New Palestinian government focus of dailies

The three Palestinian Arabic dailies highlighted in their Monday issue the appointment of Najah University president, Rami Hamdallah, as prime minister. Al-Ayyam said President Mahmoud Abbas asked Hamdallah to form the new government, adding that there is expectation that most of the current ministers will keep their posts. Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida just said that Abbas asked Hamdallah to form a new government printing a picture for him and giving his curriculum vita. The papers highlighted as well the visit of Jordan’s Foreign Minister Nasser Judah to Ramallah and his meeting with Abbas. Al-Hayat al-Jadida said Judah carried a verbal message from the Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah, to Abbas. It said that Jordan proposed to hold more exploratory meetings between the Palestinians and Israel. The papers said in a story from Geneva that the battle over Jerusalem between the Palestinians and Israel has reached Geneva and Brussels. It said Palestinians and Israelis each are holding separate photo exhibits on Jerusalem in these two places, each showing their own narrative of the city. Al-Ayyam said US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected in the region in two weeks to continue in his peace efforts. It said that Israeli police fined and forced 12 Palestinians from East Jerusalem out of their homes in the Old City for two weeks. It also said that the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem has issued demolition orders to homes in Silwan, an East Jerusalem neighborhood. It also said that Israel has decided to expropriate 60,000 square meters of land east of Nablus. The paper highlighted on its front page the demonstrations in Turkey saying the protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Erdogan.