Israeli Labour party to hold second round of voting between Barak and Ayalon

In the UK and international media today, most papers report on yesterday's Israeli Labour Party primaries where early results showed a loss for current Chairman Amir Peretz and an expected second round of voting to take place between former prime minister Ehud Barak and MK Ami Ayalon. Meanwhile, the Scotsman notes that an Al-Jazzeera cameraman jailed at Guantanamo Bay has appealed for the release of abducted BBC correspondent Alan Johnston in Gaza.

Over the long weekend, several papers carried pieces on the situation in the Lebanese refugee town of Nahr al-Bared and the ongoing fighting between armed Islamic groups and the Lebanese army. The Financial Times and Reuters on Monday noted that Palestinian leaders have met in order to try and negotiate an end to the violence between Islamic Palestinian groups and the Lebanese army in Lebanon. The Sunday Telegraph reported that a Qassam rocket killed another Israeli civilian in the southern town of Sderot on Sunday, which is the second Israeli fatality from rocket attacks within a week. Meanwhile, several papers reported over the weekend that Israeli aircrafts struck at targets in Gaza and the arrest of another Hamas cabinet minister in the West Bank in response to the 225 Qassam rockets that have been fired by Palestinian terror groups over the past 11 days. The Sunday Times reported that according to a Palestinian government official, BBC correspondent Alan Johnston is alive and well in Gaza and could be released "very soon". The Guardian on Monday analysed the possibilities for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government if the new Labour Party chairman decides to pull out of the government. The Times on Saturday runs a piece on the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Jaffa. The Independent on Saturday carried two pieces on the 1967 Six Day War, which marks its 40^th Anniversary on June 5. The Financial Times on Sunday noted that the EU has renewed its mandate for a monitoring force at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. Meanwhile, BBC Online on Monday ran a piece on the situation of the Palestinian peace camp.

In the Israeli press, all papers note that former prime minister Ehud Barak won the first round of the Labour Party primaries that were held yesterday. A run-off between Barak and MK Ami Ayalon for the Labour leadership will take place on 12 June. The papers also report that yesterday PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas appealed to armed Palestinian groups to halt their attacks on Israel and support his plan for renewing a ceasefire. Several papers note that yesterday in Ramallah, the IDF arrested a wanted Palestinian terrorist, Khaled Shawish, who was involved in numerous shooting and terror attacks against Israel over the past 7 years. In other news, the papers note that PM Olmert expressed his support for Vice Premier Shimon Peres to become the next President of Israel. Haaretz reports that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met with UK Ambassador to Israel Tom Phillips and expressed her dissatisfaction over the reported planned boycott of Israel by some UK groups. Haaretz and Ynetnews notes that at least ten Qassam rockets were fired into the Western Negev yesterday.

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