RAMALLAH, February 24, 2018 (WAFA) – “A new aggression,” said al-Hayat al-Jadida in its front page headline on Saturday in reference to the US decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May. “America chose the Nakba anniversary to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem,” continue the headline.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam, the other two Palestinian Arabic dailies, also highlighted this news in their Saturday issue, focusing on the fact that the move will take place on the 70th Nakba, or catastrophe, anniversary when Israel was created after uprooting and displacing more than two-thirds of the country’s indigenous Palestinian Arab population and replacing them with Jewish immigrants.
The papers highlighted strong Palestinian reaction denouncing this move, which follows the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on December 6, a step that has provoked wide-scale ongoing protests by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza streets.
The protests continued this Friday as well in many areas. Palestinians clashed with Israeli soldiers who cracked down on the demonstrations leaving dozens of Palestinians injured from live gunfire, rubber-coated metal bullets or tear gas.
Al-Quds reported as well on Israeli plans to build 3000 new housing units near the illegal settlement of Gilo, built on expropriated Beit Jala land south of Jerusalem, as well as the seizure of 100 dunums of land from the West Bank village of Dahr al-Maleh, southwest of Jenin, to expand illegal Jewish settlements in that area.
Al-Ayyam said Turkey denounced the decision to build settlement units in Jerusalem.
Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida highlighted on their front page the report on how Yasin Saradeeh, 33, from Jericho, has died. They said the cause of death was an Israeli army gunshot to the lower part of the abdomen that caused pleading. Saradeeh was also beaten severely while he was being detained by Israeli soldiers.
Al-Ayyam also said in another story that three Gazans members in Daish were killed in the Egyptian Sinai desert.
Al-Quds quoted what it described as an “informed” source denying that the long stay in Cairo for a Hamas delegation was because they were not allowed to leave Egypt, but rather due to many internal meetings for the movement.
The papers said 50,000 Muslim worshippers attended the Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
They also reported on the corruption charges facing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as the tragedies of the conflict in Syria, particularly in al-Ghouta.
M.K.
