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Media Summary

30/03/2015

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With the deadline 48 hours away, the Iran nuclear negotiations in Lausanne are covered by the Times, Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, Independent i, Daily Mail and Metro.

The Independent and Independent  i report that the key “sticking points” in the negotiations have been overcome and that a deal is now likely, while noting that the US Congress is unlikely to approve. The Independent also notes that the preliminary “deal” might be only a two-page document, with all the detail being left until the next round of negotiations in June. However, the Guardian notes that Ayatollah Khamenei has decreed that Iran will only sign a final deal and not any interim paper.

The Telegraph is more downbeat, reporting that differences between the two sides still remain. The FT reports that one key difference is when and at what pace sanctions would be removed. The Times cites a CNN report where a US official said that the talks were “not going well.”

The Guardian, Telegraph and Times report on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments yesterday that the Iran deal is shaping up to be “even worse” than he originally feared.

A Telegraph business piece claims that an Iran deal could send oil prices as low as $20 if Iran sells its stockpiles.

A leader in the Times, titled “A Bad Deal”, claims that Iran is successfully outwitting the West at the Lausanne talks. The editorial suggests that President Obama is “mak[ing] ill-considered concessions” to Iran in order to reach a deal.

A Times story claims that Iranian troops are heading towards the Israeli border after Iranian allies and proxies, particularly Hezbollah, have taken control of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights from rebels.

An FT piece claims that the USA is being more confrontational with Iran by supporting action in Yemen and in participating in attempts to liberate Tikrit, Iraq. The FT piece claims that these moves “indicated a greater willingness to counter Iran”, possibly in expectation of an emboldened Iran after a nuclear deal.

The Guardian, Independent, Independent i and FT report that Arab leaders have begun to assemble a joint Arab army to tackle regional threats. Egyptian leader Abdel Fateh a-Sisi made the proposal at the Arab League summit over the weekend. The force will reportedly challenge ISIS but is widely understood to also be an attempt to check Iranian regional influence.

A Telegraph leader notes that the new Arab Army is primarily a reaction to Iran but could be a step towards greater Arab transnational unity.

The Times and Independent i report on the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA)’s warning that it is about to run out of money for its work in Syria. UNRWA distributes money and food to Palestinians affected by the Syria conflict.

The Times reports on a march by leaders of Israel’s Joint Arab List party through unrecognised Bedouin villages in the Negev region of Israel to the President’s residence in Jerusalem. The march was in support of formal recognition of these settlements.

A column by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown in the Independent praises several anti-Zionist Jewish campaigners while criticising those who support Israel.

The Guardian carries an obituary of Yehuda Avner, a former ambassador of Israel to the UK, advisor to Israeli leaders and author of the 2010 book The Prime Ministers.

The Independent i and the Telegraph report that 5,000-year-old Egyptian beer-brewing basins were discovered in Tel Aviv.

The nuclear negotiations also dominate the Israeli press, with all papers reporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments at the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday that an “Iran-Lausanne-Yemen” axis now threatens humanity.

Israel Hayom’s front page headline proclaims “Iran is lying but will still be rewarded”, a quote from Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon. Haaretz notes that gaps remain and that all of the P5+1 foreign ministers are now present.

Opinion pieces in both Yediot Ahronot and Maariv look at the morning after an agreement. Both note that a ‘bad’ nuclear agreement will not cause an immediate crisis for Israel, but that it will cause long-term problems both for Israel and the region.

Haaretz reports that a four-day march from unrecognised Bedouin villages in the South of Israel has reached Jerusalem. The march, led by Joint List leader Ayman Odeh, met with Nehama Rivlin, the President’s wife, and presented her with a Bedouin development plan.

Israel Hayom reports that Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu party has agreed to give up on control of the Knesset Finance Committee, indicating he is close to joining a coalition. The Jerusalem Post reports that the ultra-Orthodox parties are eager to sign a coalition agreement within days. Haaretz looks at claims that Likud is trying to tempt individual Zionist Union members to join Mr Netanyahu’s government.

All papers including Yediot Ahronot, Maariv, Haaretz and Israel Hayom report that the Supreme Court will decide this morning whether to overturn former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Not-Guilty verdict in the Holyland corruption case.