With no resolution to the impasse in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in sight, the Telegraph and Independent i both cover comments made yesterday by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the situation. Both report Netanyahu told his cabinet that in response to the PA’s unilateral action applying to 15 international bodies last week, which effectively scuppered a potential deal to return to talks, Israel too could take its own unilateral actions, without specifying what they might include. The Guardian online also reports Netanyahu’s comments and notes a Knesset debate scheduled to take place today to examine the deadlocked talks.

In an analysis of the situation, John Reed in the Financial Times outlines the blame which Israel and the PA are placing on each other for the apparent breakdown in talks. The article notes that Bank of Israel Governor Karnit Flug does not predict any negative economic impact on Israel as a result of the deadlock. Writing in the Guardian online, Peter Beaumont predicts that the absence of peace talks will give way to a period of “lawfare” legal offensives between the two sides rather than violence.

The Telegraph online notes that early yesterday morning, Israel’s Air Force launched air strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in response to a rocket attack on southern Israel on Saturday night.

The Independent online says that in Syria, at least 29 opposition fighters were killed by an explosion in Homs. The online editions of the Guardian and Times both report that a Syrian refugee was killed during a demonstration at a refugee camp in Jordan, while in Syria itself two mortars were fired by opposition groups at the Damascus Opera House in the heart of President Assad’s capital.

The Times online says that since the election of President Rouhani, Iran has seen a significant spike in the number of executions, many of which take place in public.

In the Israeli media, the headlines are dominated by various aspects of the deadlocked peace talks between Israel and the PA. All report that Israel’s chief negotiator Tzipi Livni met with her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erekat and US envoy Martin Indyk. However, some reports say that the meeting was positive, while Israel Radio news and elsewhere says that no progress was made. Meanwhile, Yediot Ahronot and Haaretz highlight comments made yesterday by Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said at a conference that he would prefer to go to elections rather than return to the three-way deal proposed last week, in light of the PA’s subsequent unilateral actions which cannot be ignored. Israel Radio news says that opposition leader Isaac Herzog welcomed the prospect of new elections. Maariv-NRG reports comments made by Jewish Home minister Uri Ariel, who said that negotiations shouldn’t continue unless the PA rescinds its applications to international bodies filed last week.

In other news, Israel Radio and Israel Hayom both report that the lawyer of former-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was questioned yesterday by police, as part of a new investigation into alleged obstruction of justice by Olmert. Last week, Olmert was found guilty of bribery but could yet face further charges.