RAMALLAH, November 20, 2017 (WAFA) – The extraordinary meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo hit the front page headlines in Palestinian Arabic dailies on Monday.

The dailies reported Arab foreign ministers have called on the US Administration to reconsider its decision to shut down the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) office in Washington.

Al-Quds added in this regard Egypt and the Arab League are exerting efforts to maintain official communication channels between the US Administration and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

US President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly blackmailing Palestinians and threatens to shut the PLO’s office in Washington in response to Palestinian efforts to raise the issue of Israeli occupation at the International Criminal Court.

Al-Ayyam reported the Arab League condemning Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization” and announcing  that they would not declare a war on Iran right now.

It also reported Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir warning that Riyadh would not stand idle in the face of Iranian “aggression.”

Head of the PLO delegation to the US Husam Zomlot was reported in al-Quds condemning the US Administration’s decision to shut the PLO’s office.

He was reported expressing the PLO’s readiness to this “litmus test of political wills” as well as confidence that “the US would be the biggest loser.”

On the other hand, al-Quds opted to highlight the meeting of Palestinian factions in Cairo for reconciliation in its main front page news item.

Member of Fatah Central Committee Azzam al-Ahmad was reported in al-Quds stating: “The Palestinian factions are required to become genuine partners.”

He was also reported stating that describing whoever requesting that the reconciliation agreement be completely implemented at the same time as “putting spokes in the reconciliation’s wheels.”

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam reported Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s precedent-setting opinion authorizing the expropriation  of land owned by individual Palestinians for West Bank settlements could lead to the “legalization” of at least 13 settlement outposts.

The dailies said the Israeli District Court of Jerusalem has ordered the PA and six Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails to pay NIS62 million (US$18) in compensation for Israeli settlers killed in 2001.

Al-Quds said Israeli forces conducted multiple detention raids across the West Bank and delivered demolition orders for Palestinian residential structures and livestock barns in Masafer Yatta in the southern Hebron hills.

The dailies added a total of 300 Jewish settlers performed religious rituals in front of a local mosque in the Hebron-district town of Halhoul, triggering clashes with Palestinians.

They added President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Madrid on an official visit.

The Palestinian cabinet was reported in al-Quds and al-Ayyam blaming the government’s inability to assume full and effective responsibility for all government ministries and departments in Gaza on a number of challenges, obstacles and controversial issues.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida added the cabinet decried the US Administration’s decision to shut down the PLO’s office in Washington, DC.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida stressing the importance of exploring all the ways to maintain communication channels between the PA and the US Administration.

K.F./M.K.