Yesterday’s visit to Israel by US Secretary of State John Kerry is covered by the Times, Evening Standard and online editions of the Guardian and Telegraph. All say that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is running away from making tough decisions necessary to broker a peace deal. With peace talks three months into an agreed nine month timeframe, Kerry conceded that negotiations will inevitably fluctuate but said he remains optimistic that an accord can be agreed. The Independent includes a feature on a number of MKs on the right of the Likud Party who believe that peace talks will fail and favour an Israeli annexation of West Bank territory. The article includes criticism of their position by Labour MK Hilik Bar.

There is widespread coverage of a report published yesterday by Swiss toxicologists which concluded there is “moderate” support for the claim that former-PA President Yasser Arafat was killed by polonium poisoning in 2004. The story is covered by the Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Daily Mail, Independent i, Sun, Mirror, Daily Express, Metro and the Financial Times online. Writing in the Telegraph, David Blair argues Israel would have had little reason to kill Arafat, who was a weak and discredited figure at the time of his death. Nonetheless, Harriet Sherwood in the Guardian says that the revelations could worsen the atmosphere at Israeli-PA peace talks.

Yesterday’s acquittal of former-Israeli Foreign Minister and Yisrael Beitenu head Avigdor Lieberman on charges of fraud and breach of trust is covered by the Telegraph, Independent, Guardian, Independent i and online edition of the Financial Times. All report Lieberman is expected to return to office as Foreign Minister and some suggest that he may have ambitions to succeed Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister.

In advance of further talks between the P5+1 powers and Iran, which resume in Geneva today, the Independent and online editions of the Financial Times and Telegraph report a United States official has suggested Iran could be offered very limited, temporary and reversible sanctions relief in exchange for halting and reversing parts of its nuclear programme.

The Financial Times includes a detailed analysis of export options for Israel’s significant natural gas deposits in the Mediterranean Sea which are being rapidly developed.

This morning’s headlines in the Israeli media are dominated by yesterday’s acquittal of Avigdor Lieberman. It is the top story in Yediot Ahronot and Maariv, while Makor Rishon and Israel Hayom predict a swift return to office for Lieberman as Foreign Minister. The headline in Maariv focuses on the questions being asked of Israel’s legal establishment following yesterday’s verdict, with many critical of Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein for pursuing a case which was ultimately unanimously quashed by the judges. Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Sever Plocker says that the state prosecution mistakenly views “every senior figure, political or economic, as corrupt by virtue of their position.” Meanwhile, writing in Maariv, Eli Bardenstein outlines the political fallout from Lieberman’s return, predicting that he will attempt to claw back some of the powers and responsibilities lost to the foreign ministry over recent months to Yuval Steinitz’s International Relations Ministry and to an extent to Justice Minister Tzipi Livni who is Israel’s lead negotiator in peace talks.

Meanwhile, both Israel Hayom and Israel Radio news report that Israeli officials are concerned that P5+1 powers will agree an easing of sanctions on Iran, in return for a suspension of some nuclear activity. Israel Radio news quotes an unnamed official who said that such a deal was bad from Israel’s perspective.