RAMALLAH, June 12, 2012 (WAFA) – The focus of Tuesday’s issue of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies was the Israeli approval of a new visitors’ center in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan that will include a Jewish museum.
Al-Quds newspaper reported that planning committee in the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem approved on Monday the new project, which will include an archaeological museum and underground pools. The paper said the visitor’s center is funded by Elad, a settlement group that focuses on settling Jews in the Silwan area.
The daily printed a photo of a scale model of the visitors’ center, which will take up around three dunums of Silwan land, only a few meters away from the southern side of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida highlighted President Mahmoud Abbas’ statements that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not answer any of the Palestinian questions on the peace process that came in Abbas’ letter to him. Abbas said this during his meeting with the European Union representative in Jerusalem, John Gatt-Rutter.
The dailies featured protests and demonstrations supporting the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails, Mahmoud Sarsak, who has been on strike for more than 80 days, Akram Rikhawi, for over two months, and Samer al-Baraq for 53 days.
Al-Ayyam printed a picture of Palestinians raising pictures of the striking prisoners in front of Ofer military prison near Ramallah, while al-Hayat al-Jadida printed a photo of British and Palestinian protesters demonstrating in front of the British Consulate in Jerusalem.
Al-Ayyam reported on the Israeli deputy attorney general’s decision to waive the need for issuing building permits to settlers who will be evicted from the Ulpana outpost in Beit El settlement near Ramallah, under the pretext of 'urgent and immediate military need' to put up temporary housing for them.
The three dailies featured an Arab and Palestinian Christians call to postpone the signing of an agreement between the Vatican and Israel that reportedly recognizes Israel’s illegal annexation and control over occupied East Jerusalem.
R.Q./M.S.
