BBC News Online and the Daily Mail report that Miss Universe pageant participants Sarah Idan (Miss Iraq) and Adar Gandelsman (Miss Israel) reunited in Jerusalem this week, months after a selfie of the pair at the competition caused a vicious backlash. They dined in Jerusalem on Monday before posting a picture online with the caption: “Sister’s reunion.”Idan was forced to flee Iraq and move her family to America last year after she posed for a different picture with Gandelsman, captioned: “Peace and love”. Iraq and Israel have no diplomatic relations and Idan’s message was interpreted by some as an endorsement of Israel and a betrayal of Palestinian Arabs. “When I posted the picture I didn’t think for a second there would be blowback,” she told CNN at the time. “I woke up to calls from my family and the Miss Iraq Organisation going insane. The death threats I got online were so scary.” Idan and her family relocated to the US, but on Monday she was reunited with Gandelsman in Israel. Video from the trip on BBC News shows them taking selfies together throughout Jerusalem.

The Independent and the Daily Mail via AP reports that the United Nations has overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning Israel’s “use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. By a vote of 120 to eight, the United Nations approved a resolution decrying the “use of live ammunition against civilian protesters, including children, as well as medical personnel and journalists” and underscoring its “grave concern at the loss of innocent lives”. After the UN voted down an American-authored amendment faulting Hamas, the final resolution made no mention of the terror group. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley released a statement criticising the UN for arriving at “the morally bankrupt judgment that the recent Gaza violence is all Israel’s fault”.

BBC News Online, the Times, the Financial Times, the Guardian, the Daily Mail and the Independent report that fierce fighting has been reported after pro-government forces in Yemen, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, launched an offensive on the rebel-held city of Hudaydah, a key port for aid supplies. The United Arab Emirates confirmed four of its soldiers had been killed and 22 Houthi rebels reportedly also died. Fighting raged mainly near the city’s airport and the al-Durayhmi area south of the city, media reports say. The UN Security Council is to hold urgent talks on Yemen on Thursday. It is the first time the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Gulf states has tried to capture such a well-defended major city in Yemen. About 8m people are at risk of starvation in the war-torn country and the coastal city is where most aid arrives for people in rebel-held areas.

Metro has released a primer on Prince Williams visit to Jordan, Israel and the West Bank. According to the report, It will be the most sensitive tour the Duke Of Cambridge, who is now a full time royal, has ever undertaken.

The Daily Mail reports that a Paris mayor has been warned he will be “blown up” after naming a street in honour of thousands of Palestinians forced out of their homes by the creation of Israel. Dominique Lesparre, 71, has also been hounded by assailants wearing black face masks, who vandalised the new road sign within hours of it being unveiled on Tuesday. The thoroughfare in Bezons, a northwest suburb of the French capital, is now called Nakba Alley. Referring to Israel’s first Prime Minister, plaques placed around Nakba Alley read: “In memory of the expulsion of 800,000 Palestinians and the destruction of 532 villages in 1948 by the war criminal David Ben Gurion for the creation of the state of Israel.” This sparked fury among Israel supporters in Paris, and by this morning, the plaques were covered in graffiti, and the road sign blacked out. All were then removed by local government officials who said they could “seriously disrupt public order”.

The Independent reports that the use of lethal force against Palestinian demonstrators by the Israeli military in Gaza may constitute war crimes, Human Rights Watch has said. Human Rights Watch said the majority of the dead and wounded were unarmed and posed no immediate threat to Israeli troops or civilians. As such, the group contended the use of live fire suggests a violation of international law. The statement was issued ahead of an emergency United Nations General Assembly meeting to vote on the resolution condemning Israel’s “excessive use of force” that was passed last yesterday.

NME reports that Young Fathers have been dropped from the line-up of the German festival “Ruhrtriennale” because of their support of the cultural boycott on Israel. In a statement on Ruhrtriennale’s website, festival organisers confirmed the band’s performance had been cancelled because the band had not “distanced” themselves from the BDS campaign as requested. The statement released by the festival’s Artistic Director Stefanie Carp stated that it “wishes to have absolutely no connection” with the BDS movement, and organisers “regret” that Young Fathers will no longer be a part of the event.

The Daily Mail via AP reports that Palestinian police have broken up a rare public protest in the West Bank against the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) policies in Gaza. Dozens of Palestinian protesters gathered in Ramallah on Wednesday calling on PA President Mahmoud Abbas to end his “punishment” of Hamas-ruled Gaza. Palestinian police dispersed the crowd and undercover officers dragged others away, arresting about ten people. Abbas has cracked down on dissent and such protests are rare.

The Daily Mail via AFP reports that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that talks led by Moscow on the future of the south of the country were ongoing, but warned that Israel and the United States were preventing a negotiated settlement. In an interview with Iran’s Al-Alam television channel broadcast late Wednesday, Assad said that after regime forces captured Ghouta from rebels in April, “it was suggested that we should move south. Up till now, there are no concrete results for a simple reason which is Israeli and American interference; for they put pressure on the terrorists in that area in order to prevent reaching any compromise or peaceful resolution.”

In the Israeli media, Yediot Ahronot’s lead headline reveals: “Hamas condemned by UN for first time, but vote invalidated.”  The paper explains that despite an American-sponsored amendment to the draft resolution that would also have condemned Hamas won the support of a majority, it was ultimately not included in the final iteration of the draft resolution because it failed to win the support of a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly.  The resolution introduced by Algeria and Turkey that condemned Israel for excessive use of force in dealing with the demonstrations along the border with the Gaza was approved by a large majority: 120 countries voted in favour, eight voted against and 45 abstained.

Maariv and Yediot Ahronot report on a 1bn Euro deal that was approved in the German parliament yesterday to lease UAVs from the Israel Aerospace Industries.  The deal includes leasing five operational UAVs and the use of two other UAVs for training purposes.  The deal will also include the deployment of German army troops at an Israel Airforce airbase.  The duration of the agreement is nine years. German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said that the Bundeswehr was very pleased with the Heron-1, which it has used for intelligence purposes in Afghanistan and Mali, where German troops are deployed. She said the Heron-TP’s capability will afford better protection for the German armed forces.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the German decision to approve the deal, which is expected to be formally signed in the near future. Netanyahu said: “The large deal is an expression of the strategic partnership between Germany and Israel and attests to Israeli industry’s potential to contribute to a country like Germany.”

Haaretz reports that PA security forces have banned holding any demonstrations or protests until the end of the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Ramadan month of fasting.   The PA said it does not want such disruptions to ruin the holiday celebrations. The last day of the fast is Thursday and the celebrations will begin Thursday evening after sunset. The announcement was made on Tuesday, but despite this yesterday again saw demonstrators calling on PA President Mahmoud Abbas to lift the sanctions on Gaza.  Palestinian security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to put down the demonstration.  According to witnesses, individuals whom protesters identified as members of the security forces and Fatah party supporters infiltrated the demonstrators.

Maariv and Israel Hayom report on the operation by soldiers from the special forces Unit 217 and the Shin Bet to apprehend Islam Yousef Abu Hamid, a 32-year-old resident of the Amari refugee camp in Ramallah, about a week ago.  Intelligence identified Abu Hamid as the person who threw a marble slab off a rooftop, resulting in the death of the Unit 217 Staff Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky three weeks ago.  Under questioning, Abu Hamid admitted that he had thrown the slab that hit Lubarsky and caused his death, and he even reenacted the incident. Lubarsky, aged 20, was the first soldier in the unit’s history to be killed by a terrorist during operational activity.   Maaariv also gives details of the arrest operation. According to the company commander: “We went to his house. When we got our hands on him, only then did he immediately realize that we got him. The troops worked quietly and skillfully, and the inhabitants of the refugee camp didn’t notice anything until we’d arrested him.” He also noted that, even in moments of satisfaction, such as after conducting the arrest, the troops fully uphold the standards of professionalism, and feel no pleasure and are not violent with the detainee. “We’re human beings, of course we have feelings, but we are professionals and that’s how we act. During an operation nobody shows feelings, we do everything according to how we drill and the orders we have, and we maintain fully professional standards.”

Channel 2 news reported a terror cell in possession of a kite attached to a firebomb that was intended to start a fire in Israeli territory made its way to the border fence near the Boureij refugee camp last night. A moment before they were able to send the kite aloft, they came under warning fire from IAF aircraft, which thwarted the planned attack.   They also reported on five more fires yesterday along the border as a result of the firebombs.  Kan radio news carries comments from the Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Tamir Heiman, who said that the kite terrorism in the Gaza periphery communities might look romantic, like something out of Mary Poppins, but the truth was different. He said these were terror attacks with explosives that were trying to hurt Israel.  Heiman also said that terrorism has declined substantially in recent years, particularly because of the successful war on ISIS. He said that most of ISIS has disappeared from Syrian territory, but warned that ISIS has not changed its agenda and was waiting to raise its flag once again.

Maariv also reports that Russia has sent messages to Israel that it should refrain from military operations in Syria during the World Cup.  According to military analyst Yoav Limor, “the Russians want to have peace in the world because they want us to deal with the World Cup and not with wars”.