RAMALLAH, August 5, 2017 (WAFA) – Israel released on Friday corpses of four Palestinians shot and killed by its forces over the last 30 days and which have been withheld since then.
The three Palestinian Arabic dailies highlighted this subject in their Saturday issue and said Israel released the corpses of Abdallah Taqatqa, Mohammad Tnouh, Rafat Hirbawi and Ammar Tirawi, killed in July and August in what Israel claimed were attacks against its forces.
The papers also highlighted the weekly Friday anti-wall, anti-settlements protests in several West Bank villages. They said Israeli forces cracked down on the protesters using rubber bullets and tear gas causing many injuries.
Al-Ayyam said several Palestinians were injured and a child was detained in Hebron following an assault by Jewish settlers on Palestinians in the occupied old town of Hebron. The Israeli army intervened on behalf of the settlers.
They also highlighted the Friday noon prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which was an area of conflict over the past three weeks. They said more than 30,000 people attended the prayers, which ended peacefully. Israel deployed dozens of police officers in and around Jerusalem fearing outbreak of protests.
Al-Quds daily quoted Khalil Toufakji, an expert on Israeli settlements, as saying that Israel plans to control the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem and that the Greek Orthodox Church sold property under the pretext of financial difficulties.
Al-Ayyam said Israel renewed efforts to evict Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem for the benefit of Jewish settlers under the pretext the homes were built on land owned by Jews.
In other front page news, the dailies quoted the minister of telecommunications saying that Palestine came under vicious cyberattack, the worst since 2012. The minister, Allam Mousa, said the attack caused loss of internet service to about 10 percent of the Palestinian subscribers.
Al-Quds said Israel reopened the DCO checkpoint north of Ramallah after closing it for one week following nearby demonstrations.
It also said that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is expected to visit Palestine and Israel at the end of this month.
It also quoted Hanan Ashrawi, member of the PLO executive committee, saying she doubts that Jarod Kushner, senior advisor to US President Donald Trump, is qualified to be an honest broker in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Al-Ayyam said a US congressional committee passed a bill halting the annual US financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, which amounts to $300 million, until the latter stops monthly allowances to families of Palestinians held prisoners in Israeli jails.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida quoted PLO Executive Committee member Ahmad Majdalani saying that allowances to the families of the prisoners will continue in spite of the US pressure, which he described as blackmail to force the Palestinians to make serious political concessions to Israel.
The paper said Palestinians in Shafa Amr, an Arab town in northern Israel, marked the 12th anniversary for the massacre when a Jewish terrorist opened fire in a bus killing four residents and injuring others.
It also said Shabab Rafah won Palestine Cup following a draw in the football game against Ahli al-Khalil, which was played in Dora stadium near Hebron.
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