The Independent reports that eight EU countries are demanding that Israel pay them €30,000 in compensation for the demolition of school facilities for Bedouin communities in the West Bank. Israeli officials demolished the structures in August as they said that the buildings were constructed illegally. The EU countries countered that Israel’s actions violated international law.

The Mail Online reports that Israel has been promoting the idea that its ties with Arab countries are improving, with some experts saying there are signs that shared concerns over Iran are aligning Arab and Israeli interests.

The Times and Mail Online report on protests in Israel by hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews who blocked a railway line and main roads across the country yesterday. The protests are in opposition to the arrest of ultra-Orthodox “deserters” from the IDF who refused to respond to compulsory military call-ups.

Mail Online reports that an Israeli court has sentenced an Israeli-Arab man to more than five years in prison after he was found guilty of joining ISIS. Wissam Zbedat was sentenced to 70 months in prison and given a 14,000 NIS fine.

BBC News Online reports that the US has said that Hamas must disarm before it can paly any part in a new Palestinian government.

The Mail Online reports that Israel has responded with tank fire into Syria after a Syrian mortar shell landed in the northern Golan Heights yesterday. The shell fell in open ground and caused no injuries.

BBC News Online reports that an Iraqi court has ordered the arrest of the Vice President of the Kurdistan Region Kosrat Rasul for calling Iraqi government troops sent to Kirkuk this week an “occupying force”.

The Times reports that Kurds are fleeing the city of Kirkuk amid fears that Shi’a pro-government militia’s, known as Popular Mobilisation Forces, could perpetrate human rights violations against them.

The Telegraph reports that ISIS attacked villages south of Kirkuk yesterday while Iraqi and Kurdish forces were distracted by the conflict over the city.

Yediot Ahronot and Maariv report the ongoing ultra-orthodox protests against IDF and civil National Service. Yesterday was defined as a “day of rage” by the protestors, a group known as the Jerusalemite faction. Thousands of ultra-orthodox blocked roads in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh and elsewhere, disrupting traffic and clashing with police. More than 120 demonstrators were arrested.

All the papers report the US statement on Palestinian reconciliation, Israel Hayom quotes US envoy Jason Greenblatt, who says that the “Palestinian government must recognise Israel”. Both Maariv and Haaretz highlights the Hamas response, “we won’t disarm”.

Israel Hayom reports the Iranian military commitment to step up its ballistic missile program despite warnings from Washington of new sanctions aimed at limiting the development of their weapons systems.

Haaretz quotes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a ceremony marking 50 years of Israeli settlement in the Jordan Valley. He said “the Jordan Valley will always remain a part of Israel. We will continue to settle it, invest in infrastructure and tourism.  The Middle East is unstable and violent. The valley is a strategic defensive belt for the country, and without it the fundamentalist flood could reach the interior, up to Gush Dan. Thus, our eastern defensive line starts at this place. If we won’t be here, Tehran and Hamastan will be here. We won’t let that happen.”

Yediot Ahronot continues its campaign #MeToo highlighting personalities who have been sexually assaulted, today it features journalist Lucy Aharish and Eurovision song contest winner Dana International.

Israel Hayom follows the latest move by Elor Azaria, the soldier in prison for shooting an incapacitated terrorist in Hebron, who has submitted a petition to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin asking to be pardoned.

Kan radio news report that the IDF last night struck the site on the Syrian border where a mortar was fired from yesterday evening into the northern Golan Heights. The mortar fire did not cause injuries or damage. A Lebanese news agency reported that the IDF’s fire caused damage to a Syrian outpost, but that there were no casualties.

Army radio interviewed former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak who backs the current Labour party leader. Barak said that “Avi Gabbay has proved so far to be a practical and business-like person, who understands more than some people think. What he said makes a great deal of sense. Read exactly what he said. His words were presented in an edited and distorted way. They took part of what he said. He says, ‘I am in favour of two states.’ He says that the integrity of the people comes before the integrity of the land. He says that the isolated settlements are the root of the problem. He says that when coming to an agreement, you might think about creative ideas that don’t entail eviction. Where is the tragedy in that?”

Yediot Ahronot follows a UK media story that Transport for London has rejected a Palestinian, anti-Israel advertising campaign. The Palestinian delegation in London attempted to launch a campaign claiming the Balfour Declaration brought disaster for the Palestinian people in the form of the Jewish state.