An editorial in the Times this morning pays tribute to Israel’s outgoing President Shimon Peres after it was announced yesterday that his successor will be elected on 10 June. Peres is praised for his efforts towards peace spanning several decades and the hope is expressed that his successor will “share some of his moral authority.” The editorial is also critical of the unity pact announced last month between the Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas, which it says “stymied” peace talks between Israel and the PA.

The Independent reports that a somewhat controversial relationship between Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a Swedish woman has recently become more public. Citing reports in the Israeli news site Ynet, the article says that the couple have been seen together increasingly at public events. Their relationship has been criticised in some religious Jewish circles in Israel as Yair Netanyahu’s girlfriend is not Jewish.

The Guardian, Independent and Independent i all cover an appeal being heard in Israel’s Supreme Court tomorrow over the death of American activist Rachel Corrie in Gaza in 2003, who was crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer as she tried to prevent it demolishing a structure. Corrie’s family have brought the appeal after a Haifa court ruled in 2012 that Israel’s military was not responsible for Corrie’s death in what was a conflict zone and that it had adequately investigated the incident.

Elsewhere in the region, the Times reports that after careful negotiations, 120 Syrian teenagers from the besieged Damascus suburb of Yarmouk have been allowed to leave the area in order to sit their exams. Meanwhile, the online edition of the Times includes a feature on seven elderly Christians who remain in Aleppo and are the last remnant of a thriving Christian community in the city with thousands having fled during the conflict.

The Financial Times online includes an interview with the ‘other’ presidential candidate in Egypt, Hamdeen Sabahi, who is the only alternative to Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former general who is widely expected to win the country’s upcoming presidential vote by a significant margin. Sabahi believes that he has strong support from the country’s poor and the youth who oppose al-Sisi. However, Sabahi maintains that like al-Sisi, he too would maintain a ban on the Muslim Brotherhood if elected.

In the Israeli media, the announcement that a Knesset vote to choose the successor to President Shimon Peres will take place on 10 June is covered prominently by Yediot Ahronot, Israel Hayom, Maariv, Haaretz and Makor Rishon, which runs with the headline “Waiting for a President.” Only two candidates have so far secured the endorsement needed by 10 MKs in order to stand – Former-Knesset Speaker and Likud MK Reuven Rivlin and former-Defence Minister and Labour MK Binyamin Ben Eliezer. However, Hatnuah MK Meir Sheetrit is expected to run while Likud Minister Silvan Shalom and former-Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik are also mulling their candidacies.

The euphoria surrounding Maccabi Tel Aviv’s victory on Sunday evening, which saw them crowned European basketball champions for the sixth time continues to make headlines. The team arrived back in Israel yesterday and paraded the trophy in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square. The celebrations are a major story in Israel Hayom, Yediot Ahronot, Makor Rishon and Maariv which describes the atmosphere as “Maccabi Mania.”

Maariv prominently covers comments made yesterday by Justice Minister and lead peace negotiator Tzipi Livni, who robustly defended her decision to meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas in London last week, despite the recent suspension of peace talks following the Fatah-Hamas unity pact. She said that Israel’s position needs to be made clear to the Palestinians and vice versa, in order to formulate a position.

Meanwhile, Israel Hayom, Maariv and Makor Rishon highlight an announcement by IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz that training for reservists during 2014 has been cancelled due to budget cuts. The measure is part of an ongoing conflict between the defence establishment and the Finance Ministry over the defence budget.