RAMALLAH, July 31, 2018 (WAFA) – The new bill that was recently introduced in the US Congress that recognizes only 40,000 Palestinian refugees instead of 5.3 million dominated the front page headlines in Palestinian dailies on Tuesday.
Al-Quds reported that Palestinian officials rejected the efforts of several US legislators to pass a law that s the number of Palestinian refugees.
Al-Ayyam said in this regard that the US seeks to reduce the number of Palestinian refugees to 40,000, while al-Hayat al-Jadida said that the US Congress seeks to liquidate the issue of Palestinian refugees.
Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Executive Committee Saeb Erekat was reported in al-Ayyam stating that the efforts to pass the new law were “unacceptable” and “could not affect the status quo.”
Member of the PLO Executive Committee Ahmad Abu Holi was also reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida saying the number of Palestinian refugees falls within the jurisdiction of the UN relief agency, UNRWA.
Additionally, al-Quds reported that Fatah and Hamas delegations arrived in Cairo to discuss the reconciliation issue and the situation in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Al-Ayyam reported Hamas officials stating in this regard that they would not accept any amendments to the Egyptian initiative to achieve Palestinian reconciliation.
Furthermore, al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that Israeli forces shot and injured three Palestinians, east of Gaza City and al-Bureij refugee camp.
Al-Quds said that Israeli forces detained 20 Palestinians, including journalists, in multiple overnight raids across the West Bank. According to al-Ayyam, the number of detainees totaled 28, including four journalists.
The dailies also reported that Israeli settlers slashed the tires of eight Palestinian vehicles and spray-painted anti-Palestinian graffiti in al-Mughayyer, a town north of Ramallah.
Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida added that Israeli bulldozers demolished a structure in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.
Moreover, the dailies reported that Israeli police expelled two Italian graffiti artists, barring them entry into Israel for 10 years for painting a giant 4-meter mural of Palestinian protest icon Ahed Tamimi on the annexation wall surrounding Bethlehem city.
They added that Israel also denied several solidarity activists entry into the Palestinian territories.
According to al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida, the Palestinian Ifta Higher Council issued a fatwa (religious decree) prohibiting Palestinians from participation in the upcoming Israeli municipal elections in Jerusalem whether as candidates or as voters.
Al-Quds said Palestinians rallied in front of the UNRWA headquarters in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip protesting the UN agency’s plan to terminate dozens of employees.
The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov was reported in al-Ayyam lending his support for addressing Gaza issues through the Palestinian legitimate government.
Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida calling on Arab and Islamic countries to take a serious and united stand in support of President Mahmoud Abbas’ position rejecting US President Donald Trump’s Mideast plan, dubbed deal of the century.
Finally, Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida stating that she has deeply changed by her eight-month sentence in an Israeli prison.
She was also quoted stating: “Prison ages a person. In one day you age 100 years.”
K.F./M.K.
