The Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Times and Independent i all report leaked comments made by US Secretary of State John Kerry to a closed forum of international officials, during which he said that if peace is not concluded between Israel and the Palestinians, then Israel is in danger of becoming an “apartheid” state. It is language which serving US officials, including President Obama have refused to use, citing historical inaccuracy. All reports say that Israeli officials have declined to comment but that American Jewish groups have condemned Kerry’s remark. Late last night, Kerry issued a personal statement, denying that he believes Israel is an apartheid state or ever intends to become one. However, an editorial in the Times criticises Kerry’s “undiplomatic” language which it says was “guaranteed to cause offence to Israel.”

The online editions of the Guardian, Times and Financial Times all report that a judge in Egypt yesterday sentenced 683 alleged supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, including its spiritual leader Mohammed Badie to death, on charges of inciting violence and the murder of a policeman. A further 37 death sentences were upheld from a previous case. Most reports also note that Egyptian authorities also yesterday banned the liberal opposition April 6 movement, in what correspondents view as another measure by the country’s military rulers to quell all opposition.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph online reports that Syrian refugees deemed by Damascus to have “illegally” left the country will not be permitted to vote in Syria’s presidential election in June, for which President Assad yesterday officially submitted his candidacy, according to the Financial Times and Guardian. The Times online says that a new, hand-picked unit of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army is appealing to the UK to provide it with weapons, after the United States provided a number of guided anti-tank missiles. The Guardian publishes a letter signed by 35 international legal experts, urging the United Nations to be less cautious in providing stricken and destitute Syrians with aid, despite the restrictions placed on reaching opposition-held areas by the Assad regime.

The Telegraph online says that the UK and Iran have discussed re-opening their respective embassies, with Sir Simon Gass, the Foreign Office Director of Political Affairs travelling to Tehran for talks. Diplomatic relations have been restored since the summer election of President Rouhani. Ties were cut in 2011 after a mob ransacked the UK embassy in Tehran.

In the Israeli media, Yediot Ahronot’s headline focuses on Kerry’s controversial use of the word “apartheid” in a closed forum. It is also a major story in Haaretz and Maariv-NRG. However, Israel Radio news reports that late last night Kerry expressed regret over using the term in a rare personal statement and clarified that he does not believe Israel is in any way an apartheid state and nor does it have any intention of becoming one.

Maariv-NRG leads with claims by an unnamed Israeli official that the US administration has given assurances that it backs the Israeli government’s stance that unless Hamas itself renounces violence and embraces peace, there should be no negotiations with a Hamas-backed government, even a technocratic Palestinian unity government which accepts the Quartet’s three conditions (recognition of Israel, rejection of violence, adherence to previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements).

Yediot Ahronot publishes an advance copy of a report by left-wing pressure group Peace Now, which documents settlement construction during the past nine months in which Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) were engaged in peace talks. Meanwhile, Haaretz says that 28,000 dunams of West Bank land have been authorised for construction.

Israel Hayom and Haaretz both give prominence to the state’s request for a minimum six-year prison term for former-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who was convicted last month of bribery during his time as Mayor of Jerusalem.