The main item of Israel related news in today’s British press is yesterday’s meetings between PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. The Independent and the Telegraph note Clegg’s description of settlements as ‘vandalism,’ with the Telegraph also noting Israel’s description of the remarks as ‘gratuitous bashing’. The cyber attack on Israel is reported by City AM, the Metro and the International Herald Tribune. The Independent prints a letter signed by academics and cultural figures, and a related news piece, criticising the Natural History Museum for its ties with Israeli firm Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories, which has a centre in an Israeli settlement. It also has an article on the corruption charges facing Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman. The Evening Standard and the Independent report the discovery of a bomb factory in Thailand with alleged links to Hezbollah, whilst the Times has a report on the armed resistance against the Assad regime in Syria.  The Guardian carries an opinion piece describing assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists as murder, whilst the Financial Times runs an opinion piece about the impact of tensions surrounding Iran on oil prices. Guardian Comment is Free also runs an opinion piece on the rise of antisemitism following yesterday’s report of an LSE student being attacked after objecting to a Nazi themed drinking game.

The Israeli papers continue to be dominated by the strike launched by local authorities yesterday, with reports that a resolution may be in sight. The cyber attacks on Israeli websites are also widely reported, as is the two day legal hearing beginning today to determine whether Avigdor Lieberman will be charged with fraud. Yediot Ahronoth also reports on accusations by senior Kadima MK Shaul Mofaz that Netanyahu is a liar. Haaretz reports on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks to a Knesset committee on the peace process and other regional issues. It also reports on a French parliamentary committee that has accused Israel of apartheid in its management of water resources in the West Bank and an attack by Hamas militants on Shia worshippers in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post reports on IDF plans for a military operation against armed groups in the Gaza Strip, on Nick Clegg’s description of settlements as vandalism, and on plans by Prime Minister Netanyahu to extend for five years a controversial law that provides exceptions for haredi men from military service. The papers also report that the perpetrator of the massacre of the Fogel family in Itamar was sentenced for five life terms.