RAMALLAH, August 15, 2017 (WAFA) – The demolition of European Union-funded homes in the southern Hebron hills dominated the front page headlines in Palestinian Arabic dailies on Tuesday.
The dailies said Israeli forces demolished three EU-funded Palestinian homes in the village of Khashm al-Darj in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.
Al-Quds added Israeli forces also delivered stop-construction notices for other Palestinian homes to the east of Yatta town.
Al-Ayyam printed a photo for a Palestinian man sitting next to the debris of the demolished homes, while al-Hayat al-Jadida printed a photo for some Palestinians attempting to prevent the demolition.
On the other hand, al-Quds reported the Middle East peace trip of US President Donald Trump’s team was intended to “regionalize the Palestinian-Israeli conflict”.
The dailies added Israeli Jewish settlers forced their way into East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy police escort.
They added member of Israeli parliamentarian Yehuda Glick moved his Knesset bureau outside the Lion’s Gate (Bab al-Asbat) to protest the ongoing ban on Knesset members’ visits to the compound.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported Israeli forces detained 17 Palestinians, including a father and his daughter, mostly during overnight raids across the West Bank.
It added Israeli occupation authorities placed 66-year-old Palestinian lawmaker Muhammad Abu Tair under administrative detention 11 days after detaining him from his home in al-Bireh city in the central West Bank.
It said Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian worker in Wadi Abul-Hummus area, east of Bethlehem, as he was attempting to cross to Jerusalem for work.
Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported Israeli occupation authorities raided Palestinian shops in al-Wad street and Bab Khan al-Zeit in Jerusalem’s Old City, pressuring traders to pay heavy taxes.
The dailies said President Mahmoud Abbas received a phone call from Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and hailed Japan’s positions that support the Palestinian people.
They added Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah received a delegation of Hamas lawmakers at his office in Ramallah where they reportedly discussed ways to end division and enhance Palestinian national unity.
Al-Quds said Palestinians are fighting a covert battle with Israeli occupation authorities over the fraudulent purchase of Palestinian lands in the West Bank.
The dailies also reported the World Health Organization (WHO) revealing that Israel has blocked half of Palestinians seeking to exit the besieged Gaza Strip to attend medical treatments in Israeli hospitals.
Al-Quds reported Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem branding Israeli allegations that Hamas has built tunnels under Palestinian civilian homes as intended to legitimize future Israeli aggressions against the besieged Gaza Strip.
Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported Moscow reiterated its unswerving support to the two-state solution and long-standing position that Jerusalem should be the future capital of two independent states.
Al-Ayyam reported member of Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Executive Committee Wassel Abu Yousef stating the Executive Committee was keen that all Palestinian factions attend the meetings to be held by the Palestinian National Council.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported Chairman of Bank of Palestine Hashem Shawa announcing the bank earned net profits of US $24.7 million during the first half of 2017.
K.F.
