In the UK media today, the Independent carries a wire story on the looming Israeli elections, claiming that both Israeli-Palestinian talks and deliberations over the Iranian nuclear programme will now take a back seat. The Financial Times reports on the public debate in Israel regarding the Iranian nuclear programme, with senior security figures challenging the government’s current policy. The Times reports criticism of a solidarity convoy organised by George Galloway MP which is planned to reach Gaza in mid-May. The Viva Palestina convoy, which left Bradford last week, is now scheduled to travel through Syria, a decision which has prompted activists from New Zealand and Malaysia to withdraw. The Independent notes the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden, asking how relevant al Qaeda is now. Both the Times and the Daily Telegraph have obituaries of Professor Benzion Netanyahu, the father of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who died yesterday at the age of 102. In the Daily Mail, business editor Alex Brummer criticises a decision by the Cooperative Group to boycott Israeli goods from companies which operate in Gaza and the West Bank as a ‘futile gesture which smacks of prejudice and political correctness’.

In Israel, the press continues to focus on the impending elections. According to Israel Radio, September 4^th is emerging as the most likely date. The papers also widely report that former foreign minister and Kadima leader Tzipi Livni is expected to announce her resignation from the Knesset today, although not to formally declare that she is quitting public life. Maariv notes that Yair Lapid, whose ‘Yesh Atid’ movement is currently polling 10-12 seats, will hold his first election rally today. Yediot Ahronot notes that there is considerable opposition within the Likud to guaranteeing Defence Minister Ehud Barak a slot on the party’s list for the next Knesset. According to current polls, Barak’s Independence party will not cross the electoral threshold in the elections. Speaking to foreign journalists yesterday, Barak warned that Israel ‘cannot afford to be duped’ by Iranian negotiating positions. Haaretz reports that National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror will travel to Brussels and Berlin to talk to European leaders ahead of the next round of six-power talks with Iran, scheduled for 23 May in Baghdad. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Palestinians will lodge a protest with the United Nations about Israeli treatment of Palestinian prisoners. Speaking in Tunisia yesterday, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas also called on Israel to choose between settlements and peace, saying “I choose you [Benjamin] Netanyahu as my partner for peace. With whom else can I make peace?” The paper also reports a petition to the Supreme Court which criticises the State’s application to re-hear an application to delay the demolition of houses in the Ulpana section of West Bank settlement Beit El. Yisrael Hayom notes comments by Amr Moussa, who is standing in the Egyptian presidential elections, that the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty is ‘dead and buried’. This is a significant hardening of his position. Ynet reports that the Attorney General expects to deliver his decision about indicting foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman within a few weeks. If the long-running investigation into fraud, money laundering and witness harassment results in criminal charges, it could have implications for Yisrael Beiteinu’s election prospects.