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Media Summary

Post mortem finds soldier’s shot killed Palestinian attacker

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The Telegraph and the online edition of the Daily Mail both cover the latest news from the military trial of an arrested Israeli soldier, who controversially shot dead a wounded Palestinian terrorist, who had stabbed two Israeli soldiers. A post-mortem has found that the shots he fired killed the Palestinian, a finding which is likely to strengthen the case against the soldier.

The Daily Mail online reports that Israel has extended the fishing zone for Gaza fishermen from six to nine nautical miles off the Gaza coast. The move will help local fishermen, while maintaining Israel’s naval blockade to ensure that Hamas does not receive weaponry. The Daily Mail online also says that the Israel Electric Company (IEC) has restored full power to the Palestinian city of Jericho in the West Bank after a brief power cut last week,  although the Palestinian Authority owes the IEC hundreds of millions of pounds for supplying power to the city.

The Metro online reports that Israel’s national airline El Al is being sued by an 81-year-old woman for discrimination, after she was asked by staff to move seats following a request by a Jewish ultra-Orthodox man who asked not to be seated next to a woman.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Dominic Lawson says that the funding provided by the UK government to the PA, which reports claim is partly used to provide subsidies to Palestinian terrorists, is part of Prime Minister David Cameron’s attempt to be “seen to be doing the right thing.”

The Metro and online edition of the Guardian both report that Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show yesterday that the Labour Party must “root out” anti-Semitism. He explained that criticism of Israel cannot be allowed “to be used by anti-Semites.” Meanwhile, the Times, Metro and the online edition of the Daily Express report that Labour MP Louise Ellman told Sky’s Murnaghan show that the Labour Party is not taking sufficient action against anti-Semitism.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail online says that at least 12 Hezbollah fighters are thought to have been killed in northern Syria by the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front. Hezbollah fights alongside President Assad’s troops and is a close ally of Iran. Meanwhile, the online editions of the Telegraph, Guardian and Independent all report that a prominent al-Nusra Front leader has been killed near the Syrian town of Idlib, in an air strike thought to have been carried out by the Russian or Syrian air force.

In the Israeli media, Haaretz publishes exerts from the so-called “Panama Papers” which comprise a huge body of leaked documents containing information on off-shore financial accounts linked to a massive number of people, including some world leaders. Haaretz says that among the documents, around 600 Israeli companies are mentioned. Maariv and Israel Hayom focus on the accounts linked to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. It is also a major item in Yediot Ahronot.

Yediot Ahronot and Israel Hayom highlight the post-mortem examination yesterday which determined that the bullets fired by an Israeli soldier in Hebron last month were responsible for killing a wounded Palestinian terrorist, who had stabbed two other Israeli troops. Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Yossi Yehoshua says that the autopsy report allows the military prosecution to “breathe a sigh of relief” as it vindicates the controversial decision to charge the soldier.

Haaretz and Israel Radio news both report that the home of a Palestinian in East Jerusalem, who caused the death of an Israeli motorist by throwing rocks at his car, has been sealed as a deterrent to other would-be attackers. However, the High Court ruled against sealing the homes of three others who had a minor role in the incident.

The top story in Yediot Ahronot is a lengthy interview conducted with former-Mossad chief Meir Dagan before his death last month. Dagan was hailed across the political spectrum as a hero for his contribution to Israel’s security. However, he was vocally critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu following his retirement from public office. In this interview, he describes Netanyahu as “the worst manager I know.”