Several UK papers mention the Kadima primary results and the victory of MK Shaul Mofaz in the party’s leadership race. The Financial Times quotes Sima Kadmon from Yediot Ahronot predicting it was now a matter of time before Tzipi Livni left politics. The Daily Telegraph claims the Israeli political scene has now been deprived the last major figure with pro-peace credentials and speculated that Israel has again embarked on a sharp tilt to the right. The Times dubs Shaul Mofaz a hardliner in their headline. Tabloids continue to report on the aftermath of the Toulouse shooting attack. Both the Sun and the Mirror report on hate mail being sent to the Jewish school in Toulouse by people supporting the killer. Robert Fisk in the Independent focuses on the mixed responses inside Lebanon to their ‘neighbour from hell,’ in reference to Syria. The BBC online and Financial Times continue to update on the Kofi Annan attempt to broker a ceasefire in Syria.

In the Israeli media, all the papers focus heavily on Shaul Mofaz the new leader of the Kadima party. Mofaz is interviewed by most daily newspapers. Yediot Ahronot reports that Mofaz already has a ‘100 day plan’. Mofaz lays out four policies he will focus on in his future campaign to become prime minister including the changing of the social order, promoting negotiations with the Palestinians, electoral reform and balancing the share of the burden within society. Yediot Ahronot also runs polls this morning, which depicts the real winner being the Labour party that rises to 18 seats with Kadima still stuck with 12. Likud remains in top spot with 29. In his interview with Ma’ariv, Mofaz says he has no intention of joining the current government and is focused on rebuilding Kadima as an alternative. In an interview to Haaretz he vowed to lead the social protest campaign this summer and will focus on drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the army. There is a strong focus on economic issues as Governor of the Bank of Israel presented the Prime Minister with the 2011 Bank of Israel annual report. There is praise for the government’s handling of global economic crisis, but concern as gaps in society continue to widen. Israel Hayom notes an increase in the defence budget will mean a rise in taxes. Various papers note tomorrow’s planned ‘land day’ protests, although the current assessment is that major violent incidents are not expected. Nevertheless, Israel Hayom focuses on Israeli preparations, and the deployment of anti-rioting equipment and extra forces, particularly on Israel’s northern border. The Jerusalem Post follows Israeli Energy Minister Uzi Landau as he signed an agreement with Greece to cooperate on environmental issues. He commented that he would primarily look to export portions of Israel’s natural gas to the Palestinian Authority and Jordan in an effort to help bridge relations with its neighbours. Haaretz reports on a meeting between high ranking Israelis and Egyptians in Cairo as they work together to find a new location for Israel’s embassy.