BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, BBC News Online, the Sun, the Daily Mail, the Evening Standard, the Telegraph, the Mirror, the Times, the Guardian, the Independent and the Financial Times report that the Israeli police have recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges. A police statement said there was enough evidence to indict Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two separate cases. Speaking on Israeli television, Netanyahu said the allegations were baseless and that he would continue as Prime Minister. The allegations, he said, “will end with nothing”. The gifts included champagne and cigars, and were given in exchange for help getting businessman Arnon Milchan a US visa. A final decision on whether Netanyahu should face charges will come down to the attorney general’s office.

BBC News Online reports Netanyahu’s response after police said he should be charged over alleged bribery cases. Speaking on Israeli television, he branded the allegations “baseless” and pledged to continue as leader. Netanyahu said he was certain that the truth would be revealed. “I will continue to lead Israel responsibly and faithfully for as long as you, the citizens of Israel, choose me to lead you,” he said soon after the allegations came to light on Tuesday. “I am certain that at the next elections, which will be held on schedule, I will earn your trust again, with God’s help.”

The Daily Mail via AP, BBC Online, the Guardian, the Times, the Independent, and the Telegraph report that Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi who was filmed slapping and kicking two soldiers outside her home appeared before an Israeli military court to face various charges including assaulting security forces, incitement and throwing stones. The judge ordered a closed-door hearing and ejected a large group of journalists who had gathered at the Ofer military base, despite a request by Tamimi’s lawyer for the media to be able to observe proceedings. Tamimi’s supporters say the incident in December occurred soon after she discovered Israeli troops had seriously wounded her 15-year-old cousin, who was shot in the head with a rubber bullet during a stone-throwing clash. After the prosecution read out the indictment, her trial was adjourned until 11 March.

The Daily Mail reports the Syrian regime has warned Israel that it can expect “further surprises” if it launches more attacks on Syrian soil after one of its jets was shot down on Saturday. Assistant Foreign Minister Ayman Sussan said his country is more than capable of ‘confronting attacks’ despite being wracked by civil war. Sussan spoke after Syrian anti-aircraft fire downed an Israeli F-16 fighter jet as it returned from a bombing raid on Iranian-backed positions in Syria early on Saturday.

The Daily Express reports that Israel has warned it will “bite hard” anyone without limitations to “defend its interests” amid tensions with both Iran and Syria after recent strikes and the downing of an Israeli fighter jet.

The Daily Mail reports that Iran has unveiled a ballistic missile reportedly capable of carrying nuclear warheads and with a sufficient range to reach Israel or US military bases in the Gulf. The Qadr H missile was put on display during military parades held in the capital Tehran this weekend to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The Daily Mail via AFP reports that Turkey on Tuesday blasted accusations by Israel it had helped the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas to gain in military strength as “incompatible with reality,” following the arrest and deportation of a Turkish citizen. According to the Israeli authorities, Turkish national Cemil Tekeli was arrested in January on suspicion of aiding Hamas through business platforms that launder funds and later deported. The Shin Bet intelligence agency said the investigation into Tekeli had shown that Turkey contributes to the military strengthening of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it rejected the allegations, describing the claim as “incompatible with reality and lacking in seriousness”.

BBC News online reports that Virgin Atlantic has found itself at the centre of a social media row after removing the word Palestinian from an in-flight meal following complaints. A couscous-style salad had been described on a menu as “inspired by the flavours of Palestine”. Pro-Israel social media users called for a boycott of the airline, saying it pandered to Palestinian supporters. However, the airline’s decision to remove the title sparked a fresh backlash from Palestinian sympathisers.

The Daily Mail via AFP reports that new World Health Organization (WHO) figures showed 54 Palestinians died waiting for Israeli visas to travel for medical treatment last year, with only around half of all applications granted. Human rights activists called the Israeli permit system an overly bureaucratic system which deprives Palestinians of their right to healthcare. The WHO said it did not have a directly comparable figure for 2016, but Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said it had recorded only a couple per annum in previous years. Israel argues rigorous checks are necessary for security reasons for those coming from the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian enclave ruled by its Islamist enemy Hamas.

The Daily Mail via AP reports that a Tunisian legislator has ripped up an Israeli flag during a parliament session to push his demands for a law criminalising relations with Israel. A left-wing opposition coalition proposed a bill making it a crime to “normalise” relations with Israel, but the debate has been indefinitely delayed because parliament officials did not see at as a priority. Tunisia’s president has played down the proposed law. Opposition lawmaker Ammar Amroussia tore the flag Tuesday to protest the delay, in images shown on national television. Moderate Islamist party Ennahdha, part of the governing coalition, warned such a law could hurt Tunisia’s relations with Western nations and international organisations.

The Israeli media is dominated by the police recommendations to charge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Yediot Ahronot’s lead headline is ‘Bribery’, Maariv declares ‘Police: Netanyahu took bribes’ adding in another headline that Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid is the key witness in Case 1000; Haaretz lead with ‘Police: Evidence that Netanyahu took bribes in two affairs and acted against state interests’ and Israel Hayom lead with ‘Police Recommendations: Bribe-taking; Netanyahu: There’s Nothing’.

Kan Radio News reports on the political reactions to the news that Yair Lapid will likely be a witness for the prosecution against the Prime Minister if a decision is made by the attorney general to indict. Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman of the ultra-Orthodox UTJ party said that Lapid’s shame had been revealed whilst Likud ministers Yariv Levin and Miri Regev strongly criticised Lapid’s role in the investigation. Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay said that the Netanyahu era was over.

Times of Israel reports that Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon has vowed not to abandon the Prime Minister despite police recommendations, saying that “only the attorney general can decide to file an indictment”.

In the commentary, Haaretz’s Aluf Benn writes “with the police’s recommendations to indict Benjamin Netanyahu for bribery, the Prime Minister begins the countdown to the end of his political life”.

Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Nahum Barnea argues that “the Prime Minister must suspend himself until the attorney general makes a decision about an indictment,” adding that Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Noni Mozes must give up his powers as the responsible editor during that same period of time. Also in Yedioth Ahronot, Sima Kadmon writes that “even the skeptics among us, those who believe that there is no pitfall from which Netanyahu cannot extricate himself, have understood since last night that this is the beginning of the end. Despite Netanyahu’s assurances that he would run in the next elections as well, which would be held on schedule, it is doubtful whether deep down inside he believes this. He understands that even among his avowed supporters there will not be many who will buy the version that he tried to sell last night, according to which the police, headed by Roni Alsheich, are plotting to unseat him”.

Commenting in Ma’ariv, Professor Suzie Navot writes that “the road to an indictment, if there is one, is still long. That said, it must be remembered that the investigation of Netanyahu was overseen throughout by attorneys from the State Attorney’s Office, under the supervision of the police commissioner, the attorney general and the state attorney, which is definitely significant. Two main considerations will guide the attorney general when deciding whether to indict the Prime Minister. The first – is the evidence sufficient for an indictment? The second consideration – is this a matter of “public interest,” although in this case, this does not pose a difficulty because the case is about the Prime Minister and the question of his indictment is a matter of public interest.

In other news, Kan Radio News also reported that the Knesset last night passed in its first reading the state budget and the arrangements bill for next year

Haaretz reports that as Palestinian Teenager Ahed Tamimi’s trial begins, reporters have been excluded from the proceedings.