The Telegraph covers lengthy talks between Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry, which took place yesterday in Rome, during which Netanyahu emphasised the dangers of an agreement between the international community and Iran under which Tehran only partially dismantles its nuclear capability.

Addressing strains in the US-Saudi relationship, a Telegraph editorial argues that although the Iranian nuclear threat and the chaos in Syria appear to be major points of contention, both issues would be much better addressed by both countries working together. In the Independent and Independent i, Robert Fisk says Iran and the fear of Shia Islam lies at the heart of the US-Saudi tension.

The Times online reports comments made yesterday by Israel’s Justice Minister and lead negotiator in current peace talks, Tzipi Livni, that stagnation of the peace process poses as great a danger to Israel as any military threat.

Both the Guardian online and the Telegraph online cover the victory of incumbent Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in Tuesday’s municipal election. Both frame Barkat as the Jerusalem’s secular candidate and emphasise that his opponent Moshe Leon was heavily backed by Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and supported by Shas head Aryeh Deri. The Women’s Life section of the Telegraph includes a feature on the Women of the Wall group, who have been campaigning for women’s prayer services at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

The online edition of the Telegraph says that the West is trying to salvage the possibility of convening a Geneva II conference between Syrian opposition leaders and the Assad regime next month, although prospects of doing so appear bleak. The Guardian online reports that the international team of experts sent to Syria to dismantle Assad’s chemical weapons stockpile are confident they are on course to meet the November deadline for destroying all equipment used in the production and mixing of such materials.

The Times online reports Egypt’s military rulers have proposed a bill to restrict protests in the country, outlawing the type of demonstrations which have taken place against the current administration over recent months.

In the Israeli media, the main focus is the fallout from this week’s municipal elections with an emphasis on Jerusalem, in which Nir Barkat was victorious. The front page story in Maariv claims that the defeat of Barkat’s rival Moshe Leon has led to a rift between Leon’s main backers Avigdor Lieberman and Aryeh Deri. Israel Hayom’s top item is an interview with Barkat in which he says there was an attempt to take over Jerusalem. Haaretz also deals with the Barkat-Leon race while Yediot Ahronot provides an overview of the results nationally.

All publications also report that Prime Minister Netanyahu met yesterday with John Kerry in Rome where their discussions focused on the Iranian nuclear threat and current peace talks. The Walla news website reports that Netanyahu’s special envoy to peace talks Yitzhak Molcho and National Security Advisor Yossi Cohen sat in on large parts of yesterday’s talks. Maariv covers Palestinian reports which claimed that Palestinian negotiators were present at times too, although this was unconfirmed.

Israel Radio news reports that the Turkel Committee which oversees major public appointments yesterday approved the appointment of Karnit Flug as the new Governor of the Bank of Israel. The cabinet must now ratify the decision on Sunday.