Newspapers review: Release of Palestinian prisoners dominates dailies

The release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons dominated Tuesday’s issues of the three Palestinian Arabic dailies. The prime headlines in al-Ayyam, al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida highlighted the release of 477 prisoners, 203 of them to the West Bank, 145 to the Gaza Strip and 40 abroad. The newspapers printed pictures of Palestinians holding photographs of prisoners in Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank, with cheerful anticipation of their release earlier this morning. The subtitles in all three papers reported that President Mahmoud Abbas will receive released prisoners in his headquarters in Ramallah. They also featured central receptions of the released prisoners in all Palestinian cities. The three papers reported that Palestinian prisoners suspended their open hunger strike after three weeks, following an agreement reached with the prison administration to end the solitary confinement punishment, according to Minister of Detainees Affairs, Issa Qaraqe. However, the newspapers also reported that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine denied the news, saying that the hunger strike continues.