The Times says that US Secretary of State John Kerry remains determined in his efforts to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) despite disparaging comments made by Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who later apologised for remarks which he made in a closed forum. The Guardian online also reports the diplomatic spat.

The Independent and Independent i say a United Nations (UN) report indicates that the number of attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian residents in the West Bank has increased almost fourfold in the last eight years.

The Times reports that a controversial proposed new law in Israel passed a first, initial reading in the Knesset yesterday which would ban the use of Nazi symbols and comparing others to Nazis. Several opposition legislators spoke against the law during a fiery debate and the Attorney General also expressed his reservations over the initiative on the grounds that it would restrict freedom of speech.

In the Guardian, Julian Borger pens a lengthy feature on the history of Israel’s nuclear capability and the impact that its development and apparent continuation has on diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear programme.

Both the Guardian and Telegraph report that 47-year-old Filipino carer Rose Fostanes won Israel’s X Factor reality show this week. Both articles say that her victory has brought greater attention to the community of tens of thousands of Filipinos who work in Israel as carers, cleaners and housekeepers.

The online editions of the Telegraph, Guardian and Times cover claims by the Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister that Western countries have secretly contacted the Assad regime in order to coordinate on security matters due to growing concerns over the Islamist dominance of the opposition movement. The UK, US and France have denied that any such contacts have taken place. Meanwhile, the online editions of the Telegraph and Independent report that Western and Gulf states yesterday pledged £1.4billion in humanitarian aid to Syria at a donor conference in Kuwait. Writing in the Guardian, Ian Black says that the prospects of a Syrian peace process or an end to the conflict is as remote as ever despite next week’s scheduled Geneva II peace talks.

In the Independent, Robert Fisk highlights the start of the trial of four Hezbollah members in absentia at The Hague for the murder of Lebanon’s former-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005 and says that justice will likely never be done in the case.

The online editions of the Financial Times and Guardian both highlight the second day of voting in Egypt on a new proposed constitution which passed relatively peacefully, although almost 300 Muslim Brotherhood supporters have reportedly been recently arrested.

The main item in this morning’s Israeli media is an alleged bribery affair involving the prominent and well connected Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto and commander of the Israel Police Lahav 443 Unit, Cmdr. Menashe Arbib. The allegations suggest that Arbib received bribes from Pinto’s associates and Arbib has now taken a leave of absence although he has protested his innocence. Although a gag order is expected to be lifted on the case today, it is still the lead story in Yediot Ahronot, Maariv, Makor Rishon and Israel Hayom. In another twist to the affair, it is also alleged that a US Congressman attempted to extort Rabbi Pinto.

The fallout from Moshe Ya’alon’s comments regarding John Kerry continues to ripple. In Yediot Ahronot, Itamar Eichner says that despite the apology issued by Ya’alon, he will be treated coldly by the Obama Administration. In Makor Rishon, Amon Lord suggests that Ya’alon was particularly angered by Kerry’s attempts to recruit high ranking reservists to support a withdrawal from the Jordan Valley.

Israel Radio news reports that the Iron Dome missile-defence system last night intercepted five rockets fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip heading for Ashkelon. In response, Israel’s Air Force carried out precision strikes on four strategic targets in the northern Gaza Strip.