Both the Evening Standard and the online edition of the Telegraph report that Israel’s Attorney-General has asked Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon to provide legal and security explanations for his decision to place restrictions on the movement and transportation of Palestinian workers re-entering the West Bank. Critics have said that Ya’alon’s plan amounts to segregation while the Defence Ministry says it is purely a security measure.

The online edition of the Telegraph also covers the sentencing yesterday in an Israeli court of cult leader Goel Ratzon to 30 years imprisonment for multiple counts of rape and sexual abuse against more than 20 women.

The Independent online reports on comments made at a conference by the Arab League Secretary General, who accused Israel of having “stolen” up to 80,000 Palestinian books and manuscripts during the 1948 War of Independence. The article notes that Israeli scholars were attached to military units during the war and meticulously kept and preserved many items, including around 8,000 pieces still stored in the National Library in Jerusalem.

The Daily Mail includes a feature on what it calls “two-faced” Qatar, which on the one hand is feted by British leaders and business and on the other supports terror, including attacks on Israel, while also providing luxury hospitality to Hamas leaders. Also in the Daily Mail, Alex Brummer argues that a British government which considered an arms embargo targeting Israel during Operation Protective Edge during the summer, must also be ready to sanction those such as Qatar which supports terror groups.

The Times reports that the al-Qaeda affiliated group Jabhat al-Nusra has captured parts of the key Syrian city of Idlib from President Assad’s forces. Meanwhile, the Guardian, Times and Independent all report that a 17-year-old from Brighton has been killed fighting in Syria. In further signs that the Syrian civil war is spilling over into neighbouring Lebanon, the Independent and Independent i both include a feature from the major Lebanese city of Tripoli where the Lebanese army is facing off against ISIS and other Islamist factions.

The Guardian online says that Iranian authorities have detained journalists for reporting on the protests in Isfahan against a spate of acid attacks on women deemed to have dressed immodestly. Meanwhile, the Telegraph online says that an Iranian official has blamed “foreign agents” for the attacks.

In the Israeli media, the main item is apparent tension between the Obama Administration and the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following a report by Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic, who says that senior Washington officials regard Netanyahu as a coward who is pre-occupied with his own political survival. It is the top story in Maariv and Israel Hayom and is also covered prominently in Haaretz. Meanwhile, Israel Radio news says that the UN Security Council will today debate Israeli construction in the West Bank and Jerusalem following a Jordanian request. Commenting on the situation, Ben Caspit in Maariv sharply criticises Netanyahu for having broken the obligation to “vigilantly safeguard the good relationship” with the United States.

Israel Radio news says that the Jerusalem Municipality is working with Israeli Police and intelligence to set up an aerial observation unit which will more effectively alert forces to disturbances, following persistent low-level violence in the city during the past several months.

Meanwhile, the top story in Yediot Ahronot focuses on a report which indicates that 35 per cent of children in Israel are poor.