In the Telegraph, Eric Pickles MP has called the petition to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his upcoming visit to London for a meeting with Prime Minister Cameron next month “completely absurd”. The petition, which has already garnered 80,000 signatures, claims that Netanyahu is responsible for alleged war crimes that took place during Operation Protective Edge last summer and if it reaches 100,000 signatures it could be debated in the House of Commons.

The Times covers an in-depth report reveals that many Iranian companies which could benefit from UK investment once sanctions are lifted as part of the recent nuclear deal have Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members on their boards or as shareholders. The report says that IRGC commanders have been placed at the heart of more than 200 Iranian companies which have never previously been on a trading blacklist, in order for the IRGC to profit from expected imminent investment. The IRGC is a direct sponsor of terror groups including Hezbollah and is thought to coordinate terror attacks abroad.

The Guardian covers a campaign including dozens of prominent Iranians calling on the U.S. Congress not to imperil the nuclear agreement by voting it down. Among those featured in the campaign are Nobel peace prize Shirin Ebadi and filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who was jailed for supporting the 2009 Green Movement. The Guardian also has a story about the foothold that European companies are gaining in Iran as US firms await the U.S. Congress’s vote on the nuclear deal.

Writing in the Evening Standard, former-Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont praises the re-opening of the UK Embassy in Tehran last weekend. However, he urges “caution” as the relationship develops.

The Times says that Hezbollah ministers and allies have walked out of cabinet talks in Lebanon to resolve the country’s rubbish crisis. Over the weekend, protestors took to the streets of the capital Beirut to demonstrate against poor governance, sparked by huge amounts of uncollected rubbish. An Arabic media report suggested this week than Hezbollah is looking to hijack the protests in order to bring down the government.

Amid the violence in Syria, The Times, Telegraph, and Guardian cover the destruction of the 2,000-year-old temple of Baal Shamin in Palmyra by ISIS. Photos made public show the results of ISIS’s attempts to destroy the UN World Heritage site. In its editorial, the Guardian calls Britain’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis “morally bankrupt.”

The Metro reports that Israel’s Health Ministry has upheld a complaint by Israeli food giant Osem, that Heinz tomato ketchup must be relabelled as “tomato seasoning” as it contains far less than the benchmark 41 per cent tomato concentrate required for ketchup in Israel. The Telegraph says that two Israeli bridge players have been accused of cheating in the Springold tournament and attempts are being made to ban them from the game.

Both the Daily Express and Sun report that a Jewish group is looking to take Leicester City Council to the High Court over its decision to boycott goods from the West Bank, on the basis that the measure is anti-Semitic.

 

 

 

 

The lead story this morning in the Israeli media is the appointment of IDF Brig. Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsh to become the next Police Commissioner. Leapfrogging three frontrunners from within the police force, Hirsh was selected by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan to bring change to an organisation that has been plagued by scandals in recent years. Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot, Maariv, Israel Hayom, Jerusalem Post and the online news outlets lead coverage and commentary of the appointment of the General who in 2006 was the commander charged with securing Israel’s border with Lebanon and whom many criticized for lax conditions that allowed the abductions of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, the event which sparked the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

In other news, Haaretz quotes a UN Panel of Experts report which asserts that Israeli weapons are helping perpetuate the conflict in South Sudan. According to the report, photographs indicate that various security forces are using Israeli-made ACE rifles.

 

Ynet, Walla, Sport5 and other outlets prominently cover Maccabi Tel Aviv’s qualifying to advance to the group stage of the European Champions League after drawing 1:1 with Basel last night. It is the first time in 11 years that the team has qualified to play in Europe’s premier club competition.