The Guardian reports that Israeli security forces yesterday dismantled the settlement outpost of Ma’aleh Rehavam in the West Bank. Israel’s High Court ruled that the 10 structures comprising the outpost were not purchased legally and several months ago criticised the government for long delays in taking action. Two further West Bank outposts, Ramat Gilad and Givat Yosef are also expected to be dismantled in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Independent i says that Israeli settlers have purchased part of a post office on an iconic main street in a major Palestinian Arab area of East Jerusalem and intend to establish a religious seminary there.

In the online edition of the Guardian, historian Avi Shlaim reviews two recent books on Israel with very different viewpoints. However, Shlaim says that Ari Shavit’s “My Promised Land” and Ilan Pappe’s “The Idea of Israel” both concur that the status quo regarding relations with the Palestinians is unsustainable.

The Independent reports that talks between representatives of the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iran over Tehran’s long-term nuclear programme began in earnest yesterday in Vienna.

The Times says that two of its journalists were kidnapped and beaten as they attempted to leave Syria for Turkey. Both were beaten and one was shot by the gang; the incident appeared to be motivated by potential financial gain. The two correspondents, who have both covered the Syrian civil war extensively, were eventually freed after members of an Islamist opposition group discovered their plight and demanded their release. The story is also covered by the Guardian online.

The Daily Mirror includes a feature on the plight of Syrian refugees in neighbouring Jordan. Meanwhile, the online edition of the Guardian covers a report by Physicians for Human Rights which claims President Assad’s forces have systematically attacked the healthcare system in opposition-held areas of the country, killing at least 460 medical professionals during the past three years. The Telegraph online says that in certain areas of Syria, such as Ghouta, where it is thought Assad’s forces have deployed chemical weapons, babies are increasingly being born with deformities.

In the Israeli media, Haaretz leads on comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Japan, in which he told a local newspaper that following the breakdown in peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA), the status quo is undesirable and that he wishes to explore alternatives in order to prevent the spectre of a binational state.

Various aspects of the State Comptroller’s wide-ranging report are covered this morning. Haaretz focuses on criticism of the government’s attitude towards asylum seekers from Africa, while Israel Hayom highlights the report’s focus on the significant increase in the number of overseas trips by government minsters over the past 10 years.

Maariv leads with a report by Ben Caspit, who says that Germany has reneged on a deal to sell Israel three missile boats at a significant discount. The article suggests that the sudden German change of course could be a ‘punitive’ measure in the wake of the collapse in peace talks between Israel and the PA.

Both Israel Hayom and Israel Radio news this morning prominently report the sentencing today of former-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s senior aide Shula Zaken. Olmert was sentenced to six years imprisonment earlier this week for bribery over the ‘Holyland’ real estate project in Jerusalem. Zaken, who worked closely with Olmert for many years, was also arrested on suspicion of bribery. However, she reached a plea bargain with prosecutors, whereby she gave evidence against Olmert and expects to receive an 11 month jail sentence in return.