fbpx

Media Summary

09/04/2015

[ssba]

The Guardian and the online editions of the Telegraph and Independent all cover an attack yesterday in the West Bank in which a Palestinian man stabbed two Israeli soldiers, before being shot dead by one of his victims. The attacker is not thought to have been part of any organised group. One of the soldiers is in a serious condition. The incident occurred near the settlement of Ma’ale Levona on Route 60 which links Nablus and Ramallah. It follows a number of ‘lone wolf’ stabbing incidents during the past several months, in which Palestinians have killed and injured a number of Israelis.

The Independent and Independent i both report that an as yet unpublished Israeli army report admits responsibility for the death of a Spanish United Nations peacekeeper in South Lebanon in January. The soldier was killed during the IDF’s artillery response to a Hezbollah attack on an Israeli border patrol. The report apparently attributes the peacekeeper’s death to a “calculation error” while firing.

The Times says that the Assad regime in Syria is talking to the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in order to try to coordinate a joint response to ISIS’s seizure of much of the Yarmouk district south of Damascus, which is home to many Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports on the significant economic impact of the Syrian Civil War on neighbouring Jordan, with border crossings between the two countries now closed, hampering Jordanian exports.

The online editions of the Telegraph and Financial Times both report that Iran has sent nuclear vessels to waters near Yemen, in what Tehran describes as an “anti-piracy” effort. However, both reports contend that the move will likely increase tensions between Iran and joint Arab forces led by Saudi Arabia, who accuse Iran of supporting a Houthi rebellion in Yemen as an attempt to increase its own regional power.

In the Israeli media, both Israel Hayom and the Maariv-affiliated NRG news website lead with the tragic death in Thailand of a 12-year-old Israeli girl in a fire on a local ferry. The girl was on a special family trip to mark her Bat Mitzvah when the tragedy occurred. Meanwhile, Israel Hayom and Ynet news also prominently report another deadly accident abroad, as a 24-year-old Israeli man died yesterday while zip-lining in Peru.

Haaretz leads with comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday over the preliminary deal agreed between Iran and the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) following US President Barack Obama’s apparent admission that when the deal expires, Tehran will be left free to develop a nuclear weapon with practically a zero break out time. Netanyahu said that such a scenario would be the “inevitable result” of the deal currently being considered.

Meanwhile, yesterday’s stabbing in the West Bank, which saw two soldiers injured and the Palestinian assailant shot dead is prominently reported in a number of titles, including Israel Hayom and Haaretz.