The Times and online edition of the Telegraph report that a Salafi group with ideological links to al-Qaeda, called the Mujahideen Shura Council has said three Palestinian terror suspects killed in a West Bank shoot-out with Israeli troops last week belonged to its organisation. Israeli officials said last week the three suspects were part of a “Salafi-jihadist” cell in the West Bank, preparing to carry out a terror attack on Israeli and Palestinian Authority (PA) targets. The group condemned yesterday the current peace talks between Israel and the PA, calling it “collaboration.”

The Times says PA officials are preparing to apply for membership of up to 16 United Nations (UN) agencies in April, should the peace talks fail to result in agreement. The agencies apparently include the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and would place the United States in a difficult position, as Congressional law currently mandates that the US withdraw funding from UN agencies which permit Palestinian membership.

The Guardian reports Hamas has cancelled an annual rally in the Gaza Strip, due to the economic difficulties in Gaza. Meanwhile, the Independent includes a personal account by a local resident of everyday life in Gaza.

In the Guardian, an analysis by BICOM’s Senior Research Fellow, Brig. Gen. (ret.) Michael Herzog explains that Israel will focus its efforts on shaping the Iranian diplomatic endgame over Tehran’s nuclear development during the coming six months. The Independent i says Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation has said Iran needs additional nuclear plants. The Times reports that there is bilateral support in the US Senate over plans to introduce sanctions legislation later this month, which would act as an “insurance plan” should Iran breach the terms of the interim deal agreed in Geneva last weekend. The Telegraph predicts high tension this week between Iranian and Saudi officials at a meeting of the OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) forum in Vienna, given the prospect that Iranian oil could be more readily available with the easing of some sanctions.

Meanwhile, the Guardian reports on protests which took place over the weekend in Israel against the Prawer Plan, proposed legislation which the Israeli government says would give many Bedouin-Israelis in the Negev the chance to relocate to and own modern housing, but which critics say will remove them from their traditional lands.

The Independent and Independent i say Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin asked that unclaimed art in a recently discovered Munich collection of Nazi-confiscated works should be handed over to Jewish or Israeli museums.

In the Israeli media this morning, Yediot Ahronot claims that President Shimon Peres addressed a security summit of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers around two weeks ago via video link. Apparently, the event was arranged by UN Under-Secretary General Terje Larsen and US Special Envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Martin Indyk. Peres is thought to have talked about the dangers of nuclear Iran and Islamic extremism.

Haaretz leads with the government’s claim that 80 per cent of Bedouin-Israelis support the Prawer plan to relocate some of the community, despite weekend protests against the plan. Makor Rishon reports that Bedouin leaders have said that protests will continue.

Meanwhile, the publication by the Prime Minister’s Office of the expenses accrued at the Prime Minister’s residences in Jerusalem and Ceasaria is widely covered. The total greatly exceeded the approved ceiling, although it has been reduced since last year. Headlines focus on expenditure on items such as scented flowers, gardening and floral arrangements; although some note that the residences host official events. Haaretz covers the story prominently while Yediot Ahronot asks “How Much do Netanyahu’s Flowers, Candles and Water Cost?” and a commentary piece in Maariv also focuses on the issue.