported Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian young man near Jaba town, northeast of East Jerusalem.   

The slain Palestinian as 23-year-old Bahaa al-Harbi from the Jerusalem-district village of al-Eizariya, noting that he was killed after he purportedly attempted to stab soldiers.

The dailies also reported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing starting the construction works for a new settlement, south of Nablus, a day before meeting US President Donald Trump’s top envoys on peace talks.

Al-Ayyam noted the new settlement of Amichai would be constructed under the pretext of housing 300 settlers evicted in February from the Amona outpost.

Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudenieh condemning the announcement by Netanyahu to construct the new settlement.

Abu Rudenieh was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida stating the announcement “constitutes an Israeli message to thwart efforts of US President Donald Trump.”

Al-Hayat al-Jadida and al-Ayyam also reported the UN Special Coordinator of the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov telling the Security Council there has been a “substantial increase” in the number of illegal Israeli settlements and no steps have been taken to halt their construction.

Moreover, al-Ayyam said President Mahmoud Abbas was scheduled to meet the White House senior advisor and US President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt Wednesday evening in Ramallah.

Al-Quds noted the US administration’s current efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks excludes the besieged Gaza Strip.

Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported the Palestinian cabinet reaffirming commitment to the freedom of opinion and expression besides to independent and impartial judiciary.

Al-Quds said Israel has reduced the output of two additional grids providing power to the besieged Gaza Strip.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida said a member of the Palestinian National Security died while he was on duty at Sa’adah military complex in Jenin, north of the West Bank.

It also reported Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) estimating the number of UNRWA-registered Palestinian refugees in 2016 amounted to 5.9 million.

It also reported the PCBS estimating that 42 percent of the total population of the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip are internally displaced refugees from historic Palestine.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida said Hamas security forces detained and interrogated Hassan Jabr, who works as a news reporter with the Palestinian daily of al-Ayyam.

Finally, al-Hayat al-Jadida said Israeli occupation authorities issued warnings to Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem, ordering them to close their bank accounts.

K.F.