RAMALLAH, Tuesday, March 5, 2019 (WAFA) – The killing of two Palestinians and injuring a third by Israeli forces in the early hours of Monday morning near the West Bank city of Ramallah hit the front page headlines in Tuesday’s issue of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies.
Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that Israeli forces killed two Palestinians and injured another at the entrance of Kufr Ni‘meh village, west of Ramallah.
Al-Ayyam said that Israeli forces “assassinated” two Palestinians and injured another while on way to their workplace.
The pair of slain Palestinians were identified as Amir Mahmoud Jumaa Darraj, 20, from the Kharbatha al-Misbah village, and Youssef Raed Mahmoud Anqawi, 20, from Beit Sira, while the wounded was identified as Haytham Basel Alqam from the Safa village.
Israeli military initially claimed that it was a car-ramming attack that left two soldiers injured, while Kufr Ni‘meh mayor confirmed that the three Palestinians, who used to work as night guards at Nur al-Huda School in the nearby town of Beitunia, were on their way to their workplace when they were surprised by Israeli soldiers.
Al-Quds and al-Ayyam added in this regard that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the acceleration of the demolition of the houses of the families of the two slain Palestinians.
Additionally, the dailies highlighted the closure of the US Consulate in Jerusalem and merged it with its embassy in Israel.
Al-Ayyam reported in this regard that the US embassy to Israel “swallows” the US consulate, terminating a 175 years of diplomatic activity, while al-Hayat al-Jadida said that the US undermines 175-year-long diplomatic relations with the Palestinian people.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida and al-Ayyam also reported the PLO’s Executive Committee slamming the closure of the embassy as “a denial of the historic rights of the Palestinian people and of international conventions and laws.”
Furthermore, the dailies spotlighted President Mahmoud Abbas’ meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Barham Saleh in Baghdad.
Elaborating on the visit, al-Hayat al-Jadida said that Abbas and Saleh discussed the dangers encountering the question of Palestine.
According to al-Quds and al-Ayyam, Israeli occupation authorities have given the Jerusalem Islamic Religious Endowments (Waqf) authorities a week to respond to a court’s order to extend the closure of Bab al-Rahma prayer area.
Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida added that Israeli Jewish settler groups are calling on followers to en masse storm Bab al-Rahma prayer area and change it to a synagogue.
Highlighting The 29th conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (APU) in Jordan’s capital, Amman, the dailies reported APU calling for stopping normalization with Israel.
Al-Quds added in this regard that APU also called for the establishment of the ]independent[ Palestinian state, with the dailies noting that APU also reiterated that the US is no longer an honest peace broker.
According to al-Quds, Khaled Daraghmeh, a Palestinian resident of the Ramallah-district village of al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya, is under an attack aimed to displace him from his house and land.
The Israeli settler NGO Regavim is waging a “legal battle” against Daraghmeh to seize his property, located on Ramallah-Nablus road.
Regavim promotes Israeli Jewish settlers’ “right” to colonize Palestine, mirroring the techniques and strategies of liberal human rights NGOs.
Yet, al-Ayyam reported that Israeli military police detained a former Palestinian prisoner who spent 17 years behind Israeli bars from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Essaiwya.
Al-Quds reported politburo chief of the Hamas movement Ismail Haniyeh stating that the ties between his movement and Egypt have entered the phase of strategic dialogue.
Also with regards to the situation in Gaza, al-Ayyam said that Israeli warplanes struck several “observation points” to the east of the besieged coastal enclave.
It added that a number of Palestinians participating in the nighttime protests, east of al-Bureiej refugee camp, suffocated from tear gas canisters fired by Israeli forces.
According to al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida, Israeli bulldozers demolished a car wash and two structures to the west of West Bank city of Salfit.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported Deputy Secretary-General of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council Fayez Abu Eita stating that US President Donald Trump’s policies in Jerusalem threaten regional security and stability.
K.F.
