The Telegraph, Times, Independent i and the online edition of the Guardian all report that United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yesterday confirmed that the Palestinian application to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) will be accepted and come into effect on 1 April. Although this will open the door for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to bring war crimes suits against Israelis, the Times notes that it will also enable cases to be filed against Palestinians. The same article also explains that complaints can only be filed against Israelis in cases which have not been dealt with sufficiently by Israel’s legal system.

The inclement weather conditions in the region are covered by the Guardian online, which notes that schools were closed in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel yesterday. The report also says that the Palestinian Authority (PA) declared a state of emergency in Gaza and parts of the West Bank due to the severe storm while there are fears over the safety of Syrian refugees located in makeshift camps, a point also emphasised by the Times online.

The Telegraph online includes a feature item on tensions surrounding prayer rights at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The site, which is holy to both Jews and Muslims has become a focal point for conflict during the past several months, with Palestinians accusing Israel of attempting to alter the status quo which bars Jews from praying there. Israeli leaders have repeatedly denied the accusation. The tension though has helped fuel a spate of violence in Jerusalem which has seen several Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians.

In the Independent and Independent i, Kim Sengupta continues to follow the fate of Palestinians whom he encountered or whose stories he covered in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge. He says that the relatives of four boys who were killed on a Gaza beach by an Israeli shell, have since suffered further tragedy as they died at sea attempting to escape to a new life in Europe.

The Guardian online says that a leaked report shows that the international watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has concluded with a “high degree of confidence” that chlorine bombs were used last year in attacks on three Syrian villages, killing at least 13 people. Although the report doesn’t explicitly name the Assad regime, government forces are assumed to have launched the attacks.

The Independent i covers comments made by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who said that the United States cannot be trusted and will only make further demands if Iran agrees to curb its uranium enrichment. Khamenei instead called for an “economy of resistance.”

In the Israeli media, the terror attack in Paris yesterday targeting a French satirical weekly is the top story in Haaretz, Israel Hayom and Yediot Ahronot which calls it “terror against freedom of expression.” There is also significant commentary on the terror attack, with Sever Plocker in Yediot Ahronot calling it part of “a war of civilizations and not just another intimidation campaign by a gang.” Also in Yediot Ahronot, Ben-Dror Yemini grimly predicts that, “Yesterday’s murder in Paris should become a milestone in the war against Muslim terror. It will not be, because the Western world is not ready, physically and mentally, to fight the enemies that wish to destroy it.” Meanwhile, Israel Radio news covers a letter of condolence sent by Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin to his French counterpart in the wake of yesterday’s shooting.

The other major item this morning is the serious storm which struck Israel yesterday, but which was not yet as severe as expected. It is a prominent story in Yediot Ahronot, Maariv, Haaretz and Israel Hayom. Snow fell in Jerusalem and in the north of the country and as Israel Hayom notes, 17,000 families were left without electricity. However, the inclement weather is expected to continue today and could deteriorate further.