Reuters covers a joint French-Iraqi-brokered conference of Middle Eastern states in Jordan at which Iran indicated a willingness to engage in dialogue with regional antagonists, including Saudi Arabia. No direct bilateral meetings were held between the two sides, little progress made, and at the same time as an Iranian representative was making conciliatory remarks, IRGC commander Esmail Ghaani – speaking in Tehran – referred to Saudi Arabia as “a scum and not worthy of being an enemy”.

Reuters reports UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace accusing Russia of planning to supply Iran with advanced weaponry in return for the Islamic Republic’s supply of drones to Moscow for use in its war in Ukraine. “In return for having supplied more than 300 kamikaze drones, Russia now intends to provide Iran with advanced military components, undermining both Middle East and international security”, said Wallace. “We must expose that deal. In fact, I have, just now.”

The Independent details Palestinian calls for a general strike in the West Bank in the wake of the death from cancer of former Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade leader Nasser Abu Hamid, 50, in Israeli prison this week. It quotes Hamas officials calling also for “a real escalation in the occupation prisons”.

The Guardian’s finance correspondent, Nils Pratley, discusses the concerns of shareholders at Edinburgh-based oil explorer Cairn Energy at a proposed merger with Israeli firm NewMed.

Reuters and The Guardian report on the apparent discovery of the burial place of Salome, in a cave in Tel Lachish national park, west of Jerusalem. “Earlier excavations located Jewish relics ‘but the surprise was the adaptation of the cave into a Christian chapel,’ the Israel Antiquities Authority said. ‘Judging by the crosses and the dozens of inscriptions engraved on the cave walls in the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods, the chapel was dedicated to the sacred Salome.’”

In iNews, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown says that British commentators are “wary” of reporting coverage critical of Israel, in fear of the backlash they will receive. Citing the high number of Palestinian casualties this year, the deportation of Salah Hamouri, and the agenda of the incoming Israeli government, Alibhai-Brown encourages greater scrutiny of Israel.

Israeli media focusses widely on Prime Minister designate Benjamin Netanyahu seemingly closing in on the formation of a government with his right-wing bloc allies. Despite the continued absence of a formal coalition agreement, Netanyahu is considered likely to inform President Herzog that he has formed a government at some point today. Kan Radio suggests that Likud MKs are urging Netanyahu to go to Herzog as soon as possible, to allow a swearing-in on either 27 or 28 December.

Yediot Ahronot focusses on yesterday’s successful passage – by 63 votes to 53 – of a piece of legislation crucial to the forming of the government: the transfer of authorities traditionally held by the Police Commissioner to the designated National Security minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Bills to similarly expand Bezalel Smotrich’s finance portfolio and to settle the question of Shas leader Aryeh Deri’s ability to serve in cabinet given his criminal convictions will be debated next week, and if passed will become effective immediately. Outgoing Public Security Minister, Labour’s Omer Bar-Lev, delivered critical remarks about his replacement, Ben Gvir: “This is a man who was a terrorist operative, for whom racism is his vocation. The Israel Police will be run under a threatening and belligerent man who lacks responsibility and experience, who wishes to turn it into a political agency and not subject to the principle of stateliness. Ben Gvir intends to subject the commissioner of police to his will, to turn him into a puppet.”

Yediot Ahronot also reports on the gaps that remain between the Likud and its allies, notably United Torah Judaism’s demand that the grandfather clause in Israel’s Law of Return be scrapped in favour of a more restrictive right to immigration. The Likud is unwilling to consider such a change at present, with Haaretz reporting that Netanyahu will instead establish a committee for its discussion. The same paper reveals that Netanyahu and the Haredi parties are also far from an agreement on a proposed law to limit the drafting of Haredi Israelis into the military. The bill will therefore be brought to a vote at the time of the passage of the 2023 budget. Meanwhile, the Likud has ensured that the coalition agreement is vague on the precise nature of judicial reform it promises to promote. With the potential for a 61-vote override (allowing a small Knesset majority to overrule Supreme Court judgments) having proven highly contentious, the agreement stipulates only that “an override clause will be legislated.”

Maariv analyses the headache caused to Netanyahu by the fact that he has more Likud and coalition MKs to please than he has ministerial positions to allocate. According to the paper, Netanyahu is having to consider offering rotational arrangements to senior Likud figures. For example, it is speculated that Yisrael Katz, long considered a leading contender for the Foreign Affairs brief, will be allocated the position for the government’s first two years before handing over to Amir Ohana, who will first serve as Economy Minister. A similar arrangement is speculated involving Likud MKs David Amsalem and Yariv Levin and the Justice Minister and Knesset Speaker positions; Levin was installed as speaker last week, in a move widely expected to be temporary. Ynet, meanwhile, considers that the Defence Ministry, which will see some of its power devolved to Smotrich, will likely be led by Likud MK Yoav Galant, a former Major General.

Maariv discusses the toll the complex coalition negotiations have taken on internal Likud unity. Efraim Ganor writes: “The fact that the first bill that the government passed was one that prevents four MKs from splintering [off from their mother faction], which was introduced only because of Netanyahu’s distrust of the Likud MKs lest they join forces with one another and splinter off, is a testament to the atmosphere in that party.” Ganor adds that a lack of trust is also discernible between Netanyahu and the other parties in the coalition. Israel Hayom reports further on the breakdown in trust within the Likud, describing how staff have been given lie-detector tests in an effort to ascertain the source of leaks to the media.

Kan TV reveals the extent of cooperation between the Israeli Prison Service and Hamas in the transfer of Hamas prisoners between Israeli facilities. Hamas has been consulted in a number of cases, and the programme also alleged that prisoners aligned with Hamas’s rival Fatah requested the transfer of a prominent Fatah prisoner to the Megiddo Prison in order to strengthen the Fatah leadership there. Incoming National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded to the revelations with a call to end Hamas’s domination of certain prisons and to worsen prison conditions for terrorists.

Army Radio carries outgoing Defence Minister Benny Gantz’s announcement today that Israel will retain the body of Palestinian terrorist Nasser Abu Hamid, who died of cancer in an Israeli prison this week. Retention of the body of Abu Hamid, a prominent Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade figure in the Second Intifada, is considered essential to the recovery and repatriation of missing and captive Israelis from Palestinian territory.