The Guardian reports that the Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas are set to announce the composition of a Palestinian unity government before the weekend. Their decision to agree a unity pact in April prompted the suspension of peace talks with Israel, given Hamas’s ideological commitment to Israel’s destruction. International leaders have insisted that the new Palestinian government adhere to principles laid down by the Quartet, namely recognition of Israel, rejection of violence and adherence to previous agreements with Israel.

The Times reports that Israel has phased out a squadron of US Cobra attack helicopters in favour of cheaper drones. The article says that the decision was taken several months ago but has only just come to light as part of a bitter squabble between Israel’s defence establishment and the Finance Ministry over defence budget cuts.

In the wake of Pope Francis’s recent visit to Israel and the region, Andreas Whittam Smith writes in the Independent that UK politicians can learn from the integrity shown by the pontiff during his trip. Meanwhile, the Independent i reports that the Lebanese Maronite Patriarch became the first Lebanese dignitary to visit Israel, albeit in an entirely religious capacity, during the Pope’s visit. He has reportedly been approached for support by two groups; leaders of a northern Israeli Christian community hoping to return to a village which was forcibly abandoned during the 1948 War of Independence, plus Christian fighters who fought alongside Israeli forces in Lebanon before 2000 and were subsequently granted refuge in Israel.

The Independent reports that former South African President FW de Klerk, who oversaw the dismantling of apartheid South Africa, said yesterday that Israel is not an ‘apartheid’ state during an honorary degree ceremony in the country.

The online edition of the Independent says that Israeli authorities have allegedly issued eviction orders to dead people in a Bedouin village. The article says that the move was likely a mistake due to outdated records.

Elsewhere in the region, the Guardian and the Times report that former military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is heading for a big victory in Egypt’s presidential election with a significant number of votes now counted. Both reports indicate he is likely to have secured around 90 per cent of the vote, but that turnout was relatively low. Crucially, fewer Egyptians appear to have voted in comparison to the poll which saw the Muslim Brotherhood sweep to power in 2012.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph and Independent report on huge numbers of Syrian refugees in Lebanon who flocked to the Syrian embassy in Beirut to vote for President Assad in the Syrian presidential election. The poll has been described by international leaders as farcical. Both articles suggest that refugees in Lebanon fear not being allowed to return to Syria if they fail to vote or that Hezbollah would exact retribution. The Financial Times speculates that the large number of voters was the result of ingrained loyalty, while the Guardian notes the contrast in Jordan, where Syrian refugees protested and did not vote.

In the Israeli media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s surprise endorsement yesterday of Likud MK Reuven Rivlin’s candidacy to succeed President Shimon Peres is the top story. It is well-reported that Netanyahu holds deep antipathy towards Rivlin, but having failed to find an alternative suitable candidate, Netanyahu yesterday said that he backs Rivlin. It is the top story in Israel Hayom, Makor Rishon and Yediot Ahronot, which leads with the headline “Netanyahu capitulates and embraces Rivlin.” However, Maariv says that Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman is unlikely to follow suit and endorse Rivlin.

Israel Radio news says that West Bank settlement council leaders met with Prime Minister Netanyahu last night to raise concerns over a drop in construction in the West Bank. They said that Netanyahu pledged to examine solutions.

There is also comment this morning on US President Obama’s foreign policy speech yesterday, with Alon Pinkas in Yediot Ahronot and Amir Tibon in Walla News highlighting that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians was not mentioned at all during Obama’s address.