Arabic press review: Has Abbas really bought a private jet?

Jet set Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas has bought a $50m private jet, according to unverified report in the Jordanian newspaper, Assabeel.

The newspaper quoted Israeli media saying $30m came from the Palestinian National Fund and $20m from the Palestinian Authority's budget.

The Palestinian president will receive the plane, which will be dedicated to the president’s private use, in the Jordanian capital Amman in the upcoming weeks, according to the Jordanian newspaper.

The reports were unsourced.

Guardians of Jerusalem

Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, tried to set up a meeting with Islamic and Christian leaders and the Palestinian Fatah movement to discuss Saudi guardianship over the city of Jerusalem, according to Arabi21.

"Saudi Arabia is making efforts to impose guardianship over the holy city," a source in Jerusalem told Arabi21. "Saudi Arabia contacted members of Fatah Central Committee and Islamic as well as Christian figures to hold a meeting in Riyadh, which was intended for last Saturday.

"Jordanian authorities detained the Palestinian delegation at the Karameh border crossing and to bring them back to the West Bank."

A member of the Islamic Supreme Council of Jerusalem, Jamal Amro, stated that "the committee has already monitored Saudi contacts with Muslim and Christian figures in Jerusalem, without knowing their names."

He added the committee "received this information from one of the figures, who has been contacted by Saudi Arabia but declined the invitation to visit."

Magnificent seven?

Egyptians are celebrating the seventh anniversary of the 25 January revolution, which overthrew Hosni Mubarak, but many are still to realise their dreams, according to the Cairo-based newspaper Almesryoon.

Many believe that although the revolution did not meet many of its objectives, it led to a shift at the political and social levels, the most important of which is setting the term of the presidency at four years and only two terms,

The revolution also led to a greater level of media and social freedoms and the drafting of a new constitution, according to the newspaper.

Tweet revenge

Kuwait's criminal court has sentenced Twitter user Saqr al-Hashash in absentia to 20 years in prison, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper, al-Qabas.

Hashash was convicted of "insulting his highness the Emir, broadcasting false news and insulting the judiciary on social media websites".

Hashash is abroad and was sentenced in absentia.

* Arabic press review is a digest of reports that are not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.