This morning’s Daily Telegraph, Independent i and the online edition of the Guardian report that contractors have been invited by an Israeli government planning committee to submit bids for the construction of 942 housing units in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Gilo. However, the Independent i notes that the process of awarding such a contract can take many months if not longer. This latest development comes after approval was given during the last two weeks by the Interior Ministry and the Jerusalem Municipality for the planning of several housing projects in other East Jerusalem neighbourhoods.

Meanwhile, the Guardian online covers the approval given by Israel’s military to grant full university status to the Ariel University Centre of Samaria, situated in the large settlement bloc of Ariel in the West Bank.  Although the Israeli government first voted in favour of the upgrade as far back as 2005, Israel’s Council of Higher Education only approved it earlier this year. The article notes opposition to the upgrade from Israel’s other universities. The Times reports that former Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman may face an additional and more serious charge following his indictment for fraud and breach of trust earlier this month in a case involving the receipt of illicit information from Israel’s former ambassador to Belarus. Investigators have questioned witnesses and Lieberman himself this week and are reportedly considering bringing an extra charge of bribery. If found guilty of such an offence, Lieberman would be barred from ministerial office for seven years.

The Independent and its sister publication Independent i report that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the Jewish Agency, a national institution which fosters relations between Israel and Jewish communities across the world, to draw up proposals for facilitating women’s prayer groups at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Women’s groups have recently challenged the status quo which prohibits women at the Wall from publicly praying with ritual prayer shawls and Torah scrolls, considered the preserve of men’s prayer in much of Orthodox Judaism.

Elsewhere in the region, the online editions of the Times, Telegraph, Financial Times and Independent report on the defection of Syria’s military police chief from the regime of President Assad. Speaking from Turkey, Gen Abdul-Aziz Jassem al-Shallal said that Syrian troops are “destroying cities and villages and committing massacres.”

In the Israeli media today, Yediot Ahronot and Israel Hayom report on suggestions in the Arab media that Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Jordan’s King Abdullah in the country’s capital Amman, to share assessments of the situation in Syria and the potential scenarios involving Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. Meanwhile, Maariv focuses on the possibility that the country’s prosecution may revise the indictment against former-foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, to include the more serious charge of bribery in addition to fraud and breach of trust, after initial investigations indicated that he was more deeply involved in the career progression of Israel’s former ambassador to Belarus than first thought.

There is plenty of speculation this morning over the composition of the next Israeli government, following January’s election. Haaretz reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu has no intention of offering the role of foreign minister to Hatnuah leader Tzipi Livni, while Yediot Ahronot and Haaretz both say that Avigdor Lieberman intends for Yisrael Beitenu to take control of the Interior and Housing Ministries, which are currently controlled by ministers representing Shas.

Israel Radio News reports this morning that Israel will allow private constructors to import building materials into the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning for the first time since 2007, when private building imports were stopped due to fears that such materials could be used to manufacture rockets. The easing of restrictions comes with southern Israel having enjoyed a period of relative quiet since the conclusion of Operation Pillar of Defence.

Meanwhile, all dailies report on a deadly fire which broke out yesterday at a spa in Herzliya killing one person and injuring six others.