The Times reports on the Knesset’s preliminary approval of the controversial Regulation Bill, which if eventually passed into law, would retroactively legalise a number of West Bank outposts which were built on private Palestinian land. The article notes that the bill has been termed “national suicide” by opposition leader Isaac Herzog, while lawmakers on the right have heralded it as “a big step towards burying the two-state solution”.

An editorial in the Times expresses “deepest alarm at this [Regulation Bill] development” and urges Knesset members to “think again on this matter”. Although the bill faces three further Knesset votes before it could become law and is likely to face legal challenges, the editorial “suggests that now it is the moderate Palestinians who have no partner for peace”.

The Independent includes a feature on the Shaare Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem, where “Israeli and Arab doctors are working together to save lives” and where Jewish and Arab patients are treated alongside one another. It concludes that “if these same uncompromising principles were adopted by politicians on both sides, a solution to the [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict may realistically be reached”.

The Guardian reports that Israel this week refused entry to Isabel Phiri, Assistant General Secretary of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, on account of her work to encourage boycotts of Israel. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who ultimately oversees visa issues, is quoted saying that he has “no intention of lending a hand” to her activities.

The Guardian, Independent and i cover yesterday’s sudden overnight appearance of a gold statue of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a major Tel Aviv square. The sculpture, which attracted immediate attention, was the work of artist Itay Zalait, who said that the statue depicted “the situation we find ourselves in” and invited people to “topple Netanyahu”. The unauthorised statue was removed during the day.

Writing in the Times, Roger Boyes says that the common thread running through Donald Trump’s advisors is “a deep suspicion about the role of Iran as a regional destabiliser,” and that consequently “expect more sanctions for Iran-linked terror groups”.

The Guardian and Telegraph report that Prime Minister Theresa May will address the Gulf Cooperation Council today to tell regional leaders that the Iran nuclear deal is “vital” but that the UK is prepared to “confront state actors whose influence fuels instability”.

In the Israeli media, the top story in Yediot Ahronot is an apparent u-turn in the Defence Ministry’s position on the recent revelation that 4.5 per cent of the German company slated to construct new Israeli submarines, is owned by the Iranian government’s investment fund. Having previously said that it was unaware of the information, a Defence Ministry statement yesterday admitted the Iranian involvement in the German company since 2004. Israel Hayom emphasises Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s assertion that nonetheless, Iran did not have access to any sensitive information regarding Israel’s submarines.

Writing in Maariv, Ben Caspit asks: “How does all this fit in with Benjamin Netanyahu’‎s fiery speeches about Iran, with the resounding warnings that no one should do business with the ayatollahs, with the pose of the admonisher and moral benchmark of the entire world? It doesn’‎t really fit.”

The main story in Maariv is the State Comptroller’s report on civil defences published yesterday, which said that the home front is not adequately prepared for the kind of large-scale and sustained missile attack which it may face during a future conflict.

Israel Radio news covers a report in French daily Le Figaro, which claims that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas is prepared to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following an international peace conference which France intends to host later this month. The conference will not involve Israeli and PA officials, but Paris intends to invite both leaderships to hear its results.