The Financial Times online reports that Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, has called for the international community to condemn Israeli home demolitions in the West Bank. The cases cited are mainly Bedouin homes and constructions which were built without permission, some with European Union funding. Nonetheless, Israeli authorities say that they are treated like any other illegal construction. They are located in Area C of the West Bank, which under the terms of the Oslo Accords of the 1990s remains under full Israeli control.

Several dailies preview today’s elections in Iran for the country’s parliament and a religious council, which will eventually choose a new Supreme Leader. However, all candidates have been vetted by clerical hardliners and only a limited number of those considered relative moderates have had their candidacy approved. The Independent i says that such reformists are nonetheless hopeful of making gains, but the Guardian contends that popular apathy may count against them. Meanwhile, Kim Sengupta in the Independent says that Ayatollah Khamenei’s warning to the electorate of a foreign plot against Iran during recent days is an indication that the election is close. The Times reports that Britain has been a major target for such rhetoric by Khamenei and hardliners, who portray the UK as an “arch puppeteer” interfering with Iran’s elections.

With a limited ceasefire in Syria set to begin on Saturday, the Times online reports that the Assad regime has said that it will continue to bomb the Damascus suburb of Daraya, where they claim al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra terrorists are based. The Telegraph online covers comments by US President Barack Obama, who warned Russia that the “world will be watching” Moscow’s adherence to the ceasefire.

The Independent i includes a small feature on an Israeli artist who has turned Jerusalem’s iconic Mahane Yehuda market into a canvas, using the stall shutters to paint portraits of significant figures in Jewish and Israeli history.

In the Israeli media, Yediot Ahronot leads with a report which says that Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has released around £91 million in withheld Palestinian customs and tax funds and has agreed to issue thousands of extra work permits for Palestinians in Israel. The measures are the result of ongoing talks between Kahlon and his Palestinian counterpart Shukri Bashara, who apparently thanked Kahlon on his decision. The cooperation between the two comes despite deeply strained relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority since the current wave of violence began in October.

The top story in Maariv is comments made yesterday by Yisrael Beitenu party leader Avigdor Leiberman, who roundly attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of “leading a left-wing policy” and being unwilling to fight terror. Leiberman claimed that “we are the true right wing and the true national camp.”

Meanwhile, Israel Hayom leads with an exclusive interview with US Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Another major item in Yediot Ahronot is preparations being made by the IDF for a future conflict with Hezbollah. Israel’s defence establishment estimates that Hezbollah has around 100,000 rockets at its disposal, which can be fired at a rate of 1,200 each day. In addition, it is thought that Hezbollah will attempt an incursion into northern Israel to effectively seize a northern community. Military affairs correspondent Yossi Yehoshua analyses the IDF’s attempts to counter these threats.