RAMALLAH, Wednesday, October 02, 2019 (WAFA) – Palestinian demonstrations demanding release of Samer Arbid, who was severely beaten and left in critical conditions by officers of Israel’s security agency, the Shin Bet, hit the front page headlines in Wednesday’s issue of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies.
The dailies reported that Israeli police suppressed a demonstration in solidarity with Arbid outside the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, detaining a number of protestors and injuring others.
They added that Israeli forces suppressed another demonstration in solidarity with Arbid at the northern entrance of al-Bireh city, causing a number of protestors to suffocate from tear gas.
Al-Quds reported Health Minister Mai Alkaila announcing that the ministry sent a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), demanding the committee to pressure Israel to allow a Palestinian medical team to visit Arbid to check on his health condition.
It also reported Mahmoud Hassan, an attorney representing the Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer), confirming that Arbid was still in a critical condition.
Al-Ayyam reported on the mounting campaign in solidarity with Arbid and calls urging international organizations to intervene and save his life.
The Finance Ministry was reported in the dailies announcing that the government will be paying only 60 percent of the monthly payroll of the public servants for the month of September in addition to the remainder of the payroll for March.
Al-Quds spotlighted Xinhua’s feature story Gaza’s only pharmaceutical factory struggles to survive amid dire conditions.
According to al-Quds and al-Ayyam, Palestinians in Kafr Kanna and Sakhnin among other towns in northern Israel commemorated the 19th anniversary of the October 2000 events, dubbed the Jerusalem Uprising, which resulted in the killing of 13 Palestinians by Israeli police.
The dailies said that former Israeli military chief Benny Gantz called off a meeting with the embattled Premier Benjamin Netanyahu over unity government talks.
The Fatah Central Committee’s meeting chaired by President Mahmoud Abbas also hit the front page headlines in the dailies.
Abbas was quoted in al-Hayat al-Jadida stating: “We will discuss the elections, preparations for holding it and measures that will be taken to achieve this goal.”
He was also reported in al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida welcoming Saudi Arabia’s soccer team, who is scheduled to play a match against its Palestinian counterpart in Abu Dis on October 15th.
According to al-Quds, 104 Israeli settlers forced their way into Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the third consecutive day under the guise of marking the New Jewish Year.
It added that Israeli police has barred a Palestinian woman entry to the holy site.
Al-Ayyam said that the European parliamentarians torpedoed a bid to stop funding to the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
Al-Quds added in this regard that Palestinians lauded the European Union for vetoing a proposal to halt funding to UNRWA.
Member of Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee Ahmad Abu Holi, who chairs the PLO Refugee Affairs Department, was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida saying that the European Union’s rejection of the bill has foiled a scheme to end the UNRWA’s mandate.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida said that Premier Mohammad Shtayyeh offered condolences on the passing of former French President Jacques Chirac.
K.F.
