Newspapers review: Killing six Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank, Jerusalem focus of dailies

The killing of six Palestinians by Israeli gunfire in the besieged Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem hit the front page headlines in Palestinian Arabic dailies on Wednesday.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida said Muhammad Zaghlul Rimawi, 24, was brutally assaulted by some 40 Israeli soldiers in his home in Beit Rima, a village to the northwest of Ramallah, and was later pronounced dead.

Two Palestinians were killed after being targeted by an Israeli airstrike as they allegedly attempted to cross the border fence with Israel, east of Khan Younes in the Gaza Strip.

Two others were killed by Israeli live ammunition as they participated in a protest organized by the High National Committee to Break the Siege near Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing.

Al-Ayyam reported that Israeli forces shot and injured scores of Palestinians in the Gaza protests.

The sixth Palestinian was killed by Israeli police after he allegedly attempted to stab an Israeli man near Damascus Gate outside Jerusalem’s Old City.

The dailies said that the European Union (EU) has appointed Susanna Terstal as the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process.

Moreover, they added that Palestinian and international solidarity activists continued to stage an open-ended sit-in for 14 days in a row in the Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar slated for demolition.

The dailies said that thousands of Israeli Jewish settlers forced their way into flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as well as al-Buraq Square, also known as the Western Wall plaza, to hold provocative rituals on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

Al-Ayyam added that Israeli police escorting the settler groups assaulted Palestinian Waqf-appointed guards and worshippers present in the compound.

Spotlighting the Palestinian cabinet’s weekly session, al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida said that the cabinet welcomed the official political dialogue between Palestine and the EU and the convening of the Palestinian-European Joint Commission.

Al-Hayat al-Jadida added that the cabinet also welcomed the agreement to convene the Palestinian-Jordanian Joint Higher Committee in next year and commended the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) report in the economic situation in Palestine.

Regarding efforts to achieve intra-Palestinian reconciliation, the dailies said the Fatah delegation, headed by member of the PLO Executive Committee Azzam al-Ahmad, briefed Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri on the latest political developments.

Speaking on the same issue, senior Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh was reported in al-Quds stating that efforts to achieve reconciliation and end the blockade in parallel were faltering.

Moreover, UNRWA Commissioner General Pierre Krähenbühl was reported in al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida stating that the UN relief agency would remain mandated to work for Palestinian refugees.

According to al-Quds, the Israeli High Court has rejected an appeal against the military’s refusal to prosecute the soldiers who murdered Bassem Abu Rahmeh, who was killed by a tear gas canister almost a decade ago in Bilin.

It added that Israeli settlers seized the hill Khallet Nakhleh opposite to Artas village, south of Bethlehem.

Al-Ayyam also reported that Israeli occupation authorities have approved the legalization of a settlement outpost in the northern Jordan Valley.

It also reported Palestinian ambassador to Jordan Atallah Khairi announcing the commencement of the reconstruction of al-Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus at the expense of the Palestinian Authority.

Referring to an International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) report on the Palestinian economy, al-Quds reported IMF warning: “The intended withholding of clearance revenues under new Israeli legislation will seriously undermine the already fragile fiscal situation.”

Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported the representative of Canada to the Palestinian Authority, Douglas Scott Proudfoot, announcing that his country would not relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.