The Telegraph covers comments made yesterday by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to a diplomatic initiative proposed by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who proposed an international peace conference in order to restart dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian leaders towards establishing a two-state solution. However, Fabius said that if the French effort proves unsuccessful, Paris will recognise a Palestinian state. Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting yesterday that such a condition hands the Palestinian leadership every incentive not to compromise, which he described as the very “substance of negotiations.”

The Times reports that a Palestinian man attempted to shoot Israeli soldiers at a West Bank checkpoint yesterday, seriously wounding one. It emerged that the assailant, who was shot dead at the scene, was a member of the Palestinian security services.

The Telegraph, Independent, Guardian and Independent i all cover a landmark Israeli cabinet decision which yesterday approved a mixed-sex prayer area at the Western Wall in Jerusalem for the first time ever. Until now, prayer areas at the holiest site in Judaism have been strictly separated into men’s and women’s sections, in accordance with Orthodox Jewish tradition. Non-Orthodox Jewish groups have for decades complained that this arrangement effectively excludes them, failing to take into account their standard practice, which includes mixed prayer. Yesterday’s decision was viewed by many as an important sign of recognition for non-Orthodox Judaism.

The Independent online includes an interview with 19-year-old Israeli conscientious objector Tair Kaminer, who is facing a second spell in military prison for refusing to enlist for mandatory military service.

The Independent i reports that a vulture from an Israeli wildlife sanctuary, which had landed in south Lebanon and was accused by locals of “spying” for Israel on account of a fitted tracking device, has been returned to Israel by the United Nations (UN).

Meanwhile, the Guardian and the online editions of the Times, Telegraph and Financial Times all report that at least 50 people were killed in several bomb blasts in Syria’s capital Damascus, which targeted a Shi’ite holy site and areas of support for President Assad. ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombings. At the same time, peace talks in Geneva have been held up as opposition groups are refusing to sit at the table until the UN help to lift a number of sieges by the Assad regime. An editorial in the Financial Times accuses Russia of using the Geneva talks as a “smokescreen” to continue its military offensive.

In the Israeli media, Haaretz and Maariv both lead with yesterday’s terror attack at a West Bank checkpoint, in which a Palestinian security officer opened fire and injured three soldiers, one seriously. The identity of the attacker is of particular interest, with Maariv noting that the fact he was a member of the Palestinian security services means “there is no doubt that this shooting attack has taken things up a notch.”

The top story in Israel Hayom, also covered prominently in Yediot Ahronot, is the Israeli response to Hamas’s reconstruction of the complex tunnel network in the Gaza Strip, which deployed to attack Israeli soldiers during Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014. Although Israeli forces destroyed most of the tunnels, one collapsed last week, killing several Hamas activists who were working to rebuild it, sparking debate over how Israel can best counter the threat. Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Yossi Yehoshua says, “The dilemma of the political echelon will be whether to act immediately or to wait for the next clash. There is no unequivocal answer.” Meanwhile, Israel Radio news reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu warned Israel would employ greater force than in summer 2014 if Hamas resumed tunnel attacks.

Maariv and Israel Hayom cover an OECD report, which says that although Israelis enjoy a relatively low economic standard of living, they are relatively happy in comparison to other OECD countries.