The Independent and the online edition of the Guardian both cover controversy in France over the upcoming “Tel Aviv Sur Seine” festival, during which a model of the Tel Aviv beach and associated cultural activities will be opened on the banks of the River Seine. Some members of the Paris city council have objected to the attraction, calling the partnership project “indecent.” However, those supporting the project have said that the criticism threatens to demonise the State of Israel.

The Daily Mail reports on a medical trial taking place at the Rambam Campus in Israel, in which 100 participants will use a potentially revolutionary electric patch to lessen the impact of migraines.

The Independent i includes a brief postcard summary of a visit to Mount Bental on the Israeli Golan Heights, noting its proximity to fighting from the Syrian Civil War.

The online editions of the Guardian and Telegraph both report that the al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front in Syria has decided to disengage from fighting ISIS in parts of northern Syria in order to avoid indirectly aiding the US-led campaign against ISIS. However, the Financial Times online speculates that al-Nusra’s decision could help pave the way for US-led forces to create a safe zone near the Turkish border.

The online editions of the Guardian and Telegraph both report that a cousin of President Assad has been arrested, following a public outcry after he was said to have killed an army officer in a road rage incident after the official delayed his motorcade.

The Guardian online says that the trial of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian in Tehran will conclude today and that a verdict could be handed down within a week. Rezaian was arrested a year ago and is thought to have been accused of security-related offences, although the trial process has been closed to the public and observers.

In the Israeli media, the top story in Yediot Ahronot, Maariv, Haaretz and Israel Hayom is the announcement yesterday by a group of prominent modern-Orthodox rabbis, that they are establishing an independent religious court to rule on Jewish conversions, which will focus particularly on cases involving children. The move is considered to be a direct challenge to the official, state-run conversion courts operated by the Chief Rabbinate and dominated by ultra-Orthodox rabbinical authorities. It is seen as an opening salvo in a battle for control of Israel’s religious apparatus, which dictates the major life-cycle events of Jewish Israelis. Writing in Maariv, Ben Caspit calls it “an opportunity here, perhaps a one-time opportunity, to save ourselves from the closed and dark ghetto in which the ultra-Orthodox are trying to imprison us.”

Another major item, covered prominently by Maariv is the apparent refusal of doctors at hospitals in both Beer Sheva and Ashkelon to force-feed a Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike. The prisoner, Mohammed Allan is said to be an Islamic Jihad member whose health is faltering due to his refusal to eat. The Knesset recently passed a law mandating force-feeding in such cases, in order to discourage the tactic. However, doctors and the Israel Medical Association have said that they will refuse to go against a patient’s wishes unless the condition is life-threatening.

Meanwhile, Israel Radio news says that two firebombs were hurled at an IDF checkpoint in Hebron last night. No injuries were reported. In addition, a Palestinian woman was arrested with a knife and admitted that she intended to use it against Israelis.