RAMALLAH, May 9, 2018 (WAFA) – The US decision to withdraw from the landmark Iran nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), dominated the front page headlines in Palestinian Arabic dailies on Wednesday.

The dailies reported that US President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam added that Trump has re-imposed a wide array of sanctions on Iran.

Highlighting international reactions to the US withdrawal, the dailies reported that Israel has welcomed Trump’s decision, applauding it as “brave”. Al-Ayyam added that Gulf countries welcomed the decision.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam highlighted the EU and Russia’s rejection of the US pullout from the agreement.

Al-Quds reported in this regard that Russia has accused the US of violating international law and that the EU countries announced their continued commitment to the agreement.

Highlighting Iran’s reaction, al-Ayyam reported that Tehran affirmed it would remain committed to the agreement.

Furthermore, the Israeli missile strikes in Syria and the risk of a regional conflagration hit the front page headlines.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that Israeli air force struck Syrian military bases in Kissweh district, south of Damascus, and Syrian air defences fired at two Israeli missiles, destroying them.

They added that Israeli military issued instructions to ready bomb shelters in the Golan Heights, deployed new “defences” and mobilized some reservist forces anticipating purported Iranian attacks.

Regarding the situation in Gaza, al-Quds reported that Fatah officials would meet in Gaza Wednesday to discuss the crisis of the salary arrears of Gaza’s civil servants.

Governor of the northern Gaza Strip Major General Salah Abu Wardeh was reported in al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida denying rumors that Gaza governors submitted their resignations over the crisis.

According to al-Ayyam, kites flown by Palestinian protestors set new fires to fields in the southern Israeli settlements in Gaza periphery.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that Israeli military ordered five Palestinian families to leave their homes in Hamsa al-Foqa in the northern Jordan Valley under the pretext of making room for military drills.

Al-Quds added that Israeli bulldozers demolished a Palestinian-owned petrol station in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Issawiya.

It also reported that Israeli forces conducted several raids across the West Bank, detaining 26 Palestinians.

The dailies said that President Mahmoud Abbas received the Palestinian community and Arab ambassadors during his visit to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Al-Quds reported that the Palestinian cabinet commended the Palestinian National Council for its recent successful session in Ramallah.

It added the cabinet condemned the Israeli parliament’s approval of a bill to deduct the allowances of the families of prisoners in Israeli jails and those killed or injured by Israeli forces from the tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

Capturing Palestinian official response to the bill, it said that Palestinian calls have arisen to refer the case of the allowances to the International Criminal Court.

According to al-Quds and al-Ayyam, Israeli settler groups, known as “Temple Mount” organizations, have called for en masse instructions into East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Al-Quds published an Arabic translation of AFP’s new report titled A 70 ans, Israël face au défi de son identité.

Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida published an Arabic translation of AFP’s feature titled 70 years after Nakba, Palestinians dream of return.

The dailies said that an Israeli soldier who killed wounded Palestinian was freed from prison.

Elor Azaria was freed after receiving a light sentence for the execution-style killing of incapacitated of 21-year-old Abdul Fattah al-Sharif in Hebron in 2016.

Member of Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Executive Committee Ahmad Majdalani was reported in al-Ayyam stating that the Palestinian leadership would reactivate Jerusalem municipal council in response to the relocation of US embassy.

Palestinian ambassador to the EU Abdul-Rahim Al-Farra was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida saying that some EU countries mull recognizing the State of Palestine.

K.F.