The main item in the British press relating to Israel and the Middle East is the resignation of the whip by Liberal Democrat Peer Baroness Jenny Tonge, who refused to apologise for comments predicting the demise of Israel. The Independent, Times, Metro, Daily Telegraph and Guardian report this development. The Independent reports an IDF raid on two private Palestinian television stations, one of which was broadcasting on an illegal frequency interfering with aircraft communications, and the paper also has a comment piece condemning Syrian actions in Homs. All the papers have extensive online coverage of the Syrian regime assault on rebel positions in Homs. The Times previews forthcoming parliamentary elections in Iran and also has an interview with the lawyer who advised the BBC in its successful attempt to stop the publication of an internal report into its Middle East coverage. The Guardian has a report on a Gazan runner preparing to compete in the London 2012 Olympics. BBC News reports online that the first round date for the Egyptian presidential election has been set for 23-24 May, and also reports on the controversial trial in Egypt of foreign NGO workers. Reuters has an interview with Hezbollah deputy Sheikh Naim Qassem , in which he says, “America knows that if there is a war on Iran, this means that the whole region will be set alight, with no limit to the fires.”

The Israeli press is dominated again by rising petrol prices, which have reached a record high despite Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to cut the tax on fuel for the next month. Yediot Ahronot says Netanyahu wanted to humiliate his finance minister Yuval Steinitz, whom he overruled, whilst Maariv writes that Netanyahu caved to public pressure. The media continues to focus on US-Israel relations over the Iranian nuclear programme ahead of next week’s meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama, with Israel Radio reporting the meeting last night between Defence Minister Ehud Barak and US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta. The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz and Yediot Ahronot report prominently on the decision by North Korea to suspend its nuclear programme, with Haaretz quoting an Israeli official warning against comparisons with Iran. Maariv and Israel Hayom report prominently on the release of prisoners from Israeli jails due to overcrowding, including former Shas minister Shlomo Benizri. Maariv, meanwhile, reports that Israel is running low on gasmasks, which are distributed free to citizens to protect from potential chemical or biological attack. Makor Rishon has an interview with Labor MK Isaac Herzog on his contacts with Syrian opposition groups. All Israeli media outlets are reporting prominently on the unusually cold and wet weather sweeping the country, and the chance of snow in Jerusalem.