The UK media’s coverage of Israel focuses on attempts by the White House to refute suggestions that US President Barack Obama rejected a meeting request from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to travel to the United States later this month. The Times reports that the White House dismissed claims that a meeting had been denied, a story which is also reported by the Guardian online. The Telegraph adds that Obama and Netanyahu spoke for an hour by phone.

Significant coverage is also given to the aftermath of the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, which resulted in the killing of the US Ambassador to Libya and three other American officials. In particular, the Times notes Obama’s decision to send two warships to the Libyan coast and further demonstrations outside other US embassies in the region.  Meanwhile, the Telegraph carries an opinion piece which questions the future of the Arab Spring and prospects for democracy in the region in light of the anti-American violence. The Daily Mail, Independent and Telegraph also provide commentary on the incident, with an editorial dedicated to the story in the Guardian.

In addition, there is widespread speculation over the identity of the film-maker who produced the amateur anti-Islamic film which appears to have triggered the violence in Libya and elsewhere. The Telegraph reports that the supposed filmmaker, Sam Bacile, describes himself as an Israeli Jew. The Guardian and Times note that Bacile is not familiar to Israeli authorities.

Meanwhile, BBC online publishes a detailed feature on attempts to draft Israel’s ultra-orthodox community into the military and the potential impact on Israeli society.

The Telegraph online also includes a blog post on the Israeli government’s attempts to thwart so-called ‘price tag’ attacks, carried out by those virulently opposed to uprooting settlements. The article notes an announcement by Israel’s Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch who has set up a special police unit charged with tackling these incidents.

City AM includes an opinion piece by Conservative MP Dominic Raab, who urges the UK to look to Israel’s example of investment in research and development as a model for economic growth.

In Israel, media coverage also includes a major focus on the killing of the American Ambassador at the US mission in Benghazi.  The story is covered prominently in Ma’ariv, Ha’aretz and Makor Rishon, with significant analysis in Israel Hayom, which argues that the violence in Libya is a culmination of Obama’s flawed analysis of the Middle East.

The Hebrew press also reports the hour-long phone conversation between Obama and Netanyahu in light of allegations that the White House had refused to meet Israel’s leader.  Ma’ariv describes the call as an initiative by Obama to ‘put things right’. The report states that although no meeting has been set between the two leaders, certain ‘ground rules’ were discussed should such a meeting take place.

There are also reports that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is considering the option of calling an early general election, towards the start of 2013, should an agreement fail to be reached on the state budget.  Both Israel Radio News and Ma’ariv reported that Netanyahu mentioned early elections as a possibility in response to a petition submitted by Minister Michael Eitan who asked to convene the Likud Convention immediately and hold internal elections.

Israel Radio News also carried an early morning report of a conversation last night between Netanyahu and French President Francois Hollande. The French premier is reported to have urged Netanyahu to use diplomacy in handling the Iranian nuclear threat.