The death on Saturday of Israel’s former-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, eight years after he fell into a stroke-induced coma, is covered extensively this morning. The Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Times, Financial Times, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, Sun, Daily Star and Metro all report that Sharon’s coffin lay in state yesterday at the Knesset as thousands of Israelis paid their final respects. The Independent i notes that former-Prime Minister Tony Blair will be among the dignitaries attending today’s state funeral ceremony in Jerusalem prior to Sharon’s burial at the family ranch in southern Israel. The Guardian and the Independent both report that Sharon’s death was greeted with celebration by many Palestinians.

Sharon’s legacy is hotly and widely debated. An editorial in the Times describes him as an “unlikely harbinger of peace and negotiation” while the Guardian’s editorial applauds Sharon’s decision to withdraw from the Gaza Strip in 2005, while criticising his support for settlements and his belief that terror can only be fought “with bullets and bombs.” The Independent’s editorial says Israel’s current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must, like Sharon, learn to place Israel’s wider interests above the “comforting unity of his political tribe.”

Writing in the Telegraph, Con Coughlin says that Israeli leaders, especially Avigdor Lieberman, can learn from Sharon’s example of a move towards pragmatic concessions. In the Independent, Ian Birrell writes a whimsical piece arguing that Sharon represented the era of an idyllic Israel which has since disappeared. Also in the Independent, Donald Macintyre argues the vagaries of counterfactual history indicate that Sharon could have become the Israeli De Gaulle and in essence “liberated” the Palestinians with a West Bank withdrawal. However, Avi Shlaim in the Guardian says that Sharon’s legacy is one which has empowered the most intransigent elements of Israel’s political system.

In other news, the Guardian, Financial Times, Metro, Independent i and the Sun all report that Iran and the P5+1 forum (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) have agreed that they will begin next week implementing the interim deal agreed in Geneva in November for the coming six months. This will involve the dismantlement of some of Iran’s most highly enriched uranium. The Times emphasises that Iran will also be prevented from installing any further centrifuges during this period; while the Independent says that the International Atomic Energy Agency will verify that Iran is meeting its obligations. The Telegraph quotes Foreign Secretary William Hague who described implementing the Geneva deal as a “first step” in tackling Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The online edition of the Guardian says Egypt’s military ruler General al-Sisi has indicated that he will run for the country’s presidency if there is a strong vote this week in favour of the country’s new constitution. However, a Financial Times editorial calls the proposed new constitution little more than a restoration of military rule. The Times online reports that hundreds of students yesterday clashed with Egyptian security forces ahead of the referendum.

This morning’s Israeli headlines are dominated by the funeral today of Ariel Sharon. Israel Hayom leads with a photo of IDF generals saluting Sharon’s coffin yesterday as it lay in state accompanied by the headline “Saluting farewell.” Sharon’s funeral is also the headline story in Yediot Ahronot, Maariv and Haaretz. US Vice President Joe Biden and Tony Blair are among the dignitaries who will attend today’s memorial service at the Knesset, before Sharon’s body is transported to the family’s Shikmim Farm for burial. Maariv notes that the proximity of the farm to the Gaza Strip has raised fears that the burial could be disrupted by Palestinian rocket fire.

Among the commentary on Sharon’s life and legacy, Ben-Dror Yemini says in Maariv, that in going ahead with the 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, Sharon “chose to do the right thing in the most botched manner possible. Not through dialogue, not through understanding, not through international backing,” and causing great bitterness among Israelis. Meanwhile, Israel Hayom reports that the IDF has decided to name a training complex after Sharon.

In other news, Israel Radio news reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry has told Arab League leaders that peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have reached a crucial point.