The Times, Independent i and the online edition of the Guardian all report on a large oil spill in southern Israel, thought to be the largest in the country’s history. It happened when maintenance workers damaged a pipeline connecting Eilat to Ashkelon during routine work. The spill has caused significant damage to an Israeli nature reserve, while several people needed medical treatment and the main motorway in the south was intermittently closed.

The Independent reports on a special ceremony which took place yesterday to re-bury charismatic Irish-born British army commander John Henry Patterson in a cemetery north of Tel Aviv. Patterson was very influential in creating and commanding the Jewish Legion, a volunteer force in the British army during the First World War, viewed by many as a pre-cursor to the Israeli army. Patterson became a committed Zionist and had an influential impact on some of Israel’s early leaders. Yesterday’s ceremony, which was attended by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was in compliance with Patterson’s wishes to be buried alongside his Jewish Legion comrades.

The Guardian includes a review of the documentary film “Open Bethlehem,” by Palestinian resident Leila Sansour, which deals with attempts to open up Bethlehem to greater numbers of tourists in spite of the security restrictions in place.

The Independent online features programmes funded by the UK charity Hope and Play in the Gaza Strip. The charity funds fun and creative development and therapeutic activities for children who were traumatised by the destruction of Operation Protective Edge this summer.

The Independent online also reports that Labour leaders have called on the government to send a minister to a United Nations’ Human Rights Council conference in Geneva which is set to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis and increase commitment to providing refuge to those in need. In Syria itself, the Telegraph online covers claims that government jailers executed 138 prisoners who had contracted the pulmonary plague for fear that it was spreading to other inmates in squalid prison conditions.

Election rumour and speculation dominates the Israeli media this morning. Several titles cover a Channel Two report which claimed that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud Party has been working to recruit a significant number of Yesh Atid MKs to join Netanyahu’s government and effectively stave off the prospect of an election on 17 March. The Prime Minister’s Office denied the speculation.

Meanwhile, both Haaretz and Israel Hayom report that former-Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar is mulling an approach by Likud activists to challenge Netanyahu for the party’s leadership. A leadership primary is scheduled for next month but as yet no serious challenger to Netanyahu has come forward. Sa’ar dramatically left politics just two months ago to spend more time with his family, but did not discount a return.

Both Israel Hayom and Maariv publish polls this morning. Both indicate that if elections were held today, Likud would be the largest party with 21 or 22 seats, followed by Jewish Home on 16-18 seats with Labour, Yesh Atid and former-Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon’s new party winning anywhere between 10-14 seats each. The Israel Hayom poll indicates that Netanyahu is still viewed as comfortably the public’s choice as Prime Minister. However, Maariv’s poll indicates that both Kahlon and Sa’ar are considered better candidates.

Away from the election, Yediot Ahronot, Israel Hayom, Maariv and Haaretz all prominently report on a serious oil slick in the south of the country, which was yesterday branded as one of Israel’s worst ever ecological disasters. It was caused by damage from routine maintenance work and experts predict it will take many months to clean.