RAMALLAH, September 7, 2018 (WAFA) – The imminent demolition of the Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar along with the Israeli-imposed closure of the occupied Palestinian territories hit the front page headlines in Palestinian Arabic dailies on Friday.
Al-Quds highlighted ongoing local and international reactions rejecting the Israeli High Court’s ruling giving the green light for the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and forcible displacement of its residents.
Al-Ayyam said in this regard that scores of Palestinians participated in an open sit-in at the site of Khan al-Ahmar, while al-Hayat al-Jadida said: “Al-Khan al-Ahamr will remain steadfast until the last breath.”
It also reported Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki stating that the Palestinian Authority would request an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council over Khan al-Ahmar.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida spotlighted Amnesty International’s report titled Israeli court approves a war crime by ruling in favour of demolishing the entire village of Khan al-Ahmar.
Furthermore, al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that Israeli occupation authorities have declared a closure on the West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip.
The closure would imposed on the West Bank and Gaza’s crossings starting from Saturday night September 8 until Tuesday night September 11 under the pretense of the Jewish New Year on Sunday.
Both dailies explained that Israeli occupation authorities have declared a closure of Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing.
Additionally, the dailies said that Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian young man during a raid into Duheisha refugee camp, south of Bethlehem.
According to al-Ayyam, Israeli forces detained seven Palestinians as they conducted multiple raids across the West Bank.
Moreover, al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida said that extremist Jewish Israeli settlers set ablaze a large amount of construction wood and equipment in Jalud village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
In addition, al-Quds reported Director of the Jerusalem Office of Religious Endowment (Waqf) Azzam al-Khatib saying that a total of 167 Israeli ]Jewish[ settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy police’s protection and assaulted the Waqf-appointed guards.
The dailies covered new that UNRWA’s Director of Operations in the West Bank Scott Anderson resigned from his post.
They also reported that an Israeli court ordered the suspension of leveling of Jabal al-Raysan area belonging to the cluster of Palestinian villages of Ras Karkar, Kafr Ni‘ma and Kharbatha Bani Hareth, west of Ramallah, for settlement construction.
Highlighting a Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics’ (PCBS) report on illiteracy rates in the occupied Palestinian territories, al-Quds said that a total of 95,000 Palestinians were illiterate in 2017.
Moreover, The dailies covered US ambassador to Israel David Friedman’s remarks indicating that US President Donald Trump would not reverse his decision recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
They also spotlighted Friedman’s remarks expecting Israel to keep the occupied Golan Heights in perpetuity.
They also said that 10 senators sent a letter to Trump urging the US administration to continue to fund UNRWA.
Al-Ayyam spotlighted Trump’s remarks saying that his administration has cut off financial aid to the Palestinians as a means of putting pressure on them to return to the US-led “negotiations” with Israel and bragging about his decision removing Jerusalem issue off the negotiation table.
Trump reportedly made his remarks during a conference with Jewish leaders and rabbis ahead of the Jewish New Year festival.
Al-Ayyam published Foreign Policy magazine’s exclusive report revealing that Israel has secretly paid and provided arms for 12 “rebel militia groups” posted in southern Syria.
According to al-Hayat al-Jadida, Palestinian ambassador to France Salman al-Harfi held consultations with French President’s advisor on North Africa and the Middle East Ahlem Gharbi ahead of the UN General Assembly’s session and President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to France.
K.F.
