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Media Summary

27/11/2015

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The Telegraph reports that three Palestinians were killed yesterday as they attempted to attack Israeli forces with Molotov cocktails and knives. They are the latest clashes in the current wave of violence which has seen 21 Israelis killed since the start of October. The Metro covers the announcement by Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who said that a new fortified fence will be built near Hebron in order to prevent Palestinian attackers from entering Israel’s pre-1967 border.

The Guardian online reports that Israel has successfully tested the Barak 8 missile, which is designed to defend against missile attacks at sea. In particular, it has been developed in order to protect Israel’s off-shore natural gas rigs, with the likes of Hezbollah thought to be developing the ability to fire rockets at these targets.

The Guardian online highlights the disagreement on the Labour Party front bench over Prime Minister David Cameron’s plan to launch air strikes against ISIS in Syria, which he outlined to the House of Commons yesterday. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is apparently unconvinced by the case made by Cameron, but other front benchers including Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn are supportive of Cameron’s initiative.

Meanwhile, the online editions of the Financial Times and Independent both cover talks on Syria and ISIS between Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and France’s President Francois Hollande. Apparently, the two leaders have failed to agree on which groups in Syria should be the target of military action and the fate of President Assad.

The Times says that Iran’s most celebrated military figure, Maj. Gen. Suleimani, the Commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ al-Quds Brigade, has been wounded fighting in Aleppo in Syria, although not seriously.

In the Israeli media, Israel Radio news reports this morning that two soldiers have been wounded in a vehicle attack at the Kfar Adumim Junction in the West Bank. The Palestinian attacker, who rammed his car into the servicemen was shot and killed at the scene. The soldiers were transported to hospitals in Jerusalem, in moderate condition.

Haaretz reports that Israel’s security-diplomatic cabinet has held intense meetings to discuss the possibility that the Palestinian Authority (PA) might collapse. The concern is apparently not that PA President Mahmoud Abbas will dissolve the authority as he has previously threatened, but that Israeli military pressure, economic pressure and waning legitimacy on the Palestinian street will render the PA irrelevant.

Writing in Maariv, Ben Caspit says that two camps are emerging within the cabinet over how to deal with the current violence. On the one hand, the “level-headed and responsible” camp including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon favours a cautious approach, as does the IDF. Meanwhile, the “battle-hungry” camp including Jewish Home ministers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, plus Likud ministers Zeev Elkin and Gilad Erdan are pushing for more action.

Yediot Ahronot, Maariv, Israel Hayom and Israel Radio news all report the emotional wedding last night of Sarah-Tehiya Litman at the International Convention Centre in Jerusalem. Litman’s father and brother were killed in a terror attack two weeks ago. She subsequently invited the general public to the wedding and thousands turned out to celebrate.