PM Olmert, PA Chairman Abbas due to meet today

The Times, the Guardian and the Scotsman today have pieces noting remarks by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in support of increased sanctions against Iran. The Daily Express, Sun Online and the Daily Mail, meanwhile, report on a BBC presenter's reactions when she discovered that relatives of hers had been killed in the Holocaust. The Daily Telegraph and the Scotsman note controversial remarks by a senior rabbi in Israel that non-religious Israeli soldiers are more likely to be killed in wars. The Daily Telegraph marks captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit's 2^nd birthday spent as a hostage in Gaza.

Over the bank holiday weekend, the Independent on Sunday quoted from an interview with the Hamas representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, in which he sought to justify his movement's suicide bombings of Israeli buses and reaffirmed Hamas's intention of destroying Israel. The Financial Times on Monday reported on Israeli aid to Greece after the recent large fires in the country. The Sunday Telegraph, meanwhile, reported on the torture of prisoners in Hamas-run jails in Gaza and dissatisfaction with Hamas treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, while the Times on Monday noted journalists' protests at Hamas pressure on the media in Gaza. The Daily Telegraph on Monday noted growing Palestinian support for the Islamist Hizb ut Tahrir party. The Observer looked at Hamas's al-Aqsa television station. The Times, the Daily Mirror and the Sun on Monday noted the Iranian threat to use a new 900lb ‘smart' bomb against enemies "when the time comes". The Financial Times on Saturday reported on a fresh wave of Egyptian government crackdowns against the main opposition movement, the Muslim Brotherhood. The Sunday Times, meanwhile, noted a ‘workout for the mind' programme developed by Israeli scientists. BBC Online on Saturday noted the deaths of Palestinians in clashes with Israel in Gaza. The online news source also spoke to Michael Williams, the UN envoy in the Middle East. The Guardian on Saturday reported on civilians fleeing from the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in north Lebanon, where Palestinian Islamists are battling with the armed forces. The paper also profiled Palestinian writer and activist Raja Shehade. BBC Online on Monday noted controversial remarks by a senior rabbi in Israel that non-religious Israeli soldiers are more likely to be killed in wars. The Independent on Saturday carried a letter arguing that the analogy of comparing Hamas with the IRA is misconceived.

In the Israeli media, all papers note the planned PM Olmert/PA Chairman Abbas summit today. Haaretz reports that Chairman Abbas has expressed concern that the planned upcoming international peace conference this autumn would be a "waste of time" if it deals only with a "declaration of principles." The paper also notes refusal by a Hamas newspaper to print a birthday greeting for captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit today, because it considers that this would represent ‘cooperation' with Israel. Haaretz additionally has a piece on Israeli Education Minister Yuli Tamir's stated desire for dialogue with the ultra-orthodox community in Israel on questions of education. The Jerusalem Post, meanwhile, has an exclusive on Israeli concerns that Iran may transfer a Russian-made anti-ship missile to Hezbollah. The paper also has an article on optimism following the rescue by PA forces of an IDF officer trapped in Jenin yesterday. Ynetnews notes the PA's crackdown on Hamas-affiliated groups in the West Bank, as well as the difficult financial situation of Israel's Labour party. In the Hebrew-language press, Maariv reports on Gilad Shalit's birthday, as well as Israeli aid to Greece following the recent fires in that country. The paper also notes plans to create two additional IDF infantry brigades.

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