The Independent i reports that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas told a security conference in Tel Aviv yesterday via video that he would accept a staggered Israeli military withdrawal from the West Bank over a three year period under a peace agreement. However, Israel maintains that it would need to maintain a military presence in areas such as the Jordan Valley for a longer period.

The Telegraph online reports on an Israel Supreme Court ruling expected today regarding the proposed route of the security barrier near the Palestinian village of Battir in the West Bank. The Defence Ministry argues it must cut through part of an historic agricultural site dating back to Roman times in order to protect a commuter rail line. Israeli conservation groups say that the barrier would compromise an important piece of cultural heritage; the site itself though is located within Israel’s pre-1967 borders.

The Financial Times includes a report on pressure from pro-Palestinian activists on Oxfam to drop the actress Scarlett Johansson as an ambassador for the organisation. Johansson has defended her appearance in an advert for SodaStream, which maintains a factory in the West Bank, explaining that it provides equal employment for Palestinians and Israelis alike. The report says that attempts to boycott Israeli businesses in the West Bank are being followed closely by some Israeli government ministers.

The Telegraph says ultra-Orthodox political leaders in Israel have criticised an apparent relationship between the son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a non-Jewish Norwegian girl who attends the same Israeli university. However, the report quotes Labour MK Stav Shaffir who says that most Israelis are “not concerned” about the issue.

The Independent and Guardian cover the appearance yesterday in an Egyptian court of ousted leader Mohammed Morsi, who is accused of several crimes including conspiring with Hamas and Hezbollah against Egypt’s interests. It was Morsi’s second court appearance and he once again questioned the court’s legitimacy. Meanwhile, the Times online reports that General Said, head of the Interior Ministry’s technical office was shot dead in Cairo by suspected Islamist opponents of the country’s military regime, which deposed Morsi last summer. Writing in the Financial Times, Barzou Daragali says that jingoistic nationalism has replaced any sense of revolution in Egypt, with a popular glorification of the country’s security institutions.

The Telegraph online says the Geneva II peace talks between Syrian government and opposition representatives have faltered over revelations that the United States will supply some arms to moderate Syrian opposition groups. Meanwhile, the Times online reports that the President of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition opposition body will visit Moscow in a possible sign that Russia’s support for President Assad is waning. Writing in the Financial Times, David Gardner argues that stopping the Syrian violence could be dependent on a swift detente between the United States and Iran.

In the Israeli media, Maariv focuses on the continuing tension between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Economy Minister and Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett over the fate of West Bank settlers. Writing in Maariv, Shalom Yerushalmi says that if Netanyahu really wanted to seize the current opportunity to strike a peace deal, he would have used the spat as an excuse to remove Bennett from the government.

Haaretz and Maariv both report that a special ministerial forum will convene today to discuss the threat of European boycotts of West Bank settlement products. Apparently there is concern that such initiatives could become more widespread.

Meanwhile, Israel Radio news reports that the Shin Bet domestic security agency arrested 16 members of Hamas in Jerusalem and says this cell has been responsible for the recent spike in tensions on the Temple Mount.