Newspapers review: Killing of Palestinian man in Hebron focus of dailies

The killing of a Palestinian man following an alleged stabbing attack in the southern West Bank city of Hebron dominated the front page headlines in Palestinian dailies on Tuesday.

Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

Al-Ayyam reported on the “extrajudicial execution” of the man, who was a father of seven children.

The man, identified as 42-year-old Muhammad Moammar al-Atrash, allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier at a military checkpoint near the Ibrahimi Mosque.  

On the other hand, al-Hayat al-Jadida opted to spotlight President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Oman it its front page main news item.

It reported that Abbas and Sultan Qabous discussed the means to develop bilateral relations in various fields.

Abbas was reported stating that Israeli occupation practices would not change the fact that Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state.

Abbas reportedly made his remarks during a phone call to congratulate Jerusalem Governor Adnan Gheith and Head of the Palestinian intelligence in the city Jihad al-Faqeeh on being conditionally released from Israeli detention.

Furthermore, al-Quds reported that 20 Palestinian protestors were injured by Israeli ammunition as Israeli forces quelled a naval march in Beit Lahiya in the besieged Gaza Strip.

According to al-Ayyam, a total of 22 protestors were injured by ammunition and scores of others suffered from tear gas inhalation in the naval march.

Furthermore, al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida said that Israeli forces razed Palestinian-owned lands in Jamrura area in western Tarqumiya of the southern West Bank district of Hebron, uprooting hundreds of trees.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida added that Israeli forces destroyed two water wells during the raid into Jamrura.

Moreover, al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that Israeli Jewish settlers vandalized Palestinian vehicles in Marda village, north of Salfit, puncturing their tires and spray-painting Hebrew-language slogans on them.

Highlighting another attack in the Jordan Valley, al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that Israeli bulldozers uprooted tree saplings in al-Fasayel village, north of Jericho.

Spotlighting efforts to achieve intra-Palestinian reconciliation, al-Quds reported well-informed Palestinian sources stating that the delegation of the Egyptian Security Intelligence held a “positive and fruitful” meeting with Hamas official in Gaza.

Al-Ayyam touched upon the same theme, explaining that it was the second long meeting between Hamas official and the Egyptian delegation within the same week.

Yet, al-Quds said that US President Donald Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron that he was prepared to exert pressure and be “tough” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept Trump’s “peace plan”, dubbed deal of the century.

The dailies reported that Israeli Jewish settlers gathered near the Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar, slated for demolition, provoking Palestinian and international solidarity activists.

Israeli lawmakers Tzipi Hotovely and Yehudah Glick reportedly joined the settlers in a tour overlooking Khan al-Ahmar and urged Israeli Premier to forcefully demolish it.

Yet, al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida spotlighted Haaretz’ investigative report titled Revealed: Israeli Taxpayers Helped Bankroll Illegal West Bank Outposts for Decades.

According to al-Quds, a committee representing Palestinian Muslim scholars in Jerusalem have called for stepping up efforts to confront brokers engaged in the fraudulent sale of Palestinian property to Israeli settler groups.

Al-Quds and al-Ayyam said that Israel is disappointed over Jordan’s decision to nix two annexes of the 1994 peace treaty with Israel concerning al-Baqura and al-Ghamr, Jordanian territories that has been leased to Israel for 25 years upon signing of the treaty.

Chairman of the Palestinian National Council Salim Zanoun was reported in al-Hayat al-Jadida stating that Fatah’s Revolutionary Council’s (FRC) request  to dissolve the Legislative Council will be listed as an urgent item on the agenda of the PLO’s Palestinian Central Council.