The Independent reports on comments made by Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, in which he called on Israel to make the “conscious decision” of advancing peace with the Palestinians. He warned that if such a decision were not taken, Israel would be “engulfed in a sea of hatred in a region of turmoil”.

Another item in the Independent reports that a 13-year-old Palestinian girl was shot and injured in the leg by Israeli soldiers at the Eliyahu checkpoint in the West Bank after she refused to stop advancing on troops. She was repeatedly warned to halt and procedures were followed with shots first fired in the air. The girl was found to be unarmed, but reportedly told investigators that “I came to die”.

The Independent also reports that the remains of two Ottoman-era buildings from approximately 500 years ago have been discovered on the beach of the Israeli city of Ashkelon. It is rare evidence of organised life on this particular stretch of coast line from the period.

The Guardian online covers the “growing relevance of women in Jordanian politics,” with 20 women having been elected to parliament in this week’s election out of a total of 130 MPs. The vote included the largest number of female candidates ever in a Jordanian parliamentary election.

The online editions of the Guardian, Times and Telegraph and the Independent report that the Syrian army has announced a major new offensive in opposition-held Eastern Aleppo, signalling the collapse of the country’s ceasefire. The Times online reports that Syrian and Russian planes have already dropped barrel and incendiary bombs in the area, describing it as “the heaviest bombardment in months”.

In the Israeli media, the top story in Yediot Ahronot, Maariv, Haaretz and Israel Hayom is yesterday’s speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly. Maariv and Israel Hayom focus on Netanyahu’s invitation during the speech to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to address the Knesset. Israel Radio news reports that PA officials said that Netanyahu’s invitation was not serious and merely a public relations stunt.

Meanwhile, Haaretz and Yediot Ahronot highlight Netanyahu’s criticism of the UN itself as an institution which is inherently biased against Israel. However, they report that Netanyahu spoke of changing attitudes towards Israel in which countries, which have been traditionally hostile towards Israel, including Arab states, are increasingly regarding Israel as a country with common interests and a potential partner.

In commentary on Netanyahu’s speech at the UN, Ben Caspit in Maariv says: “On one hand he waxed lyrical about the wonders of Israel, its developing ties, its rising status. On the other hand he spoke frighteningly about the dangers and the threats frequently facing it.”

Meanwhile, in Yediot Ahronot, Yoaz Hendel says that Netanyahu’s speech was intended largely for internal consumption. He assesses: “The right wing thinks he’‎s lying about his interest in two states… and the left wing is certain that he doesn’‎t mean what he says”.

In other news, Yediot Ahronot and Israel Radio news prominently report on controversy at the Ophir Awards ceremony, which is the Israeli film industry’s top annual gathering. Culture Minister Miri Regev walked out when a song was performed with lyrics by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who was highly critical of Israel. She returned later to deliver a speech during which she was booed by sections of the audience.