BBC News Online, the Daily Mail, the Sun, the Times, the London Evening Standard, ITV News, the Mirror and the Daily Express report on the announcement of the date of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge’s visit to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. His five day trip will begin in Amman, the capital of Jordan, on Sunday 24 June and end in Jerusalem. He will also visit the Jordanian city of Jerash, Tel Aviv in Israel and the Palestinian city of Ramallah. It will be the first official tour of Israel or the Palestinian areas by a member of the Royal Family on behalf of the British government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would be “an historic visit, the first of its kind”. He said the prince would be welcomed “with great affection”. Based on research from BICOM, the Sun, Times and the Mirror report that all three of the previous British princes to go to Jerusalem got an identical tattoo, prompting demands for William to follow suit. BICOM CEO James Sorene told the Sun: “It’s no wonder that Israel is eagerly awaiting Prince William’s visit – the last official royal visit to the area was in 1882. In the Middle Ages the royals fought in the crusades, in the 1800s princes came on a Thomas Cook package tour to explore, dine in style and get tattoos. If the Duke of Cambridge wanted to carry on the tattoo tradition, the Jerusalem tattoo parlour used by his predecessors is still in business and available!”

The Financial Times reports that Saad Hariri secured a third term as Lebanon’s Prime Minister on Thursday after he won the backing of the majority of parliamentarians to retain the post. Hariri now faces the daunting task of leading Lebanon at a time of increasing regional tension and when the economy is struggling. A long-time ally of Saudi Arabia, he sent shockwaves through his nation after announcing his resignation while on a visit to the powerful Gulf kingdom in November, which he initially blamed on Iranian meddling in the region. He revoked his resignation a month later, but the affair appeared to have weakened Saudi support for Hariri. Lebanese leaders accused Riyadh of holding Hariri against his will in the kingdom and forcing him to resign, charges that Saudi Arabia denied.

The Financial Times reports that French President Emmanuel Macron will press his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to help de-escalate tensions in the Middle East at a meeting on Thursday as the French President spearheads EU efforts to salvage the nuclear accord with Iran following the US withdrawal. Macron will urge Putin to support his plan for negotiating a more comprehensive agreement with Tehran than the one it struck with the US, France, Germany, the UK, Russia and China in 2015, which curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions until 2025.

The Times reports that the US could recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights within a year, Israel’s according to Israel’s intelligence minister. Yisrael Katz said the endorsement of his country’s hold on the area, captured in the Six Day War of 1967, was “topping the agenda” of bilateral talks with the US. Katz said it was the “perfect time” for the US to recognise the Golan, as it would send a strong message to Iran.

The Telegraph and the Daily Express report that a dozen pro-regime Syrian fighters were killed in an air strike on army positions a monitor said Thursday, claiming the attack was carried out by the US-led coalition. The Pentagon denied the report. Syrian state media reported the overnight air raid in an area where both the regime and coalition have been battling holdout jihadists, but said it only caused material damage.

The Sun and the Daily Mail report that speculation over billionaire Roman Abramovich’s visa delay is growing amid rumours he is ditching Britain to move to Israel. Israel Hayom newspaper reported Abramovich was building a “huge house” in Israel and was due to arrive in the country today. But both countries have moved quickly to deny the claims, as tensions between the Russia and the UK continues to grow in the wake of the Salisbury nerve agent attack on 4 March. Journalist Zvika Klein tweeted today that Abramovich had “not yet begun the process of immigration” in Israel.

The Daily Mail reports that an Israeli firm has carried out the first simulated mission using a self flying helicopter designed to fly casualties off the battlefield. The mission, for the IDF, saw an “injured” mannequin loaded onto the $14 million Cormorant UAV, and monitored remotely using sensors and a video link during the flight.

The Guardian reports that Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has said it has removed an eight-month-old baby from a list of people killed by Israeli troops while authorities investigate to determine the cause of death. The ministry announced last week that Leila al-Ghandour died from teargas inhalation during a 14 May demonstration along the frontier, where it said Israeli fire killed more than 60 people. A doctor was later anonymously cited by the Associated Press as saying the infant had a pre-existing medical condition and that he did not believe teargas caused her death. Ministry spokesperson Dr Ashraf al-Qidra said an investigation was now being carried out by the justice ministry. “Leila al-Ghandour is not listed among the martyrs, because we are still waiting for the report,” he said.

The Daily Mail reports that Israeli border police have arrested a man who was deliberately trying to get caught so he could disperse six phones to prison inmates – by hiding them in his bottom. The man, described by Israeli police as an Arab, was trying to scale a security fence surrounding Jerusalem and placed into custody. But just minutes before he was banged up with the other inmates in the Ofer security prison, a body search revealed he had stored six phones internally.

The Daily Mail via AFP reports that Israel said Thursday it will give final approval to the construction of 2,500 new homes in the West Bank, the first tranche of settlements since the controversial US embassy move to Jerusalem. The announcement was slammed by the Palestinians, as prospects of a peace accord between the sides appeared as distant as ever. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced his intention to request final approval from a planning committee for the building of 2,500 new homes in 30 West Bank settlements.

The Daily Mail via AP reports that Israel called on the European Union on Friday to halt funding to more than a dozen European and Palestinian non-governmental organizations that it says promote boycotts against Israel, saying the financial support violates the EU’s stated policy that it opposes boycotts against the Jewish state. Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry published a report with a list of groups that it says receive EU funding and call for boycotts against Israel. It said some of the groups had links to militant groups while receiving EU money.

In the Israeli media, Yediot Ahronot, Israel Hayom and Maariv all prominently cover the incident in al-Am’ari where an IDF soldier had a marble slab dropped on his head during an operation to arrest suspects from an earlier shooting attack. The soldier was a member of the Duvdevan – Cherry, an elite IDF commando unit.   The papers all choose the same headline, “Duvdevan soldier fighting for his life”.   Haaretz also adds IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis noting that the number of terrorist attacks and attempts to carry out attacks has increased during the month of the Ramadan.

Yediot Ahronot leads with an image of the fortified bunker just outside Jerusalem that will be the new venue for security cabinet meetings.  The underground structure can withstand an earthquake or a nuclear attack.

Maariv leads on reports in the Syrian media that Israel destroyed an Iranian missile base last night near Homs. This morning, Kan radio news reported that according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israel fired six missiles at the military airfield near Homs targeting Hezbollah posts and arsenals. According to the Iranian network Al-Alam Israeli fighter jets fired two missiles from Lebanese territory and that Syrian aerial defence systems had intercepted one of them.

Maariv and Haaretz follows Defence Minister Lieberman’s announcement yesterday that he was planning to submit to the Supreme Planning and Construction Committee in Judea and Samaria plans for the immediate construction of 2,500 housing units and another 1,400 housing units to be put through the various stages of planning in more than 30 settlements. The planned construction of housing units includes: 400 in Ariel, 460 in Maale Adumim, 45 in Maale Ephraim, 150 in Kiryat Arba, 40 in Alfei Menashe, 130 in Avnei Hefetz, 80 in Hinanit, 60 in Halamish, 180 in Talmon, 170 in Neve Daniel, 60 in Kfar Etzion and 140 in Tene Omarim.

Israel Hayom includes an exclusive report on boycott funding from the EU.  According to a report prepared by the Strategic Affairs and Public Information Ministry, which is headed by Minister Gilad Erdan, the European Union gave organisations working to delegitimise and boycott Israel more than five million Euros.  According to report “The review gives rise to concern that the European taxpayer’s money finds its way to people [or organisations] that maintain ties with terror organizations.” For example, one of the organisations that declared that it receives direct funding from the European Union is the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) organisation. According to its own reports, it received 1.76m Euros in financial aid from the European Union. In the course of that same year the NPA published a report in which it called on financial institutions to divest from companies that operate in Israel.

Kan radio news reports that the Israeli High Court of Justice unanimously denied the petitions against the rules of engagement for IDF troops operating on the border with the Gaza Strip. It ruled that the State of Israel was not only entitled to fight against terrorist groups trying to exploit the rules to hurt its citizens and soldiers, but that it was obligated to do so. However, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut said that the ruling was not meant to replace proceedings for clarification and investigations, for gathering all the requisite information, and for gaining a complete factual picture.

All the papers report on the State Attorney’s Office announcement yesterday that Welfare Minister Haim Katz would be prosecuted on charges of bribery, aggravated fraud, and breach of trust, further to a hearing.  Haaretz and Yediot Ahronot  quote the State Attorney’s Office, who said: “Minister Haim Katz concealed his personal and business relationship with the financial market investor Mordechai Ben Ari. He acted in a conflict of interest between his public job and his private interests.”  Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit informed Katz that he is considering indicting him, pending a hearing.