Newspapers Review: Israeli closure of school, decision to build settlement units focus of dailies

The Israeli army’s decision to close a school in the West Bank village of al-Sawiyeh and government endorsement of the construction of 31 housing settlement units in the heart of the southern West Bank city of Hebron were highlighted on the front page of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies published on Monday.

The papers also reported on settlers harassing and attacking Palestinians as they harvest their olive crops in the West  Bank as well as chopping down hundreds of trees in several areas of the occupied territories.

The papers also reported on the meeting of the Fatah Revolutionary Council with al-Hayat al-Jadida making this topic its main story headline in which it said the Revolutionary Council, which concluded three days of meetings in Ramallah on Sunday, has called on the Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to dismiss the Legislative Council, the Palestinian parliament in the Occupied Territory, and to hold general elections.

It quoted the president of the Central Council, Salim Zanoun, saying that invitations were sent out to the member to attend the session that will open in Ramallah on October 28.

The same paper quoted President Mahmoud Abbas saying that Palestine stands by Saudi Arabia in its current conflict over the disappearance of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi after entering its consulate in Istanbul.

Al-Ayyam said Saudi Arabia threatened to respond to any sanctions against it over the Khashoggi case.

The same paper also said that the Israeli High Court froze a lower court’s decision to deport Palestinian-American student Lara Alqasem, who came to Israel last week on a one-year student visa to attend masters’ classes at Hebrew University in West Jerusalem but was denied entry and has been held at Tel Aviv airport since them awaiting a final ruling on her status.

Al-Quds said the Israeli cabinet gave Hamas until the end of the week to calm things down at the Gaza borders with Israel or face war.

It said an Egyptian security delegation is expected in Gaza soon to salvage the truce efforts with Israel and the reconciliation with Fatah.