Arabic press review: In Jordan, a walk, a sit-in and now a hunger strike 

After unfulfilled job promises, protesters stop eating

Around 50 protesters who walked across Jordan last month to demand jobs and started a sit-in outside the royal palace in Amman began a hunger strike on Wednesday, according to the London-based newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi.

The unemployed demonstrators from Ma'an, around 200 kilometres from the capital, were among around 200 who came on foot to Amman last month and have held their protest in front of King Abdullah II's palace and offices for the past 13 days, sleeping on sidewalks and calling for the king.

Soon after the protesters reached Amman, the Ministry of Labour announced that it would create jobs for thousands of young people. One protester told Middle East Eye that Jordanian officials promised them jobs within two weeks.

A video posted on YouTube showed the head of the Royal Court meeting with protesters and telling them that those under 30 would be recruited into four security agencies and the Royal Court would secure jobs in the private sector for older protesters.

But according to the Al-Quds al-Arabi report this week, the Royal Court is unable to provide jobs for the protesters. A delegation of government officials arrived on Wednesday to try to put an end to the crisis, but did not succeed, the paper reported.

Abbas devotes all his time to Fatah battle

A conflict is raging within the ruling Fatah party over who will replace Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to leaked documents published by the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar.

Abbas, 83, is trying to stay well-informed and now devotes all of his time to reviewing the recordings and security reports he receives about the internal battle, a Fatah source told the paper. 

Among the reports Abbas receives are those detailing communication between Palestinian security officials and CIA officers who have been tasked to communicate with the Palestinians about US funding of Palestinian security forces.

In fact, Abbas receives such a high volume of reports, he has resorted to recruiting his sons Tariq and Yasser "to help him comprehend the reality of what is happening," the paper reported.

Yasser, in particular, has been by his father's side during talks and meetings and has been drawn in closer to various political and economic circles.

The major conflict is between senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub and an alliance that includes Fatah vice president Mahmoud al-Aloul, Fatah leader Hussein al-Sheikh and head of General Intelligence Majid Faraj, according to Al-Akhbar.

Algerian university cancels classes for protests

Professors at an Algerian university have indefinitely suspended lectures on Wednesday as protests against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika grow, reports Algerian newspaper Echorouk El Yawmi.

The protests were first sparked when Bouteflika, 82, announced the he was running for a fifth term last month and have escalated throughout the country with unions, associations and university and high school  students joining in.

Classes at the University of Abdurrahman Mira in Bejaia were cancelled after a meeting on Wednesday evening in response to student demands - the students have been on strike to protest Bouteflika's run, which they say is a violation of the Algerian constitution.

Several popular organisations have announced their support for the protests, triggering positive responses on social media and emphasising unity among the people.

A national strike, planned for 13 March, has attracted the support of education trade unions and six others. The strike will be accompanied by peaceful marches throughout Algeria.

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