The Guardian, Independent and Independent i all report that US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday in Jordan’s capital Amman. Kerry is attempting to secure agreement from Abbas to extend the peace talks with Israel beyond their end of April deadline. All articles discuss disagreement over this weekend’s scheduled fourth and final release of Palestinian prisoners, which Israel agreed in July in order to allow the resumption of peace talks. Israel wants a Palestinian commitment to extend talks before a release, while the PA insists Israel must fulfil its commitment to free prisoners regardless. The Guardian also notes that the Arab League yesterday backed the PA’s refusal to recognise Israel as a characteristically Jewish state, a key demand by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as a foundation of mutual recognition.

The Guardian also includes a feature on high-profile Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, currently serving five life sentences for murder in an Israeli prison. He is nonetheless viewed by many as a natural successor to Abbas and it was rumoured this week that the PA has demanded Barghouti’s freedom as part of the scheduled prisoner release.

The online edition of the Guardian covers yesterday’s announcement by Egypt’s military ruler General al-Sisi that he will be a candidate for the country’s presidency in an election expected before the summer. Al-Sisi’s candidacy was widely anticipated and he is expected to win the poll with ease. In a televised address yesterday evening, he promised to bring Egyptians “stability, safety and hope.” The Guardian online also reports that Egypt’s prosecutor has ordered two new mass trials of 919 Muslim Brotherhood supporters on various charges, including murder during violence which gripped the country last August. More than 500 Islamists were sentenced to death during a similar trial this week.

The Times says that supporters of Iran’s President Rouhani are becoming impatient at the lack of internal reforms under his rule. The report says that there is disquiet over a harsh sentence handed to a female student activist this week and particular anger over the continuing house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the leaders of the Green Movement during the 2009 election. Meanwhile, the online editions of the Guardian and Financial Times cover an Amnesty International report which says that Iran and Iraq are responsible for more than two thirds of the world’s executions during 2013.

In Syria, the Times says opposition forces, led by Islamist groups, have breached the coastal plain region, which is a stronghold of President Assad and home to his Alawite community.

In the Israeli media, the top story this morning is a dramatic new development in the ‘Holyland’ case against former-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is accused of accepting bribes to smooth over the construction of a large real estate project during his time as Jerusalem Mayor. Although the trial is over and a verdict expected on Monday, Yediot Ahronot, Haaretz, Makor Rishon and Israel Hayom all report that Olmert’s former trusted aide Shula Zaken has handed police incriminating recordings of Olmert which apparently reveal that he obstructed justice in the case. Olmert is thought to be planning a return to politics, although his ambitions will likely hinge on next week’s verdict.

Israel Radio news reports that a high-ranking US official described yesterday’s meeting between John Kerry and Mahmoud Abbas as “beneficial”, with Kerry seeking to secure the continuation of peace talks. The same report says Kerry will continue talking with Abbas and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the coming days. Maariv and Makor Rishon cover comments made by Israel’s Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar who said that Israel should not make further concessions such as a construction freeze in the West Bank “just so the Palestinians will be so kind as to continue the negotiations with us.”