The BBC, Guardian, Reuters and the Independent report on the return of British student Matthew Hedges to the UK. The BBC reports that Hedges landed back at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday morning after receiving a pardon from the UAE. He said: “I could not have done this without Daniela. I hear her face is everywhere. She is so brave and strong, seeing her and my family after this ordeal is the best thing that could have happened.” Hedges, arrested at Dubai airport in May, said he was innocent and had been researching the country’s security strategy as part of his PhD studies at Durham University. The Independent reports that human rights groups are calling on the United Arab Emirates to release dozens of prisoners of conscience imprisoned in the country following the pardon of Hedges.  Following his release, Amnesty International has called for a renewed focus on other detainees held in the UAE, and a “far more robust position from the UK in defence of human rights across the entire Gulf region. Matthew’s ordeal is a reminder that the UAE is a deeply repressive country which ruthlessly suppresses free speech and peaceful criticism, and we should spare a thought for Emirati prisoners of conscience like Ahmed Mansoor or Mohammed al-Roken who aren’t getting a pardon today,” said Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK’s Director.

Reuters, the Telegraph and Bloomberg report on the continued international diplomatic fallout following the murder of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Reuters reports that Human Rights Watch has asked Argentina to use a war crimes clause in its constitution to investigate the role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in possible crimes against humanity in Yemen and the murder of Khashoggi. Argentina’s constitution recognises universal jurisdiction for war crimes and torture, meaning judicial authorities can investigate and prosecute those crimes no matter where they were committed. HRW’s Middle East and North Africa director Sarah Leah Whitson said the international rights group took the case to Argentina because Prince Mohammed, also known as MbS, will attend the opening of the G20 summit this week in Buenos Aires. The Telegraph reports that according to authorities on Monday, Turkish police have searched a Saudi businessman’s villa where prosecutors believe Saudi operatives may have hidden the dismembered corpse of Khashoggi. Investigators descended on the mansion and a neighbouring property in the province of Yalova, south of Istanbul. The villa reportedly belongs to Mohammed al-Fawzan, a Saudi businessman. Istanbul’s chief prosecutor said that on 1^st October, a day before Khashoggi’s death – a member of the 15-man Saudi hit squad called Mr al-Fawzan. Bloomberg reports that whilst the murder of Khashoggi has soured the world’s politicians on the once-feted Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, private capital turned against him long before that. Ever since dozens of royals and business chiefs were detained in November 2017 as part of a declared crackdown on corruption, a growing number of rich Saudis have been trying to move money out of the kingdom or draw up plans to leave, according to interviews with more than 10 people familiar with the matter. Saudis who stayed put are mostly parking their cash instead of increasing investments, adding to the headwinds buffeting the biggest Arab economy. Khashoggi’s killing has only intensified the trends, some of those interviewed claimed.

Reuters reports that British Trade Minister, Liam Fox is to visit Israel today (Tuesday 27^th) to discuss post-Brexit trade opportunities with major Israeli investors and tech-companies, according to his office. The trip will include a meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. Britain is seeking to replicate existing EU free trade agreements and EU preferential arrangements with third countries as it leaves the bloc, including the EU-Israel Association Agreement. “Ensuring continuity for our businesses is the best foundation for growing two-way UK-Israel trade and investment. The complementary nature of our economies in areas like science and technology … gives us an obvious opportunity,” Fox said in a statement ahead of the visit.

The Daily Mail reports that in Israel, Culture Minister, Miri Regev announced on Monday that the vote on a controversial culture bill that would cut government subsidies to cultural institutions deemed disloyal to the Jewish state was being postponed indefinitely. The bill, submitted by Regev, would give the finance and culture ministries the power to slash subsidies to institutions backing films or plays that do not show “loyalty” to the state. Such institutions would include those which deny Israel’s existence as a “democratic and Jewish state”, or those inciting violence, racism or “terrorism”.

The Financial Times reports that Turkey has accused unnamed actors of seeking to scupper a ceasefire deal with Russia that had brought relative calm to Syria’s last opposition stronghold, after an alleged chemical attack on territory held by the Assad regime. Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish Foreign Minister, told a press conference in Ankara on Monday: “There is international support for the Idlib memorandum that we signed with Russia but we also know that there are those who want to sabotage it.” After weeks of relative calm, the escalation in Syria’s north-west comes as Turkey, Russia and Iran, the main international powers in the Syrian conflict, prepare to meet for talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday. Diplomats view the Turkey-Russia deal as a means of delaying a potentially devastating assault on Idlib by pro-Assad forces. With some 3 million civilians and 60,000 opposition fighters trapped in the region, aid groups say an all-out attack would result in a humanitarian catastrophe on the Turkish border.

Yediot Ahronot leads on an extensive poll of European attitudes towards antisemitism carried out by CNN.  The poll interviewed more than 7,000 people across Europe, with more than 1,000 respondents each in Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland and Sweden. According to the poll, more than a quarter of Europeans surveyed believe Jews have too much influence in business and finance. Nearly one in four said Jews have too much influence in conflict and wars across the world. Meanwhile, a third of Europeans polled said they knew just a little or nothing at all about the Holocaust. The paper quotes Felix Klein, Germany’s federal government commissioner for Jewish life, “For combating antisemitism, it is fundamental to keep the memory of the Shoah alive and nurture a vivid culture of remembrance….On a European level, I am going to encourage other states to create national functions similar to mine. We have already started to fight antisemitism on the level of the EU, for example by calling for the member states to adopt the definition for antisemitism that the (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) has formulated.” American historian Deborah Lipstadt is also quoted, “While, given recent developments, this is not entirely surprising, it is disheartening. Stepping back from the specific findings of the study, it is imperative to note that antisemitism constitutes a conspiracy theory, i.e. an irrational evidence-free perspective that attributes to all Jews — irrespective of their location, status, age, nationality, world view — the same qualities and stereotypes. Antisemitism makes as much sense as attributing to all left-handed people or all blonds similar attributes and behaviours.”

All the papers report on Israeli coalition disagreements. Yesterday the ‘loyalty in culture’ bill was not put to a vote after Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon decided to give his party a free vote and MK Avigdor Lieberman said he would also not vote in favour unless the so-called ‘Gidon Saar’ bill was dropped. Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev called a press conference and accused Kahlon and Lieberman of “aiding terrorism.” Commenting in Yediot Ahronot, Yoaz Hendel writes, “There was one thing that Miri Regev was right about in her weird press conference: Kahlon does want elections. There is no reason in the world, as far as he is concerned, for Netanyahu to be able to select the date that he wants based on the mood at home, on the situation of the indictments and on his cost-benefit calculations… The thing is, Kahlon is not alone. Bennett, who lost the last round against Netanyahu, also wants elections… And both of them are trying to get elections held without being blamed for it… there are also several top Likud members who also want elections… I would not be surprised if behind Regev’s statements about election-seekers, she too wants elections… The conclusion: the list of election-seekers is so long that there is no chance that the government will survive.”

Yediot Ahronot and Maariv report on a car ramming terror attack yesterday in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem. Three IDF soldiers were lightly wounded after a vehicle rammed into a group of soldiers near the settlement of Karmei Tzur. The driver was shot and killed by an IDF reservist on duty. He was later identified as Ramzi Abu Yabes, a Palestinian man from Bethlehem’s Dheisheh Refugee Camp who worked as a nurse. The wounded soldiers were carrying out engineering work on the road between the Palestinian villages of Beit Ummar and El Arub at the time of the incident.

Haaretz reports on Czech President Milos Zeman’s visit to Israel where he met Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Rivlin and addressed the Knesset. Today Zeman will inaugurate the new Czech House cultural centre in Jerusalem. In the Knesset, he repeated a promise to work to move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem. Zeman told President Reuven Rivlin, “I was inspired by your idea about one state with two nations, Mr President, and I know this idea is provocative – any big and deep idea is provocative,” Zeman told Rivlin. “So I wonder what will be your argument for this idea. Because for many many decades there is a discussion about two independent states but frankly speaking I do not see an independent state in Gaza because I understand Hamas as a terrorist organisation and not as a state.”

Israel Hayom reports that the IDF Intelligence Directorate has launched an “After Action Review” to identify lessons from the operation that took place in Khan Yunis when a commando mission was exposed leading to the death of one IDF commander and seven Hamas gunmen.

Maariv reports that the family of the terrorist who murdered Ari Fuld was notified of the IDF’s intent to demolish the terrorist’s residence. They also report on another military operation in the West Bank to find illegal weapons, this time, in Al-Eizariya, east of Jerusalem where they seized an AK-47 and various weapon parts.