RAMALLAH, Saturday, June 22, 2019 (WAFA) – The weekly protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were highlighted on the front page of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies today with al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida saying in their main front page story on this subject that dozens of Palestinians were injured from Israeli army gunfire and crackdown on the protests on the Gaza border with Israel and in some areas in the West Bank.

Al-Ayyam put the number of injured Palestinians on the Gaza border with Israel at 79.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida said the protests in the West Bank and Gaza focused on the upcoming US-sponsored Bahrain meeting, which is part of the so-called deal of the century. It said the protesters carried signs against the meeting. It also said similar protests were echoed on other Arab countries, including Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon.

The Jordan protests were highlighted on the front page of al-Quds daily, which said thousands of Jordanians took to the streets to oppose the deal of the century and the Bahrain meeting.

The main front page story in al-Ayyam focused on the US plan to attack Iran and the last minute American decision not to attack. This subject was also reported on the front page of the other two dailies but lower on the page.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida and al-Ayyam said Palestinians have expressed support for the call by President Mahmoud Abbas to hold general elections in Palestine.

Al-Quds said Israel has allocated one billion shekels (around $300 million) to expand illegal settlements in the West Bank. It said settlement construction and expansion increased by 42 percent in the last 12 months.

It said in a report from Washington that Democratic presidential candidates were not willing to criticize Israel.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida quoted Palestinian official Saeb Erekat saying in London that achieving Palestinian rights and the two-state solution are the only way for peace.

It also said a road was named in Ramallah after Israeli peace activist Ilan Halevi.

It said Moldova went back on a decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

M.K.