WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, April 7, 2019.

Palestinian prisoners’ plight

Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli jails have gone on hunger strike to protest their conditions and new restrictions. The strikers are particularly angry about the installation of a system that jams their cell phone calls. They want better prison conditions and the removal of the signal jamming system. The leaders of the mass strike have threatened to go farther by refusing water if their demands are not met within seven days. Israeli prison authorities say the cell phones have been smuggled into the jails and have been used to plan attacks outside. But the inmates say they use the mobiles to speak with their families because there are no payphones in the jails. Israel’s Prisons Service has warned that it will respond forcefully to end the protest.

Sudan protests

Thousands of Sudanese have held a protest rally outside the army’s headquarters in the capital Khartoum for a second day. The protesters chanted slogans against President Omar al-Bashir, whose official residence is located inside the army headquarters’ precincts. The demonstrators pledged to continue their protest until Bashir steps down. On Saturday, riot police and secret service officers fired tear gas to disperse the protesters in the same area. The demonstrators responded by throwing stones at security forces. At least one demonstrator was killed during Saturday's events.

Libya conflict

Libya inches close to a full-blown conflict. Forces loyal to renegade General Khalifah Haftar say they’ve carried out their first airstrike on positions of the UN-backed government. On the other side, the government forces have declared a counter-offensive to defend the capital Tripoli. The government has already moved military hardware from the nearby city of Misrata toward Tripoli. The United Nations has called for an urgent two-hour truce for the southern outskirts of the capital to allow evacuations of civilians and the wounded. Haftar forces started their assault on the capital under the command of the renegade general earlier this week. The UN-backed government has pledged to bring Haftar to local and international courts over the military escalation. Over twenty people have been killed since the conflict erupted on Thursday.

Iran response

Iranian lawmakers have pledged to respond in kind against any action taken by the US against the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. 255 Iranian parliament members, in a letter, expressed full support for the country’s armed forces, especially the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. The letter says the IRGC is one of the biggest achievements of the Iranian nation. It added that Iran’s national security and its armed forces are red lines for the MPs, warning that they would take reciprocal actions against Washington. The Iranian lawmakers’ pledge followed US media reports that suggest Washington is planning to designate the IRGC a terrorist organization. If that happens it will be the first time Washington has formally labeled another country’s military a terrorist group.

Israeli settlements

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins another term in the upcoming general elections. Netanyahu says he has made it clear to US President Donald Trump that he would not remove the settlements or a single settler from the West Bank. The remarks have immediately drawn reactions from Palestinian officials. A Palestinian Authority spokesman says any measures will not change the facts because the settlements are illegal and they will be removed. The resistance movement, Hamas has also slammed Netanyahu’s comments, saying his dreams of annexing the West Bank will never come true. Meanwhile, Israel’s higher planning committee has approved the construction of 770 new settler units in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

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