The Mail Online reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is increasingly risking causing a diplomatic rift between Turkey and Israel over his criticism of US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The Telegraph and the Mail Online both report that two Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants riding on a motorcycle in Gaza were killed in an explosion on Tuesday, which the group implies was caused by an accidental detonation during preparations for an attack.

The Independent reports on a video and picture that have gone viral. The images depict the arrest of a 16-year-old Palestinian teenager Gawzi al-Junaidi, who was accused of throwing stones.

BBC News Online reports that Amnesty International has alleged that European governments are knowingly complicit in the torture and abuse of refugees and migrants in Libya.

Karma Nabulsi writes in the Guardian that Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem is “part of the continuing story of injustice in Palestine”.

BBC News Online and the Guardian report on the death at 104 of Rabbi Ahron Shteinman, the highly revered ultra-Orthodox spiritual leader.

The Guardian features a piece on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to the Middle East. The paper argues that “the Russian president has been on a victory lap to Syria and the Middle East, intent on showing that he has outplayed the US in the region”.

BBC News Online and the Guardian report that Egyptian pop singer Shyma, 21, has been sentenced to two years in prison over a pop video in which she appeared in her underwear and suggestively ate a banana. She was convicted of having “incited debauchery”.

The Guardian features a special report on the plight of four-fifths of the population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who cannot attain citizenship because their parents were born abroad, and are instead classed as “foreigners”.

The Times reports that Saudi forces have begun an assault the port of Hodeidah with the help of Yemeni forces formally loyal to deceased ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Telegraph reports that two British volunteers killed fighting alongside Kurdish forces in Syria have been given full military funerals by the YPG.

The Times reports that an Irishman who spent four years behind bars in Egypt has said that Islamic State is radicalising vulnerable people in the country’s most brutal jails. Ibrahim Halawa, 21, from Dublin said that he witnessed dozens of cellmates adopting the views of ISIS as militants targeted those abused by the judicial system and security forces.

The FT features a report on the reaction to America’s recognition of Jerusalem in the Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon.

All the Israeli media prominently cover the funeral of Rabbi Shteinman, one of the most prominent leaders of the ultra-Orthodox world. Yediot Ahronot notes 200,000 people attended the funeral and quotes the head of Povenezh Yeshiva: “Rabbi Shteinman asked that we not eulogise him, but we have to speak about this. About the sorrow that we now feel. He was like the sun. How does one live without the sun? It’s the sun. Without the Rabbi, we now lack the sun. The sun of the Torah.” Maariv refers to him as the “foremost religious authority”.

All the media also note the continued missile fire from Gaza.  Israel Hayom quotes Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Glam, who said: “Regrettably we have experience with all the scenarios, we are in constant contact with all the security branches and are vigilant with regard to the situation. This situation has been going on for years, and there is no permanent solution expected unless there is peace between us and them.”

Maariv reports on further details of the Netanyahu-Macron meeting from earlier this week.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is thought to have told the French President Emmanuel Macron that US President Donald Trump’s peace plan will challenge both sides.  The paper notes that according to Channel Ten News, Netanyahu was willing to make concessions and compromises as part of the peace plan that Trump would issue.  However, the paper quotes Netanyahu’s office, saying: “We firmly deny that the prime minister spoke about concessions and compromises. Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he presumed that Trump’s plan would challenge him and Abu Mazen. Apparently, there is a European interest in presenting things differently.”

Yediot Ahronot and Maariv discuss domestic politics and reveal how Netanyahu personally intervened and met privately with all the coalition rebels to ensure that the mini-markets bill passed its first reading. The head of Shas, Interior Minister Deri, had threatened to resign if the bill did not pass.  There were three rebel Likud MKs, each one had their own objection. For example, Likud MK Yehuda Glick made his support of the bill contingent on promoting a bill of his own to ban the sale of tobacco products to young people under age 21.   The bill passed its first reading 59-54.

Yediot Ahronot carries an annual poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute.  Among the finding, 45 per cent believe that democratic rule in Israel is in grave danger. A small majority of 51.5 per cent believes that some of the bills that the Knesset has passed into legislation in recent years are damaging to the country’s democratic nature. 80 per cent of Israelis think that the politicians look after their own interests first.  81 per cent of the public show confidence in the IDF, 65 per cent in the president 65 and 56 per cent in the Supreme Court, but have low confidence in the government (29 per cent), Knesset (26 per cent), media (28 per cet), Chief Rabbinate (20 per cent) and political parties (15 per cent).

Maariv reveals that Netanyahu will be questioned for a seventh time this Friday in connection to investigations into cases 1000 the allegations of receiving gifts and case 2000 into alleged media collusion.  The investigations are drawing towards a conclusion and this could be the last or penultimate time the Prime Minister will need to be questioned.