The Telegraph, the Daily Mail, ITV News and the Daily Express report that the Duke of Cambridge is to walk a personal and political tightrope during his trip to the Middle East this month. He will fit visits to his great-grandmother’s grave and his wife’s childhood home around meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. The Duke, who will travel without his wife and children, will meet political and religious leaders during ongoing tensions in the area, in the Royal family’s first official trip to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The five day trip will see him focus on amplifying the voices of youngsters, putting a “spotlight” on their ambitions, culture and hopes for the future. The visit will end with a trip to the Mount of Olives, where the Duke will visit the grave of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice. During his visit to Ramallah in the West Bank, the Duke will  attend events focusing on the “issues facing refugee communities” and providing “opportunities to celebrate Palestinian culture, music and food”. In Israel, alongside visits with Netanyahu and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, he will visit the Yad Vashem, World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, and will lay a wreath to commemorate the millions of Jews who died during the Second World War. The preliminary schedule, which does not include a visit to the religious sites at Temple Mount but sees the Duke learn more about the Old City of Jerusalem from a viewing point, may be updated closer to the time for logistical and security reasons.

The Guardian and the Daily Mail via AFP report that the shrinking Sea of Galilee is to be topped up with desalinated seawater. The Israeli cabinet approved plan will see 100 million cubic metres of water pumped annually into the lake in the Galilee region by 2022, said Yechezkel Lifshitz, from the country’s energy and water ministry. In 2017, Israel’s water authority said the sea, hit by years of drought, had reached its lowest level in a century. Known in Hebrew as Lake Kinneret, it covers an area of roughly 62 square miles (160 sq km). Ten years ago it provided 400m cubic metres a year of fresh water and was the country’s largest freshwater reserve. But a series of dry winters have reduced its level to such an extent that pumping had to be limited to 30-40m cubic metres a year. Israel has managed to escape water cuts through the use of five desalination plants built along the Mediterranean coast. Lifshitz said they supplied 670m cubic metres annually – 80 per cent of drinking water consumed by Israeli households. Lifshitz said that the long-term goal was to pump 1.1bn cubic metres per year by 2030, rising to 1.2bn when needed.

ESPN UK reports on the recently cancelled football match between the Argentinian and Israeli national teams. It’s unclear exactly who made the decision to cancel the match and why according to the report. News reports cited “at the players’ request” but sources close to Argentinian captain Lionel Messi were quoted as saying: “This was the AFA’s (Argentinian Football Association) call. Lionel doesn’t cancel matches…” According to one squad insider, the technical staff also distanced themselves from the incident. “We stayed well away from it all with our arms crossed and watched the whole thing crumble.” Publicly congratulated by Hamas, Argentina has now become the target of outraged Israeli reaction and “an object of international ridicule,” according to the report. It was reported that the Football Federation of Israel will demand FIFA expel the Argentine team from the 2018 World Cup in Russia due to alleged “religious discrimination.” But even if this doesn’t happen in the end, the fallout from the incident has already begun. Delicate negotiations with the company in charge of organising the now-cancelled friendly will ensue; money has been paid, tickets had been sold. Manager Jorge Sampaoli had made no secret that he was against this fixture in the first place but caved to pressure from AFA and the event organisers, who saw an opportunity for much-needed income.

BBC News Online reports that the UN’s Secretary General António Guterres has called for an investigation into deadly air strikes in Syria last week that were allegedly conducted by Russian jets. He expressed deep concern about Thursday’s attack on the rebel-held town of Zardana, which activists said killed at least 47 civilians. The dead included a rescuer who was allegedly targeted. Russia, which backs Syria’s government in the civil war, has said the reports have “nothing to do with reality”.

The Financial Times reports that Qatar said it has filed a case against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the International Court of Justice over alleged human rights violations, deepening a regional dispute. The UAE and Saudi Arabia led the boycott, cutting transport and diplomatic links with Qatar last June and ordered Qataris living in their countries to leave. The two governments also instructed their nationals residing in Qatar to depart the state. Qatar described the “unlawful” measures as “part of a campaign of political and economic coercion” that had “a devastating effect on the human rights of Qataris and residents of Qatar,” according to a government statement on Monday. Qatar argues that the UAE is in violation of its obligations under an international convention that prohibits racial and national discrimination.

The Daily Mail via AFP reports that Iran’s supreme leader has sought to clarify his position on Israel after being accused of threatening its destruction. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted by the official IRNA news agency late Sunday as saying the Middle East conflict should be resolved through a popular referendum among “all real Palestinians, including Muslims, Jews and Christians” who trace their roots back to before the creation of Israel.

The Daily Express reports that Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani has blasted Netanyahu as a “filthy Zionist,” moments after calling out US President Donald Trump for his “coarse political behaviour” for urging Brussels to scrap the EU Treaty. Larijani verbally attacked Netanyahu after accusing the Israeli Prime Minister of masterminding a plot to persuade Brussels to scrap the Iranian nuclear deal after Trump announced plans to discard it.

Yediot Ahronot reports what it calls a “controversial decision” by Kensington Palace to classify the Duke of Cambridge’s visit to sites that are situated in East Jerusalem as part of his official visit to the PA, this includes his visit to the Old City of Jerusalem. According to the paper, “The Prince will suffice during his visit to Israel with a visit to Yad Vashem and Tel Aviv only.”  When asked to comment on the decision to place the Prince’s visit to the Old City of Jerusalem under the rubric of his visit to the PA, a British Foreign Office spokesperson said: “East Jerusalem is not Israeli territory.”

The visit to Israel by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is also covered by all the papers.  Israel Hayom prominently covers the Chancellor’s comments that “Austria stands by Israel’s side” and concurring with the Israeli position that “Iran must leave Syria”.  Maariv also quotes Kurz, “We Austrians know that in light of our own history we have a special responsibility towards Israel and the Jewish people. I can assure you that Austria will fight all forms of antisemitism in Europe with determination, be it the still existing one or also new imported antisemitism. We also know that our responsibility does not end at our borders. We want to support the State of Israel and also your security needs—you mentioned that. You live in a dangerous neighbourhood, and your neighbors are not like ours—Lichtenstein or Switzerland. And so we understand the difference.”

Yediot Ahronot reports that this morning 15 families that live in the Netiv Haavot outpost in the Etzion Bloc will be evicted.  The assessment is that the eviction will not be met with violence and large-scale protests, as was the case in recent evictions in Amona and Ofra, thanks to agreements that were reached between the residents and military representatives. The residents are to be relocated on a plot of land that was legalised on their behalf, several hundred meters south of the settlement outpost. They will live on that site for roughly three years, in hope that in the interim the status of the land that Netiv Haavot sits on is legalised.

Haaretz reveals that the decision by Trump to pull his country out of the Iran nuclear deal has already caused widespread economic damage to Iranians.  According to intelligence assessments presented to Israeli leaders, the move is working better than expected and has been more severe than originally forecast.

All the newspapers cover the stabbing attack yesterday in Afula Yediot Ahronot and Maariv both refer to it as a “lone wolf terror attack”.

Both Israel Hayom and Maariv cover the latest developments in the effort to pass new legislation to enlist ultra-orthodox men into the IDF.   The committee examining the issue released its recommendations last night.  The committee set new enlistment targets and recommended a gradual annual increase of those who serve in the army. It also recommended imposing financial sanctions in the event of non-compliance with the targets, while also offering benefits for all ultra-orthodox who do serve.

Kan Radio News reported this morning that Netanyahu will be questioned again this morning in his residence, most likely on the Bezeq-Walla affair. At the same time, his wife Sara will be asked to give additional statements about the meals affair.