PM Olmert seeks UK, French support for sanctions against Iranian nuclear ambitions

The main item of Israel-related coverage in the UK media today is the visit by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Russia yesterday, and the Russian position regarding Iranian nuclear ambitions. In other stories, the Daily Telegraph has an opinion piece the Iranian nuclear programme and its influence on American foreign policy. The paper also notes a document produced by a Muslim group within the Conservative Party which criticizes the UK's relations with Israel, and assets Iran's ‘right' to nuclear arms. The Times looks into the results of US Secretary of State Rice's recent visit to the region, and discusses increasing support in America's religious right for Republican contender Rudy Giuliani. The Financial Times runs an opinion piece by an Israeli academic discussing the upcoming Annapolis meeting. The paper also notes remarks critical of UN anti-Israel bias by Republican contender Mitt Romney, and reports an accusation by a senior NATO commander in Afghanistan yesterday that Iran is supplying Taliban insurgents with sophisticated bombs capable of ripping through the armour plated vehicles used by international troops. The Scotsman notes that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cannot take foreign policy decisions alone and has recently been under growing popular criticism. The Jewish Chronicle, meanwhile, notes an anti-Israel tract included by the LSE Student Union in the pack given to new undergraduates. The Economist runs pieces on the recent Israeli raid in Syria, the ongoing role of Hamas in the West Bank, and Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iran. Prospect, meanwhile, notes joint Israeli-Palestinian projects in the private sector. BBC Online notes the absence of Hamas-controlled Gaza from the upcoming Annapolis meeting, and has a Q and A on the Iranian nuclear issue. 

In the Israeli media, all papers discuss Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's trip to Russia. Haaretz has an additional piece on signs of a UN desire to reverse an earlier decision and consider the disputed Shabaa farms area as part of Lebanon. The paper also notes the developing US relationship with the Lebanese army. The Jerusalem Post notes a statement by State Department official Nicholas Burns who is critical of what he calls the Security Council's ‘slowness' in increasing sanctions against Iran. The paper also notes that the final Winograd report on the Second Lebanon War will be issued before the end of the year. Ynetnews notes a statement by US Secretary of State Rice expressing understanding for Israeli fears concerning security issues vis-à-vis the Palestinians. Maariv notes that an Israeli navy boat patrolling the Gaza coast has been fired on with no casualties are reported.

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