Suggestions by Israeli officials to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site in Jerusalem’s Old City, between Muslims and Jews, as well as an Israeli ministerial committee approving a bill for a racist law were highlighted on the front page of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies published today. Al-Ayyam daily said an Israeli parliamentarian from the ruling right-wing Likud Party suggested making the southern part of the holy compound for Muslims while Jews get the central and northern parts, including the Dome of the Rock. Al-Hayat al-Jadida daily said the Palestinian Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs described these ideas as playing with fire and a recipe for a religious war. The third daily, al-Quds, said in its top front-page story headline that the Israeli government advanced a bill to entrench racial segregation and annexation of the West Bank after the Ministerial Committee for Legislation decided to support a proposed bill to expand the applicability of the Admissions Committees Law to community towns of up to 1,000 households and to communities located in additional areas, and to expand its applicability to settlements in the occupied West Bank. The dailies also reported on attacks by settlers in the occupied West Bank as well as army demolition orders of homes. Al-Quds said US Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr paid a visit to the family of a slain Palestinian toddler in Nabi Saleh village Mohammad Tamimi to offer his condolences. It said 87,000 students sat yesterday for the Tawjihi high school matriculation exam in the Palestinian territories. Al-Ayyam said 100 American organizations have started a campaign to end financial support for Israel, and 17 Israeli human rights organizations said the current Israeli policy aims to annex all the West Bank. It said the Israeli president visited the illegal settlement of Ariel, built in the occupied West Bank. Al-Hayat al-Jadida quoted Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh saying in meetings with the EU human rights representative that the Israeli occupation denies the Palestinian people their basic rights. It said the Israeli occupation is threatening Palestinian administrative detainees in order to prevent them from starting a hunger strike on June 18.
Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA
