To read the media summary for Friday 5 December click here

The confirmation yesterday that the Knesset will dissolve and that Israel will go to the polls on 17 March is covered by the Telegraph, Independent, Daily Mail, Independent i, Evening Standard and the online edition of the Guardian. The Times reports that centre-left parties are considering a joint electoral ticket as part of an “anyone but Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu]” campaign. The Financial Times says the March election will be a “struggle for the soul and future of Israel,” as future relations with the Palestinians and the very identity of Israel could be significantly shaped by the vote. Meanwhile in the Telegraph, Robert Tait says that although polls indicate that Netanyahu is well positioned, “the path to resumed power is not yet assured.”

The online editions of the Guardian and Telegraph both report that two Jewish Israeli shoppers were stabbed by a 16-year-old Palestinian assailant yesterday at a supermarket in the West Bank area of Mishor Adumim. The two victims were not seriously hurt and the attacker was shot and wounded by a security guard on the spot. The incident comes just two days after an Israeli man was stabbed by a Palestinian in Gush Etzion.

The Independent i includes a short preview of a concert being given by the YMCA Jerusalem Youth Orchestra at the Aldwych Theatre in London. The orchestra is comprised of both Israeli and Palestinian youngsters.

The Guardian and online edition of the Telegraph both report that US Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday that while US-led air strikes are hurting ISIS, defeating the terror group could take years. Meanwhile, the Times focuses on Kerry’s comment that he welcomes “positive” Iranian air strikes on ISIS in Iraq, coupled with US insistence that there is no military coordination with Iran. In the Guardian, Ian Black says that even if there is tacit cooperation between the two countries over ISIS, American and Iranian interests over Iraq will soon diverge due to polar opposite visions of what the country should look like. Writing in the Telegraph, David Blair reiterates that Iran is no ally of the US and that Iran is in fact partly to blame for the instability in Iraq which fuelled the rise of ISIS.

In the Israeli media, the announcement yesterday that the election will be held on 17 March is the top item, leading coverage in Yediot Ahronot, Haaretz, Maariv and Israel Hayom. In addition, all publications highlight a speech delivered yesterday evening by Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Netanyahu, listing areas in which he has failed and positioning himself as a potential replacement. Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Sima Kadmon comments, “the coming election campaign will focus on an individual, not on an issue. His name is Binyamin Netanyahu, and it seems that the most important consensus among the parties—and which will be their message in the election—is their loathing of him.”

The other major story is the stabbing of two Jewish Israeli men by a Palestinian in a West Bank supermarket. Both Israel Hayom and Yediot Ahronot highlight the quick response of an off-duty security guard who was on the scene and shot the attacker, preventing a potentially more serious incident.

Haaretz reports that agreement has been reached between the Histadrut central workers union and business leaders to increase the minimum wage at least in the private sector. With the portfolio of Finance Minister currently vacant, the agreement cannot yet be extended to public sector employees. The Histadrut had threatened to launch a national strike on Sunday if an agreement were not finalised.