RAMALLAH, July 6, 2017 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas’ meeting with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris hit the Thursday front page headlines in local Palestinian dailies.
Abbas was reported in al-Quds and al-Ayyam reiterating the Palestinian people’s sole option is the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders.
He was also reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida stressing the important role of France in terms of supporting the efforts to achieve peace and stating that Palestine was part of the international counter-terrorism efforts.
Macron was reported in al-Ayyam stating peace would only be achieved through recognizing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
He was also reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida reiterating France’s position that “there is no viable alternative to a two-state solution” which faces real risks as a result of Israel’s ongoing settlement construction.
The dailies also highlighted the new round of settlement construction in East Jerusalem.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said Israel has approved the construction of 196 new settler units as part of 6,000 units to be built in East Jerusalem by the end of July.
Al-Ayyam reported Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee Saeb Erekat stating Israel’s settlement plans undermine the two-state solution and sabotage international efforts.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said a former Palestinian detainee was killed and two others injured in an explosion of an unidentified nature on open field in Hebron.
Al-Quds said Israeli forces raided the Ramallah-district refugee camp of Qalandia and the Bethlehem-district camp of Duheisha.
They added Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan and pepper-sprayed a Palestinian toddler and his mother.
Al-Ayyam added Israeli forces injured a number of Palestinians and detained others during large-scale raids that sparked clashes across the West Bank.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam also highlighted the speech delivered by the new head of Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh.
Haniyeh was reported in al-Quds calling on the Fatah movement to formulate a unified political platform based on common national principles.
He was also reported in al-Ayyam stating the understandings Hamas has reached recently with Egypt would contribute to alleviating impact of the Israeli siege on Gaza.
Al-Quds also quoted Hamas officials expressing their openness to end the intra-Palestinian division and noting they have no objection that the national consensus government exercises its functions in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Referring to a recent meeting between Hamas officials and dismissed Fatah leader Muhammad Dahlan in Cairo, al-Ayyam reported the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) warning against plans to separate Gaza from the West Bank and end the Palestinian statehood project.
Al-Quds reported the new UNESCO resolution re-affirming the international body’s non-recognition of Israeli sovereignty in East Jerusalem and condemning Israeli policies in the Old City was widely welcomed.
Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi accused US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley of waging a campaign of intimidation against the Palestinian people.
Ashrawi made such an accusation after Haley asked UNESCO not to add Hebron’s Old City and the Ibrahimi mosque on its World Heritage in Danger list.
K.F./M.K.
