RAMALLAH, December 16, 2017 (WAFA) – The “Friday of rage” called for by the Palestinian political factions to protest the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was the highlight of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies on Saturday.

All three papers dedicated almost all their front page to the protests that engulfed the occupied Palestinian territories on Friday that left four people dead.

The main front page story headline in al-Hayat al-Jadida read: “They killed even the crippled.”

The headline was referring to Ibrahim Abu Thuraya, who lost both his legs in the 2008 Israeli war on Gaza and who was shot dead by Israeli forces stationed along the Gaza border on Friday. The paper printed a picture of Abu Thuraya with half body, clinging to the ground and carrying the Palestinian flag shortly before he was shot dead apparently by a sniper.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam, and also al-Hayat al-Jadida,  had almost the same headline that went across the front page and that said four were killed, two from Gaza and two in the West Bank, and hundreds wounded in the “Friday of rage” in support of Jerusalem and in rejection of US President Donald Trump’s decision that handed the holy city on a gold plate to Israel.

The papers filled their front page with news and pictures of the protests that raged in the occupied territories and around the world protesting Trump’s decision.

Al-Ayyam and al-Quds printed the same picture for Abu Thuraya on a wheel chair waving the Palestinian flag in the face of the invisible Israeli soldiers on the other side of the border.

Al-Quds quoted Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad saying that the Palestinian Authority wants an extraordinary Arab summit to support the Palestinian position on Jerusalem.

It also quoted in a different story Hamas official Husam Badran calling for restructuring the Palestinian political system.

It said Israeli settlement activities increased since Trump took over power in the White House.

It quoted PLO official Hanan Ashrawi saying the Palestinian leadership is going to take decisive decisions when it meets on Monday.

Al-Quds also quoted US officials saying that the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s occupied old city will in the end be part of Israel.

Al-Ayyam quoted Palestine’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, saying that the Security Council would most probably vote on Jerusalem on Sunday.

It said Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, is going to visit Israel this week and it quoted US officials saying Washington is interested in seeing the peace process resume.

It also said there are nightly clashes in East Jerusalem’s Palestinian neighborhoods between Israeli security forces and Palestinian civilians.

M.K.