The FT and the Telegraph report that Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca’s (AZ) share prices fell yesterday after the Israeli paper Calcalist reported that the companies Chief Executive, Pascal Soriot, is leaving to become  CEO of Israeli company Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Both AZ and Teva quickly dismissed the report as “market rumour”, but this did not stop AZ’s share price closing 3.5 per cent down, while Teva’s shares rose by almost 7 per cent in the late afternoon. The Times notes that Soriot’s departure now would be especially damaging for AZ, as the company is on the verge of releasing the trial data on its new cancer drug Mystic.

The Daily Mail reports that Toby Stephens and Lydia Leonard will portray on stage the Norwegian couple Terje Rod-Larsen and Mona Juul. Rod-Larsen and Juul facilitated the initial meetings between Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials that helped to kick-start the Oslo Peace Process. Previews of the play will start on September 5 on the London National Theatre’s Lyttelton stage

The Israeli print media continues to be dominated by developments in corruption investigations involving close associates of Prime Minister Netanyahu, whilst the broadcast media is dominated by reports of the shooting of three police officers at the Lions Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City.

The front page of Yediot Ahronot is dominated by an excerpt from a document submitted yesterday by the Israel Securities Authority to the courts detailing their allegations. The document alleges that Communications Ministry Director General Shlomo Filber passed classified ministry documents to telecoms company Bezeq – owned by Netanyahu associate Shaul Elovitch – which then submitted changes that were to the advantage of Bezeq. Filber is a political appointee of Prime Minister Netanyahu who was Communications Minister from 2015-2016.

Maariv splits its front page between this development and a report on the Case 3000 ‘submarine affair’ quoting officials stating that Netanyahu will be called to give evidence in the affair.

Israel Hayom also focusses on the allegations against Filber, as well as Netanyahu’s response that he is the subject of a “lynch”.

Haaretz leads its front page with a column from its political commentator Yossi Verter, asking whether the intensifying scrutiny of Netanyahu’s dealings and the election of Avi Gabbay as leader of the Labour party constitute “winds of change”, whilst inside the paper its senior defence correspondent Amos Harel reports that the full details of the submarine affair are only just beginning to emerge. The paper also reports on the extension of remand for key suspects in the Communications Ministry investigations, which now include Bezeq CEO Stella Handler.

In other news, Maariv reports on its front page a war of words that has already opened up between incoming Labour leader Avi Gabbay and Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid. Gabbay responded to Lapid’s charge by that he lacked experience by accusing Lapid of having “bad experience”.

The broadcasters report developments in the Communications Ministry affair, and the response of PM Netanyahu, given in an interview with Channel 20 yesterday evening, in which he said he was subject to a media campaign intended to remove him and bring “the rise of the left to power”, that he was sure the accusations would come to nothing, and that he personally was in no way involved.

The Jerusalem Post reports on its front page a meeting between Netanyahu and supporters from his Likud faction in which he urged them to defend him in the media.

Meanwhile the Jerusalem Post also features a deal signed between Israeli and Palestinian Authority ministers, brokered by US envoy Jason Greenblatt, related to the proposal to create a ‘Red Sea – Dead Sea Canal’, with desalination facilities that will provide new water resources for the PA in the West Bank.

The Times of Israel features online criticisms of PM Netanyahu over his mute response to a Hungarian poster campaign targeting US-Hungarian financier George Soros – interpreted by many as anti-Semitic – ahead of a three day visit Netanyahu is making to Hungary next week.