RAMALLAH, February 20, 2018 (WAFA) – News about a meeting held in Ramallah on Monday between Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Israeli officials as well as President Mahmoud Abbas’ upcoming speech at the UN Security Council in New York, were highlighted on the front page of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies on Tuesday.
Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida said that Hamdallah and Finance Minister Shukri Bishara met in Ramallah with Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Yoav Mordechai, coordinator of the so-called “Civil Administration,” an arm of the Israeli military government in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The two papers said the meeting discussed Israeli settlements, settler attacks, Jewish fanatics’ break-ins into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the siege on Gaza and the Palestinian Authority’s money held by Israel. Al-Ayyam chose to totally ignore this meeting.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida and al-Ayyam reported a statement by Hamdallah in which he said that the unified budget for 2018, which includes measures for ending the division, totaled a record $5.8 billion.
Al-Quds, al-Hayat al-Jadida and al-Ayyam reported that President Mahmud Abbas arrived in New York on Monday ahead of his address at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.
The president will demand from the world body to shoulder its responsibilities and implement the two-state solution. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for President Abbas, said that Jerusalem and the national constants will be the core of the president’s speech.
The three newspapers said that Israeli warplanes bombed on Monday posts in the city of Rafah, to the southeast of Gaza.
The dailies said that a number of Palestinians were injured during clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Monday.
They said a Palestinian was shot and injured with live ammunition during clashes that broke out with Israeli forces in the town of Jayyous, east of the West bank district of Qalqilia, while a minor from the village of al-Janiya, northwest of Ramallah, was injured during clashes there as well.
Housing Minister Mufid al-Hasayna said that the Gaza Strip needs more 125,000 housing units, as reported in al-Quds, which quoted an international organization saying 4600 Palestinian families are without shelter in the Gaza Strip, warning of a humanitarian crisis.
It also said a Qatari contribution of $9 million to Gaza has salvaged, albeit temporarily, Gaza hospitals and health sector. It quoted the Qatari ambassador saying in Gaza that the contribution is intended to encourage others to do the same and give to Gaza to avoid a humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Al-Quds said Hamas denied American claims holding it responsible for the Gaza crisis.
Al-Ayyam said Israel is threatening to take severe measures against Gazans who reach the border fence following the explosion that injured four its soldiers last week while trying to remove a Palestinian flag from the fence. It said Israel has decided to use robots to remove the flag in the future instead of its personnel.
It said that Gaza employees have suspended work to protest not getting paid.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida said seven organizations in India that represent 10 million women support the BDS movement.
K.T./M.K.
