RAMALLAH, July 2, 2012 (WAFA) – The financial difficulty of the Palestinian Authority and its inability to pay outstanding debt, including possibly salaries of its 150,000 employees, was the top front page story of the Monday issue of al-Quds Arabic daily.
It quoted Wasel Abu Yousef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, as confirming the existence of a crisis, reported to be the worse in the history of the PA. Abu Yousef said the finance ministry is working hard to provide the salaries for last month.
Al-Hayat al-Jadida chose to focus on a totally different subject. Its main front page headline was on the Israeli demolition of four stores at Damascus Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem and on plans to demolish homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.
Al-Ayyam’s main front page story was on the situation in Syria and the rejection by the opposition of a unity government, demanding international intervention to stop what the headline described as “massacres.”
The shooting at lawmaker Shami Shami in Jenin by unknown assailants was highlighted on the front page of the three dailies. Gunmen fired several bullets at Shami injuring him. He was admitted to hospital for treatment.
The dailies also highlighted on their front page the demonstration in Ramallah against a meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz. Police attacked the demonstrators, beating some and arresting others.
The dailies highlighted the sentencing of Ibrahim Hamed by an Israeli military court to 54 life sentences. They also printed a picture for Hamed in court. Hamed had refused to recognize the court’s jurisdiction in the occupied Territory and had refused to cooperate with it. He had also refused to confess to any of the charges against him in spite of years of interrogation.
The situation in Egypt and developments between the army and President Muhammad Mursi was reported on the front page of the three dailies.
The papers reported on the front page on the victory of the Spanish football team in the European championship game against Italy. Spain won by 4 to 0.
M.S./F.R.
