Abbas’ Visit to Azerbaijan, Quartet Summit

The highlights of Wednesday’s Arabic newspapers were President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Azerbaijan, an anticipated Quartet summit next month, and the Israeli police’s recommendation to demolish Mughrabi Gate Bridge in East Jerusalem. Al-Hayat al-Jadida's main headline quoted Abbas as saying: “We want independence; if negotiations fail, we’ll go to the UN,” during his visit to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated his country’s support of an independent Palestinian state. Al-Quds’ prime story featured an anticipated Quartet summit in Washington early July to thwart the Palestinian plan to seek United Nations recognition of a Palestinian state within 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital. The Israeli police recommendation to demolish Dung Gate (Bab el-Magharbeh) bridge to build a new bridge in East Jerusalem next September was on the front pages of the three dailies. Al-Ayyam’s front page story featured the Israeli measures to thwart Freedom Flotilla II. The paper said that Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, was paving the way for violent attacks when he said there are participants in the Flotilla seeking confrontation and blood. Headlines in Al-Quds and Al-Ayyam quoted Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar as saying “Reconciliation efforts at dead end.” Al-Zahar, in an exclusive interview with a Jordanian newspaper, said that decisions on main issues like the Palestine Liberation Organization, government, cabinet and supreme security committee should have been made in consensus between Hamas and Fatah, which did not happen. In related news, al-Quds said that Izzat al-Rishq, member of the political bureau of Hamas, denied allegations that Hamas and Fatah agreed on naming Mohammad Mustafa, CEO of Palestine Investment Fund, as prime minister of the national unity government. The papers commemorated the Isra and Maraj Muslim holiday on Wednesday, marking the anniversary of the holy night journey where, according to Muslim tradition, the prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven and came back to earth in a single night.